Woman’s emotional support duck catching American flight goes viral
- 8 years ago
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA — On Oct. 16, a man flying from Milwaukee to Asheville, North Carolina happened to notice a peculiar-looking passenger waddling onto the plane, and tweeted out a picture that’s thrown the internet into a frenzy.
Affectionately named Daniel Turducken Stinkerbutt by his owner, the duck photographed is legally certified as an emotional support animal. His owner, Carla Fitzgerald, used to drive a horse-drawn carriage, but then a car slammed into her from behind and sent her flying. Four years later she still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The duck supposedly senses when she’s stressed, and nuzzles and cuddles her to reduces her anxiety. Daniel not only flies with Fitzgerald, he also goes to movies and church, always on a leash, and wearing a diaper.
The only requirements to have a pet certified as an emotional support animal are that the owner is considered emotionally disabled by a licensed mental health professional, and that the animal is manageable in public.
In the U.S., animals are allowed to accompany their owners in the airplane cabin at no extra cost, as long as they are needed for support reasons. Typical domestic animals like cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, birds, rats, small pigs, hedgehogs and ferrets can be certified to fly, but cases of more unusual creatures have also been reported as emotional support animals such as turkeys, turtles, snakes, llamas.
Affectionately named Daniel Turducken Stinkerbutt by his owner, the duck photographed is legally certified as an emotional support animal. His owner, Carla Fitzgerald, used to drive a horse-drawn carriage, but then a car slammed into her from behind and sent her flying. Four years later she still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The duck supposedly senses when she’s stressed, and nuzzles and cuddles her to reduces her anxiety. Daniel not only flies with Fitzgerald, he also goes to movies and church, always on a leash, and wearing a diaper.
The only requirements to have a pet certified as an emotional support animal are that the owner is considered emotionally disabled by a licensed mental health professional, and that the animal is manageable in public.
In the U.S., animals are allowed to accompany their owners in the airplane cabin at no extra cost, as long as they are needed for support reasons. Typical domestic animals like cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, birds, rats, small pigs, hedgehogs and ferrets can be certified to fly, but cases of more unusual creatures have also been reported as emotional support animals such as turkeys, turtles, snakes, llamas.