Recent Rise In Fraudulent Service Animals Affecting Those Who Actually Need Them
Emotional support animals have also added a layer of confusion for everyone. Although ESAs are not covered by the same federal anti-discrimination rules that protect service animals, they do get two legal benefits — they can fly for free in passenger cabins instead of cargo holds, and under most circumstances, landlords cannot refuse to rent to people with ESAs.
The Mercury News:
The Fight Against Fake Service Dogs, Emotional Support Pets
The final straw might actually have been a colorful feather — attached to a peacock. A woman who tried to board a United Airlines flight in late January with a peacock, claiming it was an emotional support animal (ESA), set off a bunch of alarm bells. And not all of them were at the security check point. United told her “no” three times before she even arrived at Newark International Airport, but the encounter earned her 15 minutes of fame and spurred new travel guidelines by the airlines. It’s part of a crackdown on suspected phony ESAs and service animals — a problem that people with legitimate, highly-trained service animals have been complaining about for quite a while. (Morris, 3/7)
In other public health news —
The Mercury News:
Stanford Students Protest Apple Over Smartphone Addiction
Stanford students concerned about smartphone addiction decided to take advantage of their proximity to the world’s largest smartphone company to send it a message. Four Stanford students — Sanjay Kannan, Evan Sabri Eyuboglu, Divyahans Gupta, and Cameron Ramos — who formed a group called “Stanford Students Against Addictive Devices” (SSAAD) protested outside Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino and at the Apple Store in Palo Alto last week, holding picket signs and handing leaflets to Apple employees walking out after work. (Lee, 3/7)