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posted by janrinok on Thursday November 17 2016, @04:23AM   Printer-friendly
from the my-emotional-support-is-a-lion dept.

The young, perfectly healthy looking guy ahead of me in Panera Bread walked his fifty lb. dog to the front of the line - I can't tell you the breed since I don't know dogs - and was immediately told that the dog had to go. "Um, I have an anxiety disorder", he replied. The cashier turned around to consult with the manager, but people were still waiting to order, and soon it was conceded that the customer and his service dog/best friend could stay for lunch. And they did.

The Chicago Tribune reports that similar incidents are cropping up on airlines. Passengers dread having their pets locked up in a kennel in the cargo section, and airlines charge hefty fees for the service, so some of them are taking advantage of a legal loophole allowing service dogs of disabled people to ride in the passenger cabin free of charge; but in these cases the disability is "emotional distress" rather than, say, blindness. Many of these passengers pay a licensed therapist for the certificate of need required by airline gate attendants, and for an expensive vest for their "service animals".

From the Tribune story:

"It's definitely gotten carried away to the point where people are taking advantage of the system," [Atlanta flight attendant] Williams said. "It's hard when someone is following protocol and they're not allowed to take the animal out of the cage, but others use the loophole to have an animal sit on their lap."

The story mentions that some fellow passengers and advocates for the (real) disabled are annoyed with the game-playing and lax enforcement. However, others perhaps side with the late Harry Nilsson, who famously sang "I'd take my puppy everywhere, la-la-la I wouldn't care. We'll stay away from crowds, signs that said 'No friends allowed'".


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @04:13PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @04:13PM (#428170)

    All 'allergies' are psychosomatic. It's a bullshit nervous reaction caused by irrational fear. Just stay home and eat your can of beans in front of the TV, if you're not 'allergic' to electricity...

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @04:29PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @04:29PM (#428186)

    I guess you've never heard of the immune system.

    Also, keep in mind that just because something is psychosomatic, it doesn't mean there isn't a real effect. Seasickness is entirely psychosomatic as with the body's rejection response to food it perceives as poison.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @05:45PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @05:45PM (#428220)

      The immune system is also psychologically controlled. It's all in your head. Calm down and live longer

  • (Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Thursday November 17 2016, @06:27PM

    by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Thursday November 17 2016, @06:27PM (#428245)

    If that is true, then how was I able to detect the presence of a cat within about 30 minutes of entering an new space without seeing, hearing, smelling or touching it?

    Holding an opinion with conviction does not make it true.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @07:23PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @07:23PM (#428275)

      If that is true, then how was I able to detect the presence of a cat within about 30 minutes of entering an new space without seeing, hearing, smelling or touching it?

      You don't. It's subconscious. You actually are 'smelling' it. The dander is in the air, and your psyche reacts. Otherwise you would be 'allergic' to cats that are half way around the world. Proximity wouldn't make a difference. Allergies are a direct function of tensed up hysteria, a quest for sympathy.

      • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday November 18 2016, @03:50AM

        by Reziac (2489) on Friday November 18 2016, @03:50AM (#428632) Homepage

        -1, Flunked first-year biochemistry

        --
        And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.