Therapy Turkey on a Delta flight

[bits]

Can you imagine this?

[Kelo]

Ok, I'll bite.

Maybe this is a legitimate "emotional support" turkey. Or maybe someone's idea of a joke way to get dinner to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving. But can you even potty train a turkey?

Seems like some of these extremes just push the boundaries too far, and hurts the cause of people trying to legitimately use these animals for help.

[heronponie]

No idea about this particular turkey, but I don't think its that far fetched to have a bird as an emotional support animal. They are intelligent and very capable of bonding strongly with a human companion. Not just "dinner". Many folks prefer feathered pets to the more traditional pets like dogs/cats/etc.

I don't know about potty training a turkey but I do know there are diapers available for pet chickens and I assume turkeys as well.

[texsuze]

Even if it is truly a 'therapy turkey', where is the consideration for putting an animal such as this under the stress of having to live in a human world, putting up with all the things humans take for granted that would otherwise cause either alarm, flight, stress to such a critter? I suppose one could make a decent attempt at conditioning a turkey to all the sights, sounds, etc. but, really?

[bits]

What about regards to other passengers? Turkey poo isn't exactly odorless.

My parents have gotten fleas from "therapy dogs" who sat in the same row they did. Totally not trained yappy dogs. I could understand a trained dog being a therapy dog.. but what's popping up on airplanes now aren't those animals.

[bits]

and it is real
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/fowl- ... ort-animal

oh wow... this article mentions a therapy kangaroo. HA.. words that don't belong together - at all.

[Koolkat]

Well, speaking of turkeys, has anyone seen this? Thoroughly wonderful.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-life- ... tion/7268/

[heronponie]

What about regards to other passengers? Turkey poo isn't exactly odorless.

My parents have gotten fleas from "therapy dogs" who sat in the same row they did. Totally not trained yappy dogs. I could understand a trained dog being a therapy dog.. but what's popping up on airplanes now aren't those animals.

What about the stresses placed upon therapy dogs, therapy minis, etc? It is the nature of service animals that they are thrust into human society.

Responsible handlers will have selected an individual that deals well with stress, then acclimated the animal to human life and prepared it for its job, will discontinue using the animal if it can hold up to the work, and will be considerate of others when in public (within reason). There's scammers and bad eggs in every industry, including service animal trainers/handlers, and it sounds like you came across one- that's unfortunate. Keep in mind that emotional support animals have a somewhat different role than service animals, and public access is one of those controversial areas between them.

Baby poop doesn't exactly smell like roses, but I'm fairly sure they're allowed on flights anyways. Smells, noise, and bodily excretions included.

[Canyon]

Well, speaking of turkeys, has anyone seen this? Thoroughly wonderful.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-life- ... tion/7268/

Yes, I have seen this program. I really enjoyed it!

But, I would not be thrilled to be seated next to a turkey, of the human or poultry variety.

[kande50]

I wonder what happens if others on the flight are allergic to a therapy animal?

[PaulaO]

Insane. I do not believe for a minute that a turkey can be an "emotional therapy" animal. And if this is true, the person should not be flying if they have to bring their bird with. Take a few Valium. I just hate to see the legitimacy of therapy animals minimalized by this nonsense.

[Tarlo Farm]

It's not only real, but a dear friend of mine, a former student, was the First Class flight attendant on that flight! Lawd, the puns available...! My friend has the most amazing, dry sense of humor and delivery, and via his work has stories to tell, that I keep telling him he has to do stand-up in his spare time. This one just about took the cake! He's had some CRAZY experiences!

[PaulaO]

Here's the Federal Register on service/therapy animals on airlines. I'll bet that no airline asks for documentation. They'd be afraid of getting sued. http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/20030509.pdf

[bits]

Maybe someone who has an allergy attack from feathers or cats or dogs needs to go first. I'd rather tick off the few with therapy animals by saying no than the many many more who have medically proven anaphylactic allergies.

[bits]

It's not only real, but a dear friend of mine, a former student, was the First Class flight attendant on that flight! Lawd, the puns available...! My friend has the most amazing, dry sense of humor and delivery, and via his work has stories to tell, that I keep telling him he has to do stand-up in his spare time. This one just about took the cake! He's had some CRAZY experiences!

Did they buy the turkey his own seat? Was the flight full? Did someone have to sit next to it (arm to wing) lol? Did anyone refuse to fly with the turkey and get off the airplane? Can the passengers request another passenger leave the flight?

[Tarlo Farm]

I've copied your questions and will send them to him. Don't know where he is at the moment, but will reply ASAP.

[Tarlo Farm]

Well that was quick. Turns out I was wrong, it was Tom's friend's flight. Nonetheless, here are his responses to the questions:
"The seat next to the turkey, who had his own seat, was unoccupied. Flight was almost full but not quite. I don't think anyone refused, however the person with the animal would not be taken off the flight. Passengers who had a problem with it would have to take a different flight, the airline can't remove the person with the animal unless they refused to comply with any directions or regulations"
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[PaulaO]

Note to self: do not fly Delta. Would the person eating peanuts have to leave the flight, or would the anaphylactic person have to catch a different plane??????

[Tarlo Farm]

DO fly Delta! The Therapy stuff in Federal. Don't know about the allergy stuff.

[bits]

It's not just Delta..... My parents fly southwest ALL of the time... They have seen little yappy dogs run down the aisle, they have both gotten fleas from a dog the woman in the same row was carrying. It was not stowed in the bag under the seat. And there was another story regarding an unstowed animal... cat maybe??? I can't recall.. all on southwest.

[PaulaO]

Carp. I'm scheduled to fly Southwest next month.

[Tarlo Farm]

Nephew just told me on a flight back from Germany there was a VERY unhappy cat stowed somewhere that caterwauled the entire trip. We who own cats know the sound; mournful, guttural, drawn-out wail. He said you couldn't even enjoy the silence because you simply waited for the cat to start again.