Article about how to take your pet everywhere.

[xracer4844]

This article is written in The New Yorker. It's about how foolish and easy it is to take ANY animal with you anywhere (planes, museums, stores) and how many "scam artists" there are. She brings a snake, a pig, a chicken, an alpaca, and a turtle around with her to various appointments.

As someone with a REAL certified working dog - this peeves me...but I can't help but LAUGH at how hilarious and well written this article is.

How to Take Your Pet Everywhere

[Snowshoe]

Funny and sad at the same time. People will take advantage of any little thing, some people. A gal at work used to take her grown GR into stores and tell people it was a Seeing Eye dog in training. I don't think she had any nefarious purpose in mind, just didn't want to leave it tied up outside.

[emma_Dad]

This is actually hilarious! I can't imagine walking around with a turtle let alone an alpaca! It be like come on little turtle walk faster!!

[3ChocMom]

That was an entertaining read. As much as I am an animal lover, even I don't want to see animals in certain places, like restaurants and grocery stores. Or museums or high end designer stores. The list is long. I'm sorry, but there are a lot of people who do not train their dogs and also do not clean up after them. People are rude and entitled, and if I actually ever saw someone doing this, I don't think I would be able to resist calling them on their crap. I don't think this kind of thing happens all the time, and I think the reactions the author got support this, but I do think if it starts to happen more and more, it could potentially make it harder for people with service animals. And that's a shame.

[doubledip1]

People who do this infuriate me to no end. A social worker on my Facebook just posted a link to a scam website on registering your pit bull as an emotional support animal so you can evade breed restrictions.

I support people with emotional support dogs. I don't support people abusing the system mean to help.

[xracer4844]

I agree - I don't think this happens all the time as well - HOWEVER, that fact that she is able to get away with it PROVES that it is possible. She was able to go through multiple TSA checks - and multiple flights just because "the law is fuzzy". I am able to bring my dog everywhere as he has his working status, however, I don't feel the need to bring him with me to the grocery store or the mall. I have seasons tickets to a football team - I wouldn't consider bringing him to a football game...even though I can. I am not dependent on him getting me from point A to point B...however this article proves that people are doing it and spoiling it for people that do depend on their k9's to get them from point A to point B.

[Bamps]

When I was in the ICU at the hospital, my sons brought my grandkids in, the staff turned their heads just because I was the only patient in ICU. Had I have been able to get Opie in there, I sure would have. It was a boost to my moral and made me feel great to see my grandkids in there. OPIE would have boosted my moral even more.

[Berna]

My dog is my emotional support. Not registered though, but he is.

Oh, and he is much better behaved than the examples given in the article.

[3ChocMom]

I agree - I don't think this happens all the time as well - HOWEVER, that fact that she is able to get away with it PROVES that it is possible. She was able to go through multiple TSA checks - and multiple flights just because "the law is fuzzy".

Yeah, I don't get the flight thing. When I flew from CA to FL with Jax, I had to call ahead and let them know I would be flying with an animal. There are rules about how many animals can be aboard an aircraft at one time (in the cabin anyway). I want to say the rules for most airlines were that it could only be a dog or cat in the cabin as well. So the fact that she got away with bringing a pig into the cabin floors me. I'm actually shocked that airlines aren't more well versed in the law and don't train their employees accordingly.

[CraftHer]

Perhaps because she said it was an "emotional support animal". But from what I read, that doesn't mean it can go anywhere a person can. I'm not sure the law is as fuzzy as much as people just don't know the law.

I'm fine with anyone taking their well behaved dog anywhere.