WASHINGTON — It seemed, in retrospect, a bit of a low point — a medium-size dog racing through an airplane at 30,000 feet, spraying diarrhea toward passengers throughout the cabin.
But according to some transportation officials, it was an increasingly typical scene that has stemmed from the growing use of comfort animals on airplanes.
“Over the last three years, there has been an explosion of emotional support animals, which seems to have coincided with websites that tell people how to get their pets on board and not have to pay for it,” said Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants.
Since 2016, the number of behavior-related service animal problems, “including urinating, defecating or biting,” has increased 84%.
There is no such thing as an "emotional support" animal; the applicable term is "pet". It'd be really interesting if someone shows up to board a plane with their "emotional support" elephant. Probably just a matter of time....
