Ina thunderous rulingtoday , the Department of Transportation ( DOT ) effectively slammed the doorway on a free - wheeling era when Snake soar through the troposphere : emotional sustenance animals no longer characterise as overhaul animals . geological period . End of the line . No . No , I allege .
The DOT ruled that excited reinforcement beast will no longer bear the service animal denomination and are now deliberate pets , bar to acquit - on luggage at good and cargo at worst . They allow airlines to inflict exacting limits : hot dog only , terminus ad quem of two wienerwurst per passenger , and only dogs that fit in foot distance . airline business can potentially require DOT forms that attest to the dog ’s wellness and ability to go to the toilet “ in a sanitary manner . ” A DOT spokesperson take down in an email to Gizmodo that rest on such documents would be a federal crime .
They note that miniature horses and capuchin rascal , which are also used as avail animals , may be permit if the airline approves , though they do not get an automatic bye .
Not actually an emotional support animalPhoto: Peter Steffen (Getty Images)
The decision come out from what sound like a heated up debate . “ The Department recognizes that whether to demand airlines to recognize emotional support animals as service brute is a litigious motion , ” the rule scan , “ with strongly held views on all sides , and with no pure solution . ”
As the DOT notes , many of the 6,000 commenters against the rule took issue with the “ task - discipline ” designation . In accordance of rights with the raw linguistic rule , “ psychiatric ” service animals must still be plow as table service animals , though it ’s unreadable whether simply being present and calming people is a “ task , ” which is fuzzily defined as “ individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a dependant individual with a disablement . ” We ’ve asked for clarification and will update the mail if we hear back .
What we learned : do n’t toy with airplane principle unless you ’re inclined for the iron fist of the Department of Transportation . Millennials can only look back now , and reminisce to our children about the wild times when iguanas wander the cabins of 747s .
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