We’ve all become used to seeing guide dogs and hearing dogs. In some places, people don’t even bat an eyelid at seeing a miniature horse helping out its owner. However, in recent years, the number of creatures assigned the title of “emotional support animal” (ESA) has exploded, and some are truly bizarre.
While we might be able to get our heads around the idea of a miniature guide horse sitting on the floor of an aircraft beside its owner, are we really ready to accept the idea of an emotional support turkey? In 2016, an image of Easter the turkey went viral after she was spotted on a Delta flight with her owner, Jodie Smalley. It raised all kinds of questions about what actually should qualify as a helper animal.