How did they get this dog into the MK?

[starjazz]

How's this for a "service animal"?

I'd love to have this support animal. Support for when its gettin' on supper time.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

People are nuts and businesses indulge their crazy because they are afraid of lawsuits.

Businesses really don't have a choice under existing federal law.

Not arguing the "nuts" part, because the people who abuse the law make it harder for those who don't.

 

[DisDadDVC]

I'd love to have this support animal. Support for when its gettin' on supper time.

"Excuse me, stewardess, this turkey is severely undercooked."

 

[Ursula's Apprentice]

"Excuse me, stewardess, this turkey is severely undercooked."

 

[Pemeberly]

Well, considering how many followers the "dog" has on Instagram, WDW could have also just set it up as a PR activity. That dog is an influencer!

 

[Paigesmom2013]

Omg, that turkey would scare me to death! I HATE birds.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

If there is a dog in the parks, it has probably been entered as a service dog. A service dog has been trained to perform some sort of task that assists a person with a disability.

Yep.

Which does not mean that the dog is a service animal. Just that they entered the park as one.

People lie. A lot.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

According to the airline (and I forget which airline it was) the turkey met all requirements set by the airline for an emotional support animal, so they had no choice but to allow it on the plane.

Emotional support animals can be any species. Obviously there will be some restrictions as you can't just show up with an emotional support rhinoceros and expect to get it on a plane, but there are examples out there of people boarding planes with pigs, turtles, and even some fish in a bowl. Service animals under ADA can only be dogs (or in some cases, miniature horses).

There was a hilarious article not too long ago out of NYC where the author got herself one of those mail order emotional support animal letters and borrowed a series of animals to take around the city with her to see if they'd be allowed into public areas. At various times she entered local public areas accompanied by a turtle, a pig, a (non-venomous) snake, a turkey, and an alpaca. Apparently one restaurant did not allow her to bring in the snake, but they went in everyplace else. She got this close to boarding an Amtrak train with the alpaca, but it got nervous, so she removed it.

 

[jeanico2000]

Emotional support animals can be any species. Obviously there will be some restrictions as you can't just show up with an emotional support rhinoceros and expect to get it on a plane.

Yeah, I heard about a rhino that didn't get on a plane 'cause he was a little too horny...

 

[Disneytam]

Forget comfort animal. That is comfort food!

Our local news last week showed a pot bellied pig on a flight as a service animal. I think it takes away from the ones that really are needed. On another note though I was so happy that a woman was flying with her emotional support dog last year when a family member had a panic attack in the middle of our flight. She is an animal lover and not a great flyer so we sort of borrowed the dog when she started having an attack and the dog worked wonders for her. Not sure a pig would have had the same affect!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

A pig can't be a service animal under ADA. That is limited to dogs and miniature horses. A pig on a plane has been designated an emotional support animal.

 

[Marbel]

How's this for a "service animal"?

omg I'm dying!!!

 

[Pemeberly]

Our local news last week showed a pot bellied pig on a flight as a service animal. I think it takes away from the ones that really are needed.

To be fair, though, you don't know the circumstances of that pig. Who's to say that person didn't "really need" the pig as an emotional support animal with full support from a trained therapist?

Do people abuse the system? Absolutely. Pretty much every system in place always has people abusing it (I mean, there are even threads on this site about "loopholes" around the WDW system. ) But we can't always tell just by face value who "really needs it" and who doesn't.

Honestly, the argument of who needs something or doesn't based on perception is already a problem for the mental disabilities field. We all need different things, y'know?

Okay, soapboxing done.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

There are other photos of the dog being "interviewed" by BuzzFeed and with a VIP badge at Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl. She seems to be a little furry celebrity. How cute!

I think this may be it. She has a huge following up on Instagram, and I love her too!

 

[Disneytam]

To be fair, though, you don't know the circumstances of that pig. Who's to say that person didn't "really need" the pig as an emotional support animal with full support from a trained therapist?

Do people abuse the system? Absolutely. Pretty much every system in place always has people abusing it (I mean, there are even threads on this site about "loopholes" around the WDW system. ) But we can't always tell just by face value who "really needs it" and who doesn't.

Honestly, the argument of who needs something or doesn't based on perception is already a problem for the mental disabilities field. We all need different things, y'know?

Okay, soapboxing done.

This was kind of my point. But to be honest it can go both ways. I have a dear friend who is terrified of birds. Total panic afraid of large birds so would it be fair to her if she couldn't make her flight because someone had to fly with a turkey? Like everything in this world some common sense needs to be used. Before to long I'm sure some lawmaker will say this law is being abused and will limit what kind of farm animals will be able to be used as service animals.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

They would offer to seat her away from the bird. But if she could not under any circumstances be on the same plane as the turkey, I believe she would be offered the chance to change her flight (not the person with the turkey).

 

[DisDadDVC]

Omg, that turkey would scare me to death! I HATE birds.

With my luck, this would be the person that takes the middle seat next to me on Southwest. On a 1/2 empty plane...

 

[CampbellzSoup]

To be fair, though, you don't know the circumstances of that pig. Who's to say that person didn't "really need" the pig as an emotional support animal with full support from a trained therapist?

Do people abuse the system? Absolutely. Pretty much every system in place always has people abusing it (I mean, there are even threads on this site about "loopholes" around the WDW system. ) But we can't always tell just by face value who "really needs it" and who doesn't.

Honestly, the argument of who needs something or doesn't based on perception is already a problem for the mental disabilities field. We all need different things, y'know?

Okay, soapboxing done.

You need the pig so bad to take it on plane with you...?

 

[DisDadDVC]

It could be worse:

 

[MakiraMarlena]

According to the Air Carrier Access Act, if she has a note or prescription from a doctor that says she needs the pig to fly, then the pig flies, unless it becomes disruptive.

Service animals are different. You don't need a note for a service animal, but basically all you have to do is say it is a service animal. But it has to be a dog. No service pigs or turkeys.