Why Miniature Horses Make Such Great Service Animals

There has been a lot of news about pets on airline flights lately, so when Southwest Airlines recently updated their statement about traveling with animals, it didn't comes as much of a surprise. However, there was something in there that I wasn't expecting. From the statement.

Southwest Airlines welcomes trained dogs, cats, and miniature horses as service animals onboard our flights as long as the Customer is able to provide credible verbal assurance that the animal is a trained service animal. Southwest Airlines does not accept unusual or exotic species of animals.

Am I the last person to know that there are service miniature horses? (Let alone, service cats?) I mean, emotional support animals come in all shapes and sizes – peacocks, squirrels, you name it – but service animals are trained and actually act as guides. Horses are smart and seriously intuitive, but I didn't know they could take the place of dogs in, among other tasks, guiding the blind. Which led me down the research rabbit hole to discover that it all makes perfect sense. Here's why.

(But first, meet Chunky Monkey, Fancy Dancer, Glitter Bug and Patty Cake.)

To read more on this story, click here: Why Miniature Horses Make Such Great Service Animals

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Ocala, Florida - A Woman Walked Into a Restaurant with a Miniature Service Horse

Imagine the quandary a Central Florida restaurant manager faced when a woman walked in with a miniature horse.

Table for two?

This wasn't just any horse, after all. This one is a service horse with its own Facebook page: Honey the Mini Service Horse. 

In a world in which people have tried to pass off squirrels, peacocks, hamsters and ducks as service animals or "emotional support animals" in fights with landlords and airlines, the manager of an Ocala First Watch restaurant wasn't sure what to do about Honey.

Or the woman who was hungry as a, well, you get the idea.

So he called the breakfast restaurant's corporate office in University Park, Florida, for some guidance, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

He found out Honey and her owner could be welcomed. (Is oatmeal on the menu?) There's a regulation that says so, the restaurant chain learned.

"On Friday, June 15, a woman came into First Watch in Ocala with her miniature horse. When asked if it was a service animal, the woman confirmed that it was.

"We brought her to a table, where the horse could stand against the wall next to her. Of course our team was a bit surprised, as we’ve never had anyone bring a service miniature horse into one of our restaurants. But we always to do our best to accommodate customers who have legitimate service animals," First Watch spokeswoman Eleni Kouvatsos said in an email to the Miami Herald.

The Americans with Disabilities Act has specific regulations concerning service animals, which the ADA describes as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities."

But the ADA's revised regulations from 2010 also contain a specific provision covering miniature horses, like Honey the Mini Service Horse. Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds, according to ADA guidelines.

In other words, the Triple Crown winner isn't going to be seated next to you as you graze on your Açai Bowl at First Watch.

In part, the ADA regulation states:

"Entities covered by the ADA must modify their policies to permit miniature horses where reasonable. The regulations set out four assessment factors to assist entities in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in their facility.

"The assessment factors are whether the miniature horse is housebroken; whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and whether the miniature horse’s presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility."

Turns out Honey was a fine fit for this particular First Watch, Kouvatsos said.

"The horse seemed to be in the owner’s control, to be housebroken, and not to propose any safety concerns for our other customers or staff in the restaurant, so while unusual, we were happy to accommodate."

Honey lets her Facebook page speak for her.

On Friday, her owner posted on her behalf: "Had a great meal ... or at least watched my handler have a great meal. Everyone was so awesome."


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Delta Airlines Announces That Pit Bulls Have Been Added to List of Banned Service/Support Animals

Delta Airlines announced Wednesday it’s updating its service and support animal policy yet again to further enhance restrictions.

The airline will now allow only one emotional support animal per customer per flight and will prohibit all “pit bull type dogs” as service or support animals.

These new limitations come as a “direct result of growing safety concerns following recent incidents in which several employees were bitten,” the airline said in a press release.

Delta first updated its policy in March, citing customer abuse and a rise in animal-related incidents.

The regulations require those wishing to travel with a service or support animal to provide special documentation. Customers must show a current signed veterinary health form or immunization record for the animal 48 hours in advance, as well as a signed letter by a doctor or mental health professional and proof the animal can behave while in the cabin.

"The safety and security of Delta people and our customers is always our top priority," Chief Operating Officer Gil West said in a statement. "We will always review and enhance our policies and procedures to ensure that Delta remains a leader in safety."

According to the statement, the airline carries around 700 service and support animals daily and has seen an “84 percent increase in reported animal incidents since 2016, including urination/defecation, biting and even a widely reported attack by a 70-pound dog,” which they note is uncommon behavior for properly trained working animals.




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East Tennessee Children's Hospital Has a New Employee: A Comfort Dog Named, Farley

Knoxville, TN  - One of the newest employees at East Tennessee Children's Hospital is a four-legged friend whose job is to brighten the days of folks around the facility.

Farley, a golden retriever puppy born in October 2016, is the hospital's first-ever full-time facility support animal.

The lovable canine will take on her new job in memory of a former patient.

The idea for ETCH to get a facility dog came from 16-year-old oncology patient Kristyn Farley, explained  Sue Wilburn, who is the V.P. of Human Resources and Farley's caretaker and handler.

Kristyn died last year but she had a passion for dogs and greater access to them while in ETCH's care, explained Wilburn.

A grant from PetSmart Charities helped the hospital get the facility dog and hospital volunteers set up a fund to cover daily expenses.

Christina Ryskamp, store leader at PetSmart Knoxville located at West Town Mall, nominated the hospital to receive the grant.

“For years, our team has worked with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital to collect and donate plush toys to bring a smile to the faces of its pediatric patients during the holiday season. Seeing the reaction of those children inspired us to want to do more,” said Ryskamp.

It'll still be a bit of time before Farley moves into her full-time position. For now, she's working in the Human Resources department and will soon begin a 6-week puppy training program.

Before interacting with patients Farley must complete a comprehensive training program, undergo temperament evaluations and be at least a year old. She'll primarily be a staff dog but will be available to visit with patients, when a volunteer therapy dog isn't available.

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Passengers on Airplane Applaud as a 7-Year-Old Boy is Removed from a Flight Because He Had an Allergic Reaction to a Dog on Board

So it’s come to this: America’s love for dogs and other furry non-humans has become so all-consuming that people on an airplane will cheer when a 7-year-old boy is removed from a flight because he had an allergic reaction to a dog on board.

A kid who was on his way home to Phoenix after an especially meaningful trip to Bellingham, Wash., with his father, who has been diagnosed with terminal stage-4 cancer.

A kid whose father told local TV news media that he hopes he can convert the experience into teaching people to show more respect and sympathy for fellow humans.

A kid whose mother said she understood why they had to debark from the plane, but could not fathom her fellow human beings’ reaction.

The story – reported by local TV stations in Washington and Arizona — says Giovanni and his parents went to Washington state for a vacation as part of the father’s “bucket list” of things that he hoped to do before he dies.

On the return trip aboard Allegiant Flight 171 to Phoenix, the boy, who goes by Gio, began to have an allergic reaction to the dog, which was listed on the flight’s manifest as a service animal.

“He began to get very itchy,” his mother, Christina Fabian, told King 5 News in Washington. “He was scratching all over and he started to get hives. So we informed the flight attendant, who informed us that, ‘Well, there’s dogs on every flight,’ and just smirked. . .”

The Feb. 22 flight’s takeoff was delayed, the couple said, and the family was asked to debark. The mother said she understood. But both parents told reporters that what happened next was deeply painful. Some passengers laughed at the boy in distress. And when the family packed up their belongings and exited the aircraft, some passengers clapped. Two days later, they flew home on a different flight.

“I felt hopeless when everyone started laughing at me and my kid,” the father, George Alvarado, told KPNX TV news in Arizona. “He was thinking that it’s his fault. He just kept saying, ‘Sorry, sorry.’ All of a sudden he just started crying.”

Allegiant Air has expressed regret about the event and worked to accommodate the family as best as possible, airline spokeswoman Kim Schaefer said Thursday.

As is the procedure with most airlines, the flight staff consulted with a physician on call for medical emergencies. The physician urged the boy to leave the flight for his own well-being, and the family — who had not previously been aware of the boy’s allergy — agreed with the physician’s recommendation, Schaefer said.

The airline made accommodations for the family and put them on the next available flight home, which was two days later because the airline has a limited number of routes, Schaefer said. She said she couldn’t confirm whether people applauded the boy’s departure — or, if people did applaud, whether it might have been because they were relieved the flight would be airborne soon after a delay of 90 minutes or so.

“We are deeply regretful,” Schaefer said. “It’s definitely a really sad situation.”

Giovanni seemed to handle the event with grace.

“People that do not have sadness do not understand what it feels like for people who do have sadness,” he told the Arizona news crew.

Makes you wonder which ones were the animals.

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Woman Tried to Enter Disney World Park With Her Pet Baby Bengal Tiger

Working at Disney World exposes you to everything imaginable. It’s not just castles, fairy tale characters, and insane rides you see on a daily basis, but all types of people as well. Sometimes people do strange things, but nothing prepared park employees for a woman trying to enter with her pet tiger.

On April 6th, 2015, an unidentified woman tried to enter the park with her pet tiger, and was promptly stopped by park employees. The tiger had been staying with the family in their hotel room, and walked to the park on a leash. While service animals are allowed in the park, the woman could not prove that it was an “emotional support animal,” according to employees.

After a long winded argument at the parks entrance, Central Florida Zoo was called to retrieve the baby Bengal tiger until the end of the woman’s vacation. However, for the “inconvenience,” Disney gave reservations at a restaurant on site, and gave them fast passes for the rest of their trip.

This situation highlights just how easy it is to acquire an exotic animal as a “pet,” and the cavalier attitude people have towards them. Far too many animals are adopted while they are “still cute,” only to be abandoned or killed when they become too difficult to take care of. Hopefully it will become impossible for these wild creatures to be bought and traded with impunity. Thankfully, we can all pitch in to help.

As with many news stories, things are constantly changing. As it turns out, the animals was a bengal CAT, which is a semi-domesticated exotic breed of cat. However, many parts of the United States outlaw or regulate bengal cats, considering them exotic, and in the same category as an actual tiger. While there is some comfort in knowing the details, it still stirs up the questions of morality and safety of trying to “own” exotic animals and treating them as house pets.

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Woman Carrying Baby Kangaroo in a Blanket, Asked to Leave McDonald's Restaurant

Beaver Dam,Wisconsin - A Wisconsin police officer says he's quite certain he's never responded to a call like the one he handled recently at a McDonald's restaurant.

Officer Rich Dahl of Beaver Dam responded to an anonymous complaint about a woman who brought a kangaroo into McDonald's. Dahl said Tuesday the woman had the baby kangaroo wrapped in a blanket and tucked in an infant car seat.

Dahl says when he confronted the woman she explained the kangaroo was a service animal to help her cope with emotional distress and she produced a letter from a doctor.

The officer says the woman was upset at first, but then agreed to leave the restaurant. Dahl says he doesn't know if a kangaroo would qualify as a service animal under the law, but he says he's glad he didn't have to find out. FOLLOW US!