Before we dig into this one — I love animals. I love horses. I love dogs. Cats are fine. Definitely not a big fan of snakes, but in college I lived in a house with a roommate who had a massive snake that would eat mice and I didn’t have a problem with it. Love birds, fish. You get the picture. I’ll cut to the chase — there’s no damn way a miniature horse should be on a plane, but it’s happening and just this month the Department of Transportation said miniature horses are now categorized as service animals allowed in the cabin on flights.
Last week, after months of deliberation, the Department of Transportation released formal guidance regarding animals on planes. The 28-page document makes it clear that three types of service animals should be prioritized for travel: cats, dogs and miniature horses.
The Times reporter found a woman who takes her miniature horse on planes and we get these tidbits:
Before going to the gate, Ms. Ramouni will ask someone to lead them to the women’s restroom. “My horse has been trained to go potty in a plastic bag,” she said. “I would just give her the command to go potty, then I flush it down the toilet.”
…
“I don’t want my accidents to be someone’s first impression,” she said. Cali is used to going for long stretches without urinating, but Ms. Ramouni has created a tidy defecation setup for long flights: When she senses that Cali needs to go, she signals the horse, who then goes into a deodorized bag.
Of course I have questions:
• So they put the horse & owner in bulkhead seats — what about the person sitting next to the passenger with the horse? Does he/she just have to deal with a horse right there in front of them? Do they get a choice to move out of the seat?
• Does the horse owner have to buy two seats? NY Times reporter doesn’t even address this major question
• Does the horse owner have the horse take a dump right there into a bag right in the bulkhead?
• Is the horse strapped down at all? Seems like a big object if the plane hits turbulance
• What if the owner has to go take an emergency dump? Does a flight attendant have to take care of the horse while the lady’s in the stall dumping it out?
Not the lady from the NY Times story. Some other lady taking her emotional support miniature horse on a flight:
This world has lost its mind https://t.co/nexqrA1qUh
— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) August 30, 2019
This is from years ago…looks comfortable for all involved:
Long flight back from Florida on Southwest today. Here’s Cheryl, who is blind, her husband Ralph, and Cheryl’s guide/comfort miniature horse, Confetti. pic.twitter.com/9HDQ97gBjR
— 𝕋𝕚𝕒 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕚 (@TiaBarracini) August 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/iam_lizzyfierce/status/549273641746055168
Can we stop with the massive animals on flights? Be a better pet owner you morons. No way this is comfortable for the dog. This same lady had a monkey under her coat…check out the thread:
https://twitter.com/AlliLevineNews/status/942757535311974401/
