Anyone have their bird as a "Therapy Animal"?

[Sunnyclover]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I see you got another bird...that's good!

Also I have good news. Ollie has been approved to be a ESA! (EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL)! Yay!

 

[Pilaf]

That is awesome. Congrats!

 

[Inger]

I used to have my lovebird Pilaf as a therapy animal. I'm autistic and he always helped me a lot with the challenges I face as an autistic person. He was registered in the Netherlands. The first bird ever in the Netherlands to be registered as a therapy animal. Pilaf passed away 3 months ago though. He was 18 years old.

I'm sorry Pilaf is gone.


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[Ladyhawk]

I am about to get a letter from my therapist stating that Ollie is a "Therapy Animal" so they have to let him fly with me and I will be allowed to bring him into most businesses. Anyone do this before? If so what is it like? He is actually my therapy animal so it's legit...

Gabby was designated my emotional support animal, which meant housing had to accept him even if they disallowed pets. In turn, I was careful he didn't destroy anything. He removed some contact paper from the edge of a cupboard, but that's about it. I've done more harm to the place than he has: mostly wear and tear.

Your post reminded me to make sure Kizzy is designated my emotional support animal. The place where I live has lots of dogs, cats and birds because the people living here have some of the same issues I have and need emotional support from their much-loved animals.

Raising and training Kizzy has been good for me. I move better than I have in years. A parrot Kizzy's age is more labor intensive, training intensive, etc. She needs for me to make her foundational days, weeks, months, years as rich as possible. Also, I'm determined that she not cause any damage, so that means watching her like a hawk and making sure she knows which places are hers and which are mine. I now own a Pak-o-Bird, so she can start going places with me.

Edited because I agree with KiwiBird about not abusing the system and I want to make it clear I have not done so. Gabby was an Emotional Support animal, not a service animal. Kizzy will hopefully fill the same role. I'd also like it if she wasn't as much of a one-person bird as was Gabby, but I'll have to see. She needs more socialization.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Great thread!

What an exciting adventure.

The Rb is better qualified to be a torture animal. But that's illegal. Nevermind.

We will need pictures and stories!

LOL! That's why you couldn't call Gabby a "service" animal...unless having your fingers aerated is a service. When I took him places, he usually went in a nylon mesh carrier to keep curious fingers out of reach. People who put their fingers into parrot cages are idiots, but I understand the allure for I, too, have done the idiotic. After I lost Gabby, I wanted to touch a parrot so badly, my grief-addled brain did a stupid thing. Luckily, the Goffin's cockatoo whose space I violated let me off with a fairly gentle reminder. It bled a tad, but it really wasn't that bad. It could have been so much worse. Thank you, Mr. Cockatoo. It's just what I needed to remind me not to be an idiot. Re-learning that lesson with a less forgiving bird would have sucked.

 

[YUMgrinder]

Jazz is an emotional support animal. I had to do a bunch of paperwork and waiting to get approval from my work to bring her. It was covered under the Americans with disabilities act. She's super well behaved and I haven't been asked to leave any business because of her. I've even been in fast food chains and they haven't had any issues with her being there. No issues at any Walmart like environments either. People are more excited to see a bird on my shoulder than anything else lol. People stop to ask about her all the time. Most people don't bother her too much but she's shy and moves to my other shoulder if they get to close. I take Perry out too and if it's getting close to his bedtime he's more cuddly than usual and steps up for strangers which was amazing the first time I saw it. I love my birds and they love to be socialized.

 

[LordTriggs]

I think anyone who claims their animal is an ESA or therapy animal should have to produce some sort of document to prove it. It's like if someone were to just park their car in a disabled space and then say they're disabled even though they're clearly not

 

[YUMgrinder]

I think anyone who claims their animal is an ESA or therapy animal should have to produce some sort of document to prove it. It's like if someone were to just park their car in a disabled space and then say they're disabled even though they're clearly not

And for the bird to be an ESA there will be paperwork. So anyone with an ESA should be able to provide it, if necessary... I do.

 

[DRB]

Where I get confused about all this is if an animal is NOT a service animal (of any kind, therapy or physical etc) then when as a society did we decide it was OK and sanitary to have animals in many of these businesses? Particularly places that sell or serve food.

 

[LordTriggs]

Where I get confused about all this is if an animal is NOT a service animal (of any kind, therapy or physical etc) then when as a society did we decide it was OK and sanitary to have animals in many of these businesses? Particularly places that sell or serve food.

Service animals are trained to an extremely high degree with one of those lessons being informing their owner when they need the toilet. So they never do their business inside. This is a large part of the reason that business owners dislike therapy animals, many aren't trained like this so it's the same as an untrained animal entering their business

Pets at home over here is a business that allows any and all pets in the stores and talking to someone working for one they do get the occasional accident but everyone is trained in how to effectively clean the area which is priority 1 for them

 

[DRB]

To clarify I live in the US, not sure how things work abroad. Seeing a dog in a Lowes or Home Depot is unusual but there's not food there so I don't see a big problem. Any kind of store selling food any place serving food to me should be a very strict NO animals policy unless they are legit service animals. I see dogs in Giant Eagle stores all the time, and usually they don't appear to be service animals, to me that is a problem. As a bird owner I would take issue people walking around with a loose bird as well.

 

[Sunnyclover]

Sadly after careful consideration Ollie has NOT been accepted as an EMS because I don't have the correct diagnosis for it so that's a shame. :-( Oh well... I'd rather not have him an ESA if he and I aren't meeting the criteria so I'm fine with it. We still will travel next week on Alaskan Airlines (which requires no documents at all for an on board companion pet) with a 30 day health certificate I got just to be on the safe side. That should do the trick if anyone is trying to make it more difficult for us. I'm very excited about the trip!

 

[goalerjones]

I can't say Hahnzel is a legitimate service animal, but she does make it look like I'm talking with her rather than just to myself!

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