‘Emotional support animal’ mauls 5-year-old girl at Portland airport

[BionicBunny]

And yet, the issue is that people with “emotional support” animals think they do have the same rights and throw fits and threats when they’re not treated with all honors.
And ultimately, anyone can claim that their pet is a service animal and no one can even ask for proof that it’s true- THAT is the main problem. We need more laws and regulations and stop worrying about offending those who truly need a service animal by requiring proof before allowing that animal anywhere.

I was just remembering when I was in high school and college- I always had feelings of panic if I had to speak in class, give an oral report. My heart heat would flutter and I would get shaky. Gee-I could have used a comforting doggie standing with me in front of the class.
NOT!
I just dealt with it and survived.

Many have had problems in stressful situations such as flying but there’s got to be a simpler way to deal with it besides bringing a dog along.
It’s very possible that someday we will hear of a lot more really scary situations as the result of having a dog in the airport or on a plane.

( I suspect this is a fad)



An emotional support animal was never even in anyone’s mind back then
You just dealt with life.

I don’t think you understand the difference between asupport dog and a service dog. A support dog isn’t protected by law to bring into schools.

In most cases it’s pretty easy to spot the difference between an emotional support dog and a service dog. A service dog has to follow commands and be well socialized. A service dog does 2-3 tasks for their owner. They are well mannered and respond well to commands. If you see a dog bouncing all over the place being hyper or growls at people or pulling and tugging someone that isn’t a service dog. They would never pass as a service dog.

[BionicBunny]

No, I’m not uneducated and I really don’t care if my opinion offends you. I stand by it.

As I said, animals can offer certain comfort when going through tough times, that doesn’t mean they should be allowed everywhere or that it’s healthy for people to become dependent on these animals or that better laws and control needs to be put in place so that people don’t abuse. Just as it’s not healthy for people to become dependent on medication or other substances or inanimate objects to be able to function. They are temporary tools to help people cope, but they shouldn’t be seen as a solution.

I may not have gone through what your sister did exactly, but I’ve had my share of problems and since you don’t know them, maybe you should take a page out of your own book and shut it if you don’t know me or what I’ve been through.
And I’m such a strong person that I managed to get through the tough times without having to depend on my pooch to get me through it. So it’s pathetic that you accuse me of weakness because of it. I pulled myself through it with MY own strength. I took the help and assistance I neede, but I didn’t become dependent on them. So maybe you should keep your assumptions and judgments to yourself if you don’t know me.

You're really uneducated on this. My uncle works with populations under crisis in other countries and they don't just "suck it up" and stand on their own after trauma. He worked with a school for child soldiers that had a support dog on staff. A lot of the people who went through trauma do not function normally and he has to help them put their lives back together.
So, you have went through all the things my sister went through? No? Then you can shut it about how you think she should be dealing with it. It takes a strong person to do what they need to do to get help. A weak person attacks them for doing so.

And wouldn’t you think that it’s better to have her harness that strength and stand on her own rather than turn dependent on a dog to be able to function?
I’m sorry, but I find it hard to believe that someone who needs a pet to function is s strong person. People around the world and throughout history have experienced tragic and traumatic experiences, you don’t see them hanging on to their Beagle in order t be able to function normally.
We’re weakening people by enabling the attitude that they should depend on external factors to deal with problems. I can understand that sometimes things like medication or an emotional crutch may help, but we have to realize it’s a temporary aid, not a permanent solution.

Hold the phones! Say what? You claim that people shouldn’t be “ dependent on medications”. Yeah right! Tell that to the next diabetic you meet or that heart patient that depends on heart medications or those needing blood thinners or those with severe anxiety... the list goes on. You may not be uneducated but that wasn’t a very smart comment

[Poietes]

There are a few heartless ignorant responses I want to reply to but I don’t have the time and I don’t want to say something I may regret right now. I just find it amusing that the people who claim to be the most empathetic and “worldly” are the rudest most heartless and ignorant responses I’ve ever seen.

[Libbylu2]

There are a few heartless ignorant responses I want to reply to but I don’t have the time and I don’t want to say something I may regret right now. I just find it amusing that the people who claim to be the most empathetic and “worldly” are the rudest most heartless and ignorant responses I’ve ever seen.

If the opinions of other posters upset you this much, you could use the “foe” function.
But it’s a mystery to me why a social site like this is that important to you and why differing views make you so traumatized.

[Libbylu2]

No, I’m not uneducated and I really don’t care if my opinion offends you. I stand by it.

As I said, animals can offer certain comfort when going through tough times, that doesn’t mean they should be allowed everywhere or that it’s healthy for people to become dependent on these animals or that better laws and control needs to be put in place so that people don’t abuse. Just as it’s not healthy for people to become dependent on medication or other substances or inanimate objects to be able to function. They are temporary tools to help people cope, but they shouldn’t be seen as a solution.

I may not have gone through what your sister did exactly, but I’ve had my share of problems and since you don’t know them, maybe you should take a page out of your own book and shut it if you don’t know me or what I’ve been through.
And I’m such a strong person that I managed to get through the tough times without having to depend on my pooch to get me through it. So it’s pathetic that you accuse me of weakness because of it. I pulled myself through it with MY own strength. I took the help and assistance I neede, but I didn’t become dependent on them. So maybe you should keep your assumptions and judgments to yourself if you don’t know me.

You're really uneducated on this. My uncle works with populations under crisis in other countries and they don't just "suck it up" and stand on their own after trauma. He worked with a school for child soldiers that had a support dog on staff. A lot of the people who went through trauma do not function normally and he has to help them put their lives back together.
So, you have went through all the things my sister went through? No? Then you can shut it about how you think she should be dealing with it. It takes a strong person to do what they need to do to get help. A weak person attacks them for doing so.

Hold the phones! Say what? You claim that people shouldn’t be “ dependent on medications”. Yeah right! Tell that to the next diabetic you meet or that heart patient that depends on heart medications or those needing blood thinners or those with severe anxiety... the list goes on. You may not be uneducated but that wasn’t a very smart comment

Those medications are for genuine physical illnesses .( except for the anxiety meds)
Your reply illustrates another case of apples and oranges again!
Dogs or cats or horses used to support emotionally unstable people is another thing altogether .
Not comparable at all.

[mommy_jules]

No, I’m not uneducated and I really don’t care if my opinion offends you. I stand by it.

As I said, animals can offer certain comfort when going through tough times, that doesn’t mean they should be allowed everywhere or that it’s healthy for people to become dependent on these animals or that better laws and control needs to be put in place so that people don’t abuse. Just as it’s not healthy for people to become dependent on medication or other substances or inanimate objects to be able to function. They are temporary tools to help people cope, but they shouldn’t be seen as a solution.

I may not have gone through what your sister did exactly, but I’ve had my share of problems and since you don’t know them, maybe you should take a page out of your own book and shut it if you don’t know me or what I’ve been through.
And I’m such a strong person that I managed to get through the tough times without having to depend on my pooch to get me through it. So it’s pathetic that you accuse me of weakness because of it. I pulled myself through it with MY own strength. I took the help and assistance I neede, but I didn’t become dependent on them. So maybe you should keep your assumptions and judgments to yourself if you don’t know me.

Hold the phones! Say what? You claim that people shouldn’t be “ dependent on medications”. Yeah right! Tell that to the next diabetic you meet or that heart patient that depends on heart medications or those needing blood thinners or those with severe anxiety... the list goes on. You may not be uneducated but that wasn’t a very smart comment

Those medications are for genuine physical illnesses .( except for the anxiety meds)
Your reply illustrates another case of apples and oranges again!
Dogs or cats or horses used to support emotionally unstable people is another thing altogether .
Not comparable at all.

Mental illnesses such as GAD are genuine illnesses that can cause genuine physical symptoms. Don't dismiss anxiety just because you've never been plagued by it. This is one of the main reasons people have such a hard time seeking help with their mental illness, because people dismiss it as not real or comparable to "real" illnesses. Without proper treatment, mental illnesses can lead to harm or death of the individual.

[Lexy]

No, I’m not uneducated and I really don’t care if my opinion offends you. I stand by it.

As I said, animals can offer certain comfort when going through tough times, that doesn’t mean they should be allowed everywhere or that it’s healthy for people to become dependent on these animals or that better laws and control needs to be put in place so that people don’t abuse. Just as it’s not healthy for people to become dependent on medication or other substances or inanimate objects to be able to function. They are temporary tools to help people cope, but they shouldn’t be seen as a solution.

I may not have gone through what your sister did exactly, but I’ve had my share of problems and since you don’t know them, maybe you should take a page out of your own book and shut it if you don’t know me or what I’ve been through.
And I’m such a strong person that I managed to get through the tough times without having to depend on my pooch to get me through it. So it’s pathetic that you accuse me of weakness because of it. I pulled myself through it with MY own strength. I took the help and assistance I neede, but I didn’t become dependent on them. So maybe you should keep your assumptions and judgments to yourself if you don’t know me.

Hold the phones! Say what? You claim that people shouldn’t be “ dependent on medications”. Yeah right! Tell that to the next diabetic you meet or that heart patient that depends on heart medications or those needing blood thinners or those with severe anxiety... the list goes on. You may not be uneducated but that wasn’t a very smart comment

Those medications are for genuine physical illnesses .( except for the anxiety meds)
Your reply illustrates another case of apples and oranges again!
Dogs or cats or horses used to support emotionally unstable people is another thing altogether .
Not comparable at all.

Are you saying anxiety is not an illness?

[Deleted User 276]

No, I’m not uneducated and I really don’t care if my opinion offends you. I stand by it.

As I said, animals can offer certain comfort when going through tough times, that doesn’t mean they should be allowed everywhere or that it’s healthy for people to become dependent on these animals or that better laws and control needs to be put in place so that people don’t abuse. Just as it’s not healthy for people to become dependent on medication or other substances or inanimate objects to be able to function. They are temporary tools to help people cope, but they shouldn’t be seen as a solution.

I may not have gone through what your sister did exactly, but I’ve had my share of problems and since you don’t know them, maybe you should take a page out of your own book and shut it if you don’t know me or what I’ve been through.
And I’m such a strong person that I managed to get through the tough times without having to depend on my pooch to get me through it. So it’s pathetic that you accuse me of weakness because of it. I pulled myself through it with MY own strength. I took the help and assistance I neede, but I didn’t become dependent on them. So maybe you should keep your assumptions and judgments to yourself if you don’t know me.

Hold the phones! Say what? You claim that people shouldn’t be “ dependent on medications”. Yeah right! Tell that to the next diabetic you meet or that heart patient that depends on heart medications or those needing blood thinners or those with severe anxiety... the list goes on. You may not be uneducated but that wasn’t a very smart comment

Those medications are for genuine physical illnesses .( except for the anxiety meds)
Your reply illustrates another case of apples and oranges again!
Dogs or cats or horses used to support emotionally unstable people is another thing altogether .
Not comparable at all.

PTSD, GAD, DMD, Autism, are all genuine illnesses and often Service animals or Emotional Support animals are part of the prescribed treatment.

[morgan]

No, I’m not uneducated and I really don’t care if my opinion offends you. I stand by it.

As I said, animals can offer certain comfort when going through tough times, that doesn’t mean they should be allowed everywhere or that it’s healthy for people to become dependent on these animals or that better laws and control needs to be put in place so that people don’t abuse. Just as it’s not healthy for people to become dependent on medication or other substances or inanimate objects to be able to function. They are temporary tools to help people cope, but they shouldn’t be seen as a solution.

I may not have gone through what your sister did exactly, but I’ve had my share of problems and since you don’t know them, maybe you should take a page out of your own book and shut it if you don’t know me or what I’ve been through.
And I’m such a strong person that I managed to get through the tough times without having to depend on my pooch to get me through it. So it’s pathetic that you accuse me of weakness because of it. I pulled myself through it with MY own strength. I took the help and assistance I neede, but I didn’t become dependent on them. So maybe you should keep your assumptions and judgments to yourself if you don’t know me.

Hold the phones! Say what? You claim that people shouldn’t be “ dependent on medications”. Yeah right! Tell that to the next diabetic you meet or that heart patient that depends on heart medications or those needing blood thinners or those with severe anxiety... the list goes on. You may not be uneducated but that wasn’t a very smart comment

Those medications are for genuine physical illnesses .( except for the anxiety meds)
Your reply illustrates another case of apples and oranges again!
Dogs or cats or horses used to support emotionally unstable people is another thing altogether .
Not comparable at all.

You don't think anxiety is a genuine issue? Do you think a person with extreme anxiety doesn't deserve to have a normal quality of life that drugs? (drugs that work, proven by science)

[morgan]

Hold the phones! Say what? You claim that people shouldn’t be “ dependent on medications”. Yeah right! Tell that to the next diabetic you meet or that heart patient that depends on heart medications or those needing blood thinners or those with severe anxiety... the list goes on. You may not be uneducated but that wasn’t a very smart comment

Those medications are for genuine physical illnesses .( except for the anxiety meds)
Your reply illustrates another case of apples and oranges again!
Dogs or cats or horses used to support emotionally unstable people is another thing altogether .
Not comparable at all.

Mental illnesses such as GAD are genuine illnesses that can cause genuine physical symptoms. Don't dismiss anxiety just because you've never been plagued by it. This is one of the main reasons people have such a hard time seeking help with their mental illness, because people dismiss it as not real or comparable to "real" illnesses. Without proper treatment, mental illnesses can lead to harm or death of the individual.

This is so true. And why so many depressed people kill themselves. Because they're judged and dismissed by narrow-minded people.