Originally Posted by anin

Hi Justice,

I just want to say that if your animal is not TRULY an emotional support animal or service animal then you should NOT be having your doctor fill out the form just so you can travel with your puppy. This only serves to discredit the true service/emotional support animals out there.

I worked for an airline and saw people trying to pass off their pets as emotional support animals or service animals. It makes our job very, very, very difficult trying to distinguish between the two. I have seen cases where we denied a true service animal. This happens because people abuse the system.

We require the doctor's note as assurance that the animal is truly an emotional support animal. A doctor should not be signing such a letter unless there is a true need for the animal. That would be grounds for losing a license.

The law is in place for people who need their animals to live normal lives. As I said, abuse of this law discredits the importance of these animals and makes it more difficult for those who truly need them.

I obviously don't know your situation. However, from you post above it does sound like your doctor will sign the letter and you asked your doctor to sign the letter just so that you can travel with your puppy. I really hope that is not the case.

Anyone who is considering doing this, PLEASE reconsider. You should be happy that you are not disabled and don't require an animal to perform daily/routine functions. Please don't make it any more difficult for the people who do.

Thanks,

Anin

Originally Posted by harrison72

Well said Anin. As a doctor, the onus is on me to make an accurate judgment in these cases, as the power to decide who should have this credential potentially affects many people.