Perhaps if you sucker punched someone you would be able to calm down.

I, for one, would not be flying on a plane with a pilot that required a support animal.

If the pilot needs an animal just to get through the day-to-day situations, how are they going to respond in an unusually stressful situation? It's not about stigmatizing mental illness, it's about acknowledging that certain jobs have certain requirements that need to be met. I wouldn't fly with a blind pilot, but I don't think that's stigmatizing blind people.

waow some people just have no respect for our fellow earth's citizens, unreal

I fail to see how emotional crutches aren't 'doing something' for you. When I had him with me for a little less than a year, he was a psychiatric service dog (that's how emotional support dogs were classified) and had all the same protections. Who are you to decide if he wasn't doing as much for me as a dog that detected low blood sugar or seizures?

I went to a psychiatrist before and after his training and she was who gave me the script to have him get trained. I hated being on drugs but it took a year and a half or two years before I felt good enough to go about without his help.

To be honest your posts seem really disdainful of the fact that I had him with me and it makes me think you don't really believe how crippling mental illnesses can be. Yes, it can cause problems. I took him once to a poker tournament to see how he would be. When I got sat at one table, someone said they were allergic to dogs. The tournament staff moved me to a different table. Things can be worked around to accommodate people. When the next dealer came over, he dealt for around 20 minutes before noticing I had a dog with me in the 5 seat directly across from him. Tell me how this is putting anyone out.

Pic of dog plz, Gobbo.

I thought you'd never ask!

How can you guys be against this little guy?

The diabeties dog seems like an odd thing. If the palpitations, extreme face sweating and generally feeling like crap don't alert you to low blood sugar then I don't see Fido helping.

I have had this happen a couple of times, and even on the first occasion it was completely obvious what was going on just from the symptoms as described to me previously.

AFAIK it affects some people differently. The biggest thing I know of is that you can pass out or go into shock and obviously it would help to detect before it got to that extreme a state.

Anyone wanting to learn more about ESA horses can check out this very informative site.

http://www.guidehorse.com/news_emot_supt.htm

The monsters who seek to deny people the companionship of these majestic animals need help.

I was wondering if the patients size permitted could an ESA mini horse be ridden and still provide therapeutic value? I'm visualizing Warwick Davis galloping past me with a samsonite trailing behind and wondering why can't people get the help they need?

That's a really cute dog Gobbo, and I don't even like dogs much.

Yeah, did a little looking around and it seems they're mainly used for Type 1's and children. Amazing that they can be trained to do this.

I find the seizure alert dogs fascinating.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...izuredogs.html

Would you just walk off the plane?

Would you prefer your pilot was on anti-depressants?

Maybe he/she just needs the animal to deal with people and not the actual flight itself.

Well, that is why having an animal near your side may help in situations like that.

These people get tons of attentions. Kids go bonkers if they see a miniature horse in a restaurant.

One person came to my office with a vest that said "not a pet, do not pet."

I kicked her out of the practice because she was such a hostile person and abusing the system.

It could be seen that you have no respect for animals and discriminate against them as well as citizens that require animals to live better lives.

This should be like a drug that you get weaned off of. That is why it is only a year and you get re-evaluated.

The problem is that it is probably an auto-refill. And these people now have gotten so used to taking their pig in public and getting attention that they cannot function without it.

I think a study should be done examining the addictive nature of this.

We have such little data to go off to determine the efficacy.

Got to say I'm a bit skeptical - small sample sizes, alerts up to 12 hours in advance and something that can't be trained for.

My snake oil alert hamster just bit my finger.

There's so many other things you could say exactly the same thing about. Maybe people should be weened off having a drink when they're out at the bar to make social interactions easier.

If it's any reassurance, the animal will die at some point, so that should ween them right off.

That's a very old article fwiw. The one I read most recently focused on one person and her dog specifically. Probably should've linked to that one.

FWIW, although I am a psychologist, I still find your attitude about this to be really self-absorbed. Individuals with mental disorders do not have an unfettered right to use whatever coping tools they feel necessary in order to be out in public, especially when these tools may frighten or trigger allergy reactions in individuals who have no reason to expect that they will be subjected to them.

I personally believe that genuine service animals who perform some sort of recognizable task and can be properly certified should be allowed in establishments, while "emotional support" animals should be allowed only in places that already allow pets.

I understand and respect that point of view. I assume that's why emotional support animals no longer have federal protection. But it bothers me most likely because I've always loved being around dogs and it's hard for me to understand how someone who is afraid of all dogs can feel when they see me holding my 11 pound wiener dog.

That being said, in this country and culture we immediately have more understanding of people with physical ailments than mental. I think one of the things holding us back as a society is lack of understanding, compassion, and attempts to accommodate those with mental illnesses of some sort. As a psychologist, wouldn't you agree your job would be a lot easier if people sought help much earlier rather than waiting to seek help as much as several years later?

Sure. If I saw a pilot taking a hit of cocaine I'd walk off the plane too.

Maybe? Would it work?

Ultimately, I can't know if someone is on anti-depressants or not, will react well in a stressful emergency, or is taking hits of cocaine in a locked bathroom. So if I don't have any specific information, I just rely on the fact that the vast majority of pilots are responsible and can handle things just fine.

But if I get a specific piece of information (like seeing they need a support monkey in the cockpit with them) I can take that into consideration and act on it.

Maybe?

Don't diss the wiener - has a proud heritage as a badger hunting dog and is not to be messed with.

Tribbles!

Don't Judge Me: My Emotional Support Dog is Not a Scam

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/dont-ju...705401532.html

So this person used to take a lot of drugs to make it through a flight, but doesn't anymore.

Should others suffer because of her psychological inability to take a flight?

My issue is that you may be (are) creating dependency. This woman will never be able to go on a flight without her dog.