Why Have Emotional Support Animals Been Banned By Airlines?

First off, let me say that I am all for emotional support animals, BUT so many pet owners have abused that privilege to the point that the Transportation Department agreed with the airlines. C'mon! Why would anyone find it appropriate to take a peacock on a United Airlines flight? 

I may be an animal lover and have the privilege of having an emotional support animal (my nub-tailed gray kitty who loves to play fetch), but what gives someone the sense of entitlement to pass off a bird as an emotional support animal?

After so many problems with ESA's behaviors on flights, such as defecating and urinating, and biting other passengers and staff aboard planes, it comes as no surprise that the ESA ban occurred. No one wants to sit in a plane that wreaks of animal feces or urine! I hate flying because the stinkiest and the sweatiest person is usually the one who winds up sitting next to me, so why in the heck would I want to sit next to a passenger whose dog decides to poop or pee near my feet?

Yes, emotional support animals are great companions for those of us who suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and a number of other emotional problems, but when your ESA is causing distress in public, how is that benefiting you or the people around you? Get a grip, people! 

My cat is my emotional support animal. I suffer from depression and anxiety, as well as the embarrassment of Ulcerative Colitis and IBS, and well, my kitty is my bathroom buddy. As a mom to two grown kids, I needed that companionship, a living thing that depended on me and enjoys my company as much as I enjoy hers. Heck, she is better company than my kids in many ways, much more well-behaved. 

I read an article once that a man got kicked off a flight for farting too much, but I bet those very same people who complained about the fart smell are the very same people who abused the privilege of ESAs on flights. Since when is it okay for an animal to defecate on an airplane, but a man who farts gets kicked off the airplane? 

ESAs are not service animals! Service animals are trained to do specific tasks to aid a person with a disability. Airlines have outlawed ESAs, but they have initiated guidelines that dogs, and ONLY dogs, can fly with their owners but must prove that they are service animals. Some very obnoxious animals have been responsible for causing injuries to service dogs on flights that have forced those dogs out of service. It costs a lot of money to train a service dog, but one misbehaving ESA could ruin the life of a person whose independence was made possible by that service animal. 

To those who are upset about not being able to bring their ESAs on flights, perhaps you should not blame the airlines; you should blame the irresponsible owners of fraudulent ESAs for the damage and the chaos they have created on those flights.