Hotels/Motels, traveling with emotional support animal
 

Hello, I'm new and a bit lost. If I'm not in the right place, please redirect me. Thanks.:)

I'm allergic to both dogs and cats, but found that a ferret is non-allergic for me. I have had a ferret as an emotional support animal for over 10 years. I have a letter form my psychiatrist stating the reason I need a support animal, as well as the dog/cat allergy.

I'll be traveling for the first time with my ferret. Does the housing regulation that allows my ferret to live with me in a "no pet" section of my housing unit also allow me to bring her into hotels/motels? I don't need to take her out in public, except while I'm traveling and between lodgings. I'll be driving across country, so there will be plenty of little motels and quick food stops.

What paper work do I need besides the Dr's letter? I'd like to take ADA-related, official regulations to help smooth any confusion along the way.

Thank you all for your help. Jeanne

Hi
I wanted to welcome you tho I dont have any info on traveling with a ferret!

hopefully someone with knowledge on what you would need will be along soon

Thank you, Chemar.

I wonder if it might be easier to get an answer if we pretend (for this discussion) that the ferret is a dog?

Perhaps someone has travelled with an emotional support dog?

Thank you, again.

there are a number of threads on this forum re travel with support animals

here is one
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread10461.html

I would think you may need back up letters from your physician etc as many establishments do have very strict pet regulations

Thanks to everyone.

I finally found the threads to traveling with pets. Hadn't found my way around yet.

I'd still like to hear from anyone who has traveled with a ferret, but I've got everything I need to hit the road for now.

Thanks!

Jeanne

On the Road again
 

Hello all,

Thanks for the great support. I appreciate it.

I'm on the road -- alone. The Doc didn't follow my printed example that I downloaded from a link I found here. When the letter was written up, she left a lot out and then had her nurse sign it. She then left on vacation, so there was no way to get another in time for me to leave. So, without a current letter, and this one's grossly inadequate to begin with, I had to leave dear Charumati at a ferret foster mom's place for boarding.

I'm driving alone.

To make matters worse, my GPS unit went on the fritz, and I'm off my planned route to get it replaced. So, I'm having quite a time keeping myself calm and in condition to drive. That slows things down quite a bit. Thank goodness for anti-anxiety meds, but I still need to stay clear headed to drive safely. It's a delicate balance. I'm trying to just keep the edge off, and white-knuckle it along. Judging by the reactions of people around me, I must be blending into traffic well enough.

I really didn't truly appreciate all that my little ferret does for me, but will certainly never try to travel without her again!

I've missed the alarm every morning since she's been gone, and have had to scramble to get checked out of the motels before the 11am departure requirements. Well, at least we know my body's adrenaline factory works. (wink) So much for my usual 10 hour driving days.

Past trips were always easier because Charumati woke me up and helped me get moving in the morning, as well as the natural calming affect of having an animal along.

The stress of having her along without the necessary papers would have been so much worse, as I'd have obsessed over the high likelihood that she would be confiscated and killed. At least I have the calming knowledge that she's staying with a ferret-knowledgeable woman.

Well, off to another day of driving. I can already see that this trip is going to be days longer than it would have. I'm never going to do this alone again!

Thanks, for listening.

Jeanne

One thing to be aware of, particularly if driving cross country, is that Ferrets are illegal in a few stats. I'm originally from California, and they are not allowed to cross the boarder; not sure about any other states but I know they are considered a "dangerous animal" in California, same as a pet skunk.

ferrets dangerous?
 

I would have never thought that any state would consider ferrets dangerous.

It really is strange. There seems to be a general hysteria in some places.

Some site a "vicious nature" of ferrets, while others say that if pet ferrets get loose they may become feral and decimate the local wildlife.

Pet ferrets are domesticated, and have been sited in Egyptian writing. They no longer have any way to survive in the wild. Pet ferrets released into the wild die quickly from lack of food and water, or from not recognizing the need to hide from predators. They don't live long enough to become feral.


Each year, a lot of dog bites are reported, many that cause injuries that require medical care. Pet ferrets don't bite that hard, or that often. So why don't people fear and ban dogs? (I love dogs, and am not saying they should be feared or banned.)

I was once in a restaurant with my little ferret safe in her car carrier. I was seated at a booth, with her car carrier on the seat between me and the wall. The waitress asked what animal I had, and when she heard it was a ferret, she was shocked and fearful. I assured her that ferrets are quite friendly and make very good pets.

About half an hour later, a little girl, about 4, who was seated across the room, screamed that my ferret bit her. The father brought her over to my table and demanded that the waitress call the police, animal control, and the health department. I assured him that my ferret hadn't gotten out of her carrier, and that neither of us had been within 10 feet of his daughter. He was irrational by then, and wouldn't hear anything I said. Finally, I asked him to show me her injury so I could spray it with a disinfectant. The little girl put up her arm, and showed a beautiful, healthy pink arm. No bite marks, no scratches, no marks at all.

That quieted things down, but I paid my bill and got away from them as quickly as possible. People are pretty irrational about ferrets sometimes.