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I haven't finished the article yet, but I find the whole concept of bringing your emotional support animal anywhere with you silly. I don't know, maybe some people need it. But most are just abusing the law.

Aaand this is coming from one of those people who abuses the law. I live in University-owned apartments that don't allow animals… but I really wanted a dog. I legitimately have an anxiety disorder and a history of depression, so I got my therapist (who I legitimately see) to write me a letter stating I need an emotional support dog, even though I definitely don't need one. However, this is only to have her live with me. I don't try to bring her places she's not actually allowed. The funny thing is, I don't think I actually need an emotional support animal, but my dog really is good for my anxiety and depression!

Haha ok calle crazy but like 8 years ago I looked into doing this with dog!

I think that ESAs are an affront to people who depend on trained service animals to function. The woman with MS quoted in the article is 100% right. She shouldn't have to deal with the nonsense resulting from glorified pets being taken places they shouldn't be.

Shame on the author. She wrote about what is well known and has already been written about (people are lying and abusing the system). It seems her only point was to see what kind of ludicrous situations she could pull off and mock others along the way for entertainment.

I hate that she glossed over the women's experience with MS who relies on a service animal. I'm part of a working dog community and have come to know many people who rely on their pets to keep them safe. It's not a small thing, but rather a daily struggle they have to go through.

@blackbird: I once read an article about a soldier returning home who was trying to complete her college degree. She suffered from PTSD and would sometimes start to panic in big groups. Her dog had been trained to watch her, and when she gave the secret signal, he would whine and act like he needed to be taken out. I loved that they could work as a team like that.

In case anyone is wondering about the difference between an ESA and a psychiatric service dog, here's an article that clearly outlines it all: http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/node/76

@yoursilverlining: I agree with you completely.

@yoursilverlining: total asshole. She's more bummed out that the animal can't continue with her stunts than its' actual well-being.

@MrsSCB: ESA animals are helpful and wonderful creatures, but not exactly necessary. If an animal is actually a real, necessary thing to keep someone safe, then they can be trained and qualify as a psychiatric service dog. But if they fall into the category of helping someone feel better (but not necessarily keeping them out of harm's way), then that's a different story. And I hear you on the gluten thing--I have a good friend with celiac disease who is very tired about the questioning of her gluten free diet.

@MrsSCB: yes, good point! I know a woman who has a service dog for seizures. Part of the dog training was to watch people handle her and take care of her while she acted incoherent. She explained that a dog's reaction could be to become protective, so he had to be trained to allow others to help her, even in distress. So much goes into the training that I never even considered.

My teenage cousin has an ESA animal and I think it is total BS (for her). My cousin has real problems but having to control and defend an untrained dog in a space it shouldn't be does not help her interact with other people. It makes her more scared and frustrated. I think my aunt just got the dog because it's trendy. I wish they would just give up on the ESA thing and keep it as a pet.

I work at a college and you can EASILY tell the difference between the ESAs that are "legitimate" and those who were gotten just because they could. You practically don't even realize the former exist while the latter consistently cause problems and aren't well trained, even by pet standards.

I for one am not a fan of how unregulated it is. People are absolutely abusing the system and ruining it for those whose health is actually improved by the support.

I still got a kick out of that article and laughed while reading it awhile back.