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Originally Posted by ColdNoMore
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I couldn't agree more. This "comfort animal" craze is basically the biggest crock going. I couldn't count the number of perfectly normal patients who would come in and request a letter to allow their rodent, er, I mean lap dog, on a plane or wherever. I never wrote such a letter, and told them that if their issue rose to the level that they couldn't go anywhere without their pet, I would refer them to a psychiatrist and maybe he/she would give them a letter. Guess how many took me up on that offer---yep---exactly ZERO.
Imagine a cabin of 300 passengers on a 5 1/2 hr flight all with a dog. No thank you.
Meanwhile, imagine a very heavy smoker, who in 5 1/2 hrs is likely to have both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. He/she is told too bad and just suck it up. Perhaps they should get a "letter" allowing them to smoke on the plane, even better if they smoke cigars. Imagine sitting there for 5+ hours with 30-40 smokers. And the argument that second hand smoke could affect other's health is bogus, since the recirculated air will spread dog allergens to everyone in the cabin who is sensitive.
I wonder how many of these comfort animals you'd see if the airline charged full fare for them. Not many, I'm sure. Perhaps they could just put them in the cargo section with a webcam, so the owner could watch their rodent, er, I mean lap dog, for the whole flight.