Southwest Airlines is formally allowing miniature horses on its planes as service animals

[Baitball Blogger]

And Delta allows you to bring home your Thanksgiving turkey!

Southwest Airlines is formally allowing miniature horses on its planes as service animals
Southwest Airlines has finalised its policy on the kinds of animals it will let passengers fly with — and it is formally allowing people to fly with trained miniature horses from next month.

snip

Delta said that it carries around 700 animals a day and that people have tried to fly with animals like turkeys and snakes.

Southwest's move also comes after an emotional support dog was removed from one of the airline's planes in February for biting a child's face.

Miniature horses are recognized as a service animal by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which oversees laws about service animals. They are stronger and live longer than most service dogs.

Link to tweet

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https://www.businessinsider.com/southwest-airlines-allows-mini-horses-in-service-animal-policy-update-2018-8

[bobGandolf]

1. SERIOUSLY? NT

[JDC]

2. I will not be getting on a plane with a miniature horse.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. You and I will never have to worry about an altercation with a miniature horse.

That stallion is riding first class!

[USALiberal]

54. Why? You might not even be close to it. nt

[JDC]

56. Or I might, its southwest after all. First come, first serve seating

Ever been around miniature horses? I saw one hind kick a dog and kill it when I was a teen. Right in the head. Done. If someone needs an emotional crutch horse, rent an emotional crutch horse trailer and drive.

A dog, a cat, ok. A horse, miniature or otherwise on a tube 30000 feet in the air, no. It's ridiculous.

[USALiberal]

58. I saw a dog kill a man. Yet they are allowed on planes. Get it? nt

[JDC]

59. One of us does. Happy Thanksgiving

[USALiberal]

64. 20 people a year are killed by horses. I think the odds are OK. Calm down! Horsey will not hurt you!

[Drahthaardogs]

61. I'm allergic.They will give me anaphylactic type reaction.

So whose disability wins?

[hlthe2b]

4. I'd prefer the miniature horse 1000x over some of the human passengers. n/t

(though I hope he's diapered)

[MineralMan]

5. WTF FFS?

"Mind your step, ladies and gentlemen. A service animal has made a deposit in the aisle."

[crazycatlady]

25. About a month too late

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/delta-apologizes-after-michigan-customer-sits-in-feces-on-flight

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. Yet Southwest wouldn't let my nephew take his small parrot for the same purpose.

Shiloh is unbelievably docile, and it wouldn't have taken two people to clean up her crap. As it was my nephew had to rent a car and drive the 14 hours from DEN to LAX on his way to Kuala Lompur.

[MineralMan]

14. Did your nephew get to take the bird to Kuala Lompur?

Why would someone do that? I mean, really?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

19. The parrot arrived safely in KL.

Why he would take her puzzles me, too. He's lived in KL for nearly ten years, visiting his mother between 3 to 4 times a year for about a week at a time. Otherwise, she's been the only human contact the parrot has had during that time, and when his mother moved into assisted living a year ago the bird was forced to remain in her cage the entire time.

My nephew just returned for three weeks to put his mother (my elder sister) into a skilled nursing facility (she has Parkinson's disease) and put her house up for sale. He resented her siblings for not doing it all, since, "I have a life here in KL, and I've already made two trips to Denver this year."

My suggestion that he put Shiloh up for adoption or sell her were blown off. He has a long history of wanting things exactly his way, and being manipulative to meet that goal. I was surprised he wasn't able to get any domestic airline to fly her from DEN to LAX.

Since he travels a lot with his job in KL, Shiloh will spend days alone in her cage, so I don't understand the advantage of the move to her. Sadly, she'll probably die of loneliness.

[Rorey]

53. That is heartbreaking about the bird

He's a cruel person for not making it possible for her to have the best life possible.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

55. Agreed.

My thoughts exactly.

[912gdm]

60. not picking nits here,

but how did he avoid the bird being put in quarantine when he first brought it into the US?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

67. He bought the bird in Denver. This is her first time out of the country.

She made the trip safely, and is now in quarantine in KL.

It's not what I would have done, but then there's a lot of stuff he's done that I wouldn't have done. Like leaving his mother to fend for herself while her Parkinson's got worse and worse, and she was making regular trips to the emergency room when she fell.

The thing I will always remember is his statement from KL, "I've got a life here," when he was explaining why he just couldn't make the trip. When it was suggested his place was at his mother's side in Denver, he took umbrage. Then again, he's got taking umbrage down to an art.

What he wanted was for her siblings to jump in and do everything -- find a nursing home for her after assisted living kicked her out, empty her house and list it, straighten out her finances, apply for Medicaid -- while he stayed in KL. When we stood together to tell him to get his butt over here and take care of his mother, he took great umbrage. We each offered to help if he gave us a date, number of days, and specifically what he wanted us to do while were in Denver. He never responded. Being a victim was much easier, I guess.

I thought moving Shiloh to KL was a horrible idea. Even if she survived the trip or didn't get lost during the switch from one airline to another in Manila, she's facing an even more isolated existence than she had in Denver. At least the assisted living facility let her stay with my sister, and the staff was always dropping by to interact with her. He's the editor of a group of travel magazines, and 5-star resorts are always flying him to stay with them for 4-5 days in return for a glowing review. It's a sweet gig, but Shiloh's going to be alone much of the time. My wife and I strongly suggested he reconsider moving her, but he is stubborn and always has to get his way.

I agree, his selfishness is extremely abusive to the parrot.

[SweetieD]

7. Very cruel.

[lilactime]

22. My first thought.

[Hortensis]

42. :) Did you mean to the human or the horse? Or both?

Maybe reach for information before the Kleenex? The latter may not be necessary. This was a surprise to me too, but he or she'd probably far rather go everywhere with his people than be left behind and may prefer to sleep lying down but can sleep standing probably significantly more comfortably than people sleep in those seats.

I just read that service horses can live 30-40 years, even more, remaining together with an owner over most of both their lifespans, as opposed to commonly not much more than a decade for a dog. I'd rather have a small dog than a big old horse, but that would be a powerful reason. It must be very sad and hard to lose such a companion, and there are long, long, long waiting lists for service animals for those who can't dish out $15-30+K.

Btw, I didn't realize initially that the terrier I saw with a very healthy appearing woman at a car show was her service dog, not just the pet he obviously was. Turns out she can lose her balance completely with no warning and has been badly injured, totally unable to break her falls, but -- and this amazed me -- her buddy senses one coming on before she has any idea and signals her so that she sit down immediately wherever she is.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. A miniature horse probably won't bite your face,

but can they be housebroken? Or will they leave miniature poo all over the cabin for passengers to step in and some poor cleaner to deal with?

[Rorey]

13. I always have wondered about the poor soul with allergies

Fortunately I'm not allergic to any kind of animals, but it's gotta suck to have an "emotional support" cat sitting in close proximity for hours on a plane if you're allergic to cats.

[ProudLib72]

9. If that horse is sitting next to me

I'm petting him for the entire flight! I don't care if he's a service animal and I'm not supposed to pet him.

Same with service dogs.

[brush]

20. I pity the woman in the photo, she's at the rear end of that horse.

[ProudLib72]

23. Think of it this way

That's the end that doesn't bite the hell out of you.

Sure it may be stinky and could get messy, but you aren't likely to lose a finger.

[brush]

24. I get you. It's amazing to me that traveling on our airlines now...

is what I encountered at taxi parks in Cameroon. You tell the person in charge where you want to go and get directed to a shared taxi, sometimes with chickens or goats as fellow passengers.

[jberryhill]

35. You should try taking Llyft...

[brush]

36. Heehee. Yeah, I saw that before. Do you remember the story about...

the emotional support peacock a passenger tried to take on a plane?

[jberryhill]

37. That peacock wreaked havoc with my emotional support kangaroo

[brush]

39. Too much. Where are you getting these?

[Rorey]

10. Bonafide service animals, yes.

My apologies to anyone I may offend, but this "emotional support" animal thing has gotten way out of hand.

Every pet I've ever had in my whole life has given me emotional support, but I didn't expect special treatment. I didn't expect that I would ever be able to take them everywhere I went.

[MoonRiver]

15. But if someone is severely emotionally disturbed,

and can only be calmed by a service animal, I'd prefer s/he cuddle with the animal than have a complete meltdown on the plane.

[MineralMan]

28. Miniature horsed don't fit on airliners.

They can't be belted in. They can't fit under the seat in front of you. There is no safe way to transport a miniature horse in an airline cabin.

On one flight, many years ago, I was seated next to a young woman who seemed fine until the plane was in the air. Then, she had a major anxiety attack. For five hours, I talked quietly and calmly with her about whatever she wanted to talk about. I switched seats with her so she wasn't next to the window. The view was disturbing for her. After about half an hour, she calmed down enough that just the steady, quiet conversation distracted her enough to bring things down to just a mild anxiety.

When we landed and exited the plane, she gave me a big hug and told me I had helped her survive the flight. It was a tense trip, that one was.

[jberryhill]

34. What about a quarter horse?

[MineralMan]

40. LOL!

[Rorey]

45. Mile high angels

I'm more than a little bit claustrophobic, and I really don't enjoy flying. I am usually able to get myself in a good place mentally, but there was a flight about 10 years ago where I had the misfortune of not getting my preferred aisle seat. I think I must have had visible anxiety because the woman in the seat next to me just started conversing. She absolutely saved me on that flight. I know most people just want to keep to themselves on flights.

Angels like you and that woman save people like me sometimes, and we thank you.

[MineralMan]

47. I also could have had her breathe into a bag, but that wasn't necessary.

Normally, I just read or stare out the window, but if someone is having a difficult time, I'm always willing to try to help. Talking, and especially answering questions about things can go a long way toward quieting down anxiety. Many people who don't fly regularly have troubles with anxiety on flights.

I'm glad someone was there to chat with you and give you something else to think about other than being 30,000 feet off the ground.

[Rorey]

49. It was during a particularly difficult time

I was flying back and forth taking care of a terminally ill family member, so I was already on edge.

The claustrophobia stems from being buried alive in a previous life. (That's what my daughter claims must have happened to me.)

[MineralMan]

50. Difficult times often cause anxiety.

My younger brother died last year from liver failure. I made several difficult trips to my old home town during that period. I do understand. I'm pretty comfortable flying, but those were some tough flights, for sure.

[Rorey]

52. I'm so sorry for your loss

Losing a brother has got to be tough, and especially a younger one. I know all losses are difficult, but some are harder to process.

[Rorey]

48. Of course. I'd prefer that too.

I would never suggest that someone who has an actual disability be denied their trained service animal.

I guess I am a little extra sensitive to the "emotional support" animal issue because as a landlord I have to wade through all of the legalities of it every time we have a vacancy. A prospective tenant will ask if we accept pets. We try to work with that because we're animal lovers and our own pets have always been part of the family. The thing is, our insurance company won't cover certain breeds and renters will sometimes try to get around that by saying that their pet is an emotional support animal. It's tough. Every time I have to deny a prospective tenant because of the insurance issue, I worry that we'll be facing a lawsuit. With an actual Service Animal, we don't really have to be concerned because they're covered by our insurance.

It's nothing personal when it comes to having to deny certain breeds. We just have to legally cover our butts.

[eShirl]

16. they make good "seeing eye" animals for the blind. n/t

[Luciferous]

11. Yet another reason not to fly lol

[Iterate]

12. I draw the line at service snakes.

Nope, not gonna let it happen.

[RobinA]

17. Do They

ever think of the animal?

[ksoze]

18. SW does not have First Class as in the pic

No horse is fitting in their coach seats unless the owner is legless. Only way would be in the emergency exit aisle, and that wont work with a horse.

[StarryNite]

21. I saw a service mini horse in training

...in Walmart one day. They are well suited to being service animals.

[link:https://www.treehugger.com/animals/why-miniature-horses-make-such-great-service-animals.html|

[MineralMan]

26. But, they don't fit under the seat in front of you

in their little carrier.

[Act_of_Reparation]

31. Neither would a Golden Retriever or a German Shepherd

But let's be honest, the worst thing you could get seated beside on an airplane is another human being.

[MineralMan]

32. Oh, I've sat next to other human beings many, many times.

Sometimes, it was great. Sometimes it was horrible. A couple of times when I was in my 20s it was truly amazing, but those are other stories for other times.

[JI7]

27. is there a time limit for these flights ?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

29. I'll wait for DPRK_News to confirm this.

Decline of British journalism continues.

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

30. This is dumb

[tblue37]

33. That is rough on the poor horse. nt

[Kaleva]

38. People with grizzley bears as a service animal remain disenfranchised.

[jberryhill]

41. What service does a 500 pound grizzly bear provide?

That reminds me of a joke that ends with...

“...and the guy at the end of the bar says, ‘I will, as long as you don’t hit me with the bottle first.’”

[Kaleva]

43. Any seat one wants, endless drinks, 1st class service for Economy class prices.

[jberryhill]

44. You may have a point there

I gotta get me one of them.

[sarcasmo]

63. I bet the person with the Peacock service animal denied boarding is Pissed.

[DeminPennswoods]

46. Actually met a miniature horse

and owner outside a local Petsmart. They were on their way out. The miniature horse was like a really big dog. The owner told me their lifespan is about 40 years.

[Nonhlanhla]

51. I won't be flying Southwest then

I’m terribly allergic to horses - almost died from a severe asthma attack as a child after being exposed to horses.

[Roland99]

57. We end up having to give our son breathing treatments for days if he's around them

[Drahthaardogs]

62. Same here

But mine was a sensitization over years of being around them. I will die .

[brooklynite]

65. You can lead a horse to Economy, but.....

[brooklynite]

66. On Qatar, Emirates, Etihad and Royal Jordanian Airlines you can bring your pet Falcoln...