A federal proposal unveiled Wednesday would significantly limit the types of animals entitled to fly in aircraft cabins as emotional support animals.

It’s a crackdown the industry has sought amid concerns some passengers are bringing their untrained pets aboard by fraudulently passing them as emotional support animals. The result, the industry and Transportation Department have said, is an increase in incidents such as bitings aboard planes.

“The days of Noah’s Ark in the air are hopefully coming to an end,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 crew members.

The proposal would free airlines from the requirement to accommodate passengers’ emotional support animals and reclassify them as pets. Airlines have greater leeway to determine their pet policies, including charging passengers fees and setting size limits.

It would continue to require airlines to accommodate service animals, but restrict that category to dogs only. The current regulations allow a limited list of service animals species, including miniature horses.

The department is considering expanding the proposal to allow miniature horses, but is concerned they are less agile in the confined spaces of an aircraft, according to a Transportation Department official who briefed reporters on Wednesday morning.

The proliferation of websites selling a doctor’s certification that a passenger requires an emotional support animal “has enabled people who are not truly in need of animal assistance to abuse the rules and evade airline policies regarding animals in the cabin,” said the Airlines for America industry group.

Under the proposal, passengers traveling with a service animal would be required to fill out a government form certifying the animal has been trained specifically to assist them with a disability. Falsification of the form would be a crime, which the official said would serve as a deterrent.

“When there are abuses in the system, it’s individuals with disabilities who suffer,” the Transportation Department official said.

The department cited a number of reasons for the change, including the unusual status that emotional support animals enjoy in air travel.

“Animals on aircraft may pose a risk to the safety, health, and well-being of passengers and crew and may disturb the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft,” the proposal says. It cited data that show “increases in the number of behavior-related service animal incidents on aircraft, including urinating, defecating, and biting.”

The “many different unusual species of animals, such as a peacock, ducks, turkeys, pigs, iguanas, and various other types of animals” that passengers can bring aboard as emotional support animals causes confusion among passengers and burdened airline employees, it said.

The proposal would explicitly prohibit airlines from banning specific breeds of dogs from traveling as service animals. In 2018, Delta attempted to ban pit bulls as emotional support animals, citing biting incidents.

There's a real estate company that has a suite next to my office. They hired a new secretary who always has a dog with her. Yesterday she was walking out of her office with her dog and I didn't really think about it and went to pet the dog and said something like "cool office dog", and she got pissed and said "dont pet him he's an emotional support dog." I couldn't help but laugh and just said ok and moved on.

I've heard of the emotional support dog thing but it never occurred to me a person would need one just to go work.

Tax credit. They're good. Secretary can't screw anything up.

miniature horses ?

You’re not supposed to pet service animals without asking, since they’re on the job. At least that’s what they tell me all my work trainings.

That's a service animal which is different from an "emotional support animal". Service animals are trained to preform specific tasks that help minimize the effects of a disability. Some emotional support dogs do receive training and do actually help those with PTSD, but most are just people gaming the system. You can get an "emotional support" certificate on the internet for $20. That's why most of the pushback has come from those who truly need the help.

I've heard of the emotional support dog thing but it never occurred to me a person would need one just to go work.

I know, thanks for overexplaining

I was on four flights in the last week for my trip to CA. I saw countless dogs of questionable service breeds. Also many lacking what I would call a uniform.

I was on four flights in the last week for my trip to CA. I saw countless dogs of questionable service breeds. Also many lacking what I would call a uniform.

Like a little vest or something?

Went back and forth into and out of San Diego this weekend.

Not a single service animal of any kind.

oh, you were in California ?

oh, you were in California ?

Why none of this for pittmike's post???

Man registers beer as emotional support animal

Perhaps it’s one man’s definition of comfort food.

A Brooklyn, N.Y., resident registered his beer as an emotional support animal on the USA Service Dog Registration website.

Ale Street News was the first to report that Floyd Hayes was initially successful in obtaining a registration letter with a code — 1085780890 — via email.

“I travel from upstate to Brooklyn a lot,” Hayes told Ale Street, “and on the bus they say it’s a federal crime to smoke or have an alcoholic beverage unless by prior written contest, and I always wondered where you get that consent.”

Hayes told Ale Street the beer he was thinking of when he signed up was “a 16 oz., lightly hopped session IPA served in a regular bar pint glass.”

His emotional support animal (ESA) was entered simply as “beer” with “No Training Needed.” Hayes put down that it helps him manage his social anxiety disorder.

While Hayes was initially able to get a code, a current search of the site shows it is no longer active.

A worker at USA Service Dog Registration told the Brooklyn News that registering a “beer” with the site carries no legal weight.

“He can register his beer all day long, it’s not going to get him anywhere,” the unnamed employee said, adding that the site is mainly used by landlords as a reference.

“This will not get you into Walmart, it will not get you into Denny’s, it will only protect you where you’re renting,” the worker said.

Prairie Conlon is a licensed mental health professional and clinical director for CertaPet, an online tele-health platform that helps connect individuals with animal assisted interventions.

She’s not a fan of what Hayes did — or a site that would allow him to do it.

“By allowing people to register things like beer and beehives as emotional support animals, we are setting up people with legitimate ESAs to look hokey,” Conlon said. “A legitimate health professional would never write such a letter, and by giving this man and his beer this kind of attention, we are adding to the problem.

“It is a slap in the face to those with genuine mental health disabilities who utilize emotional support animals as part of their treatment plan.”

To legally use an emotional support animal in a place of business, one would need written medical approval from a doctor under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Hayes admitted to the New York Post the whole thing was meant to be in good fun and hopes no one takes offense.

“It was really just … an experiment,” he told the Post. “I’m not trying to make light on anybody who has any emotional issues.”

“I don’t mean it in a heady mental health manner,” he told the Brooklyn Paper. “More if you go to a party, and want to break the ice.”

Ironically, Hayes hasn’t attempted to take his emotional support animal anywhere yet.

He’s observing Dry January.

Chris Pastrick is a Tribune-Review digital producer. You can contact Chris at 412-320-7898, cpastrick@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

Why none of this for pittmike's post???