Why should I care if it's a cat, dog or squirrel, on a plane, if it's caged and has the papers?

If it’s caged, it can be shipped. The article never mentioned that the animal was caged. In fact the article is a shit job of coverage, since isn’t clear whether the animal was confined in any way other than sitting in the woman’s lap. Why should you care? One excellent reason is that your flight can be delayed 2 hours by some fool with a pet.

I suppose the reason is no doubt “crazy rules”, but I can imagine at least one good reason, if tongue-in-cheek: Squirrels can eat their way through containers better than cats or even most dogs. I’m imagining a crazed squirrel emerging from the floor into the passenger compartment and wreaking havoc. Squirrels are also wild animals, with all that entails legally and practically.

Many people are allergic to cat dander. There are probably others with allergies to other animals. I was on a flight with someone who brought a cat in a carrier. The cat howled for what seemed like hours. That is upsetting to others.

If people really need to bring such animals on the plane they should be charged a significant extra fee, on the order of half a full price ticket plus a handling fee based on the weight and size of the animal. They should also be charged a significant cleaning fee if the animal defecates or does damage.
If a person really needs a drugged, caged animal with them in order to fly maybe they should be the ones taking the sedatives.

Sounds like she had the animal in a bag…unsure if it was caged. I personally wouldn’t care if there were a squirrel in the lap of the passenger next to me, as long as the squirrel behaved itself. And that is the problem with any of the animals, other than potential allergy issues as @LuckyGuy mentioned. Animals are not people. They are not subject to our societal norms. They might jump off the lap in search of something that interests them. they might take a crap on the seat or the floor. They would need to be restrained in some way, I would think. But the airline had specific rules concerning emotional support animals that were allowed and squirrels didn’t make the cut. There were a number of times where this event was allowed to go too far. The woman could have asked if a squirrel was acceptable before deciding to purchase a ticket. She could have asked about restraint requirements. The airline could have questioned what sort of animal she was planning on bringing. I might want to bring my emotional support zebra. The screening folks should have seen the squirrel and raised the question. Waiting until this woman was in her seat on the plane was WAY too late in the process to work this one out.

ANY animal, is a potential problem in such circumstances.

I saw a lady with a duck at a bar a few nights ago. A drunk girl tried to pick up the duck, and the owner almost got into a fight with her.
An animal is just an added variable, in the already difficult coexistence of a crowd of people. Best to simply keep it out of the equation.

The bullshit is calling it an “emotional support” animal. It isn’t trained, it isn’t housebroken, it’s a squirrel, which means it is a wild animal that should not be a pet.

Squirrels are rodents, and can carry plague.

I understand they called in advance and were told it wasnt allowed due to a few factors. They brought it anyway.

To me, as long as its not free roaming or making noise, I dont care.

^Even my “emotional support,” venomous snake collection, in a poorly secured cage? I appreciate that. I can’t go anywhere without them…

@MrGrimm Maybe in the hold k

It’s too cold for snakes in the hold.