I think she’s a complete crock too but it’s soulless to lump everybody else in with her.
I guess I expect better from the the theoretically “good” people of FR yet I’m frequently disappointed.
Before I wrote my first reply here, I googled for “Kristin Chenowyth” and “emotional support dog”. There is precious little on her situation in the history of the internet before this incident, which I would say is why it seems to be little more than one woman’s indulgence. One link on one page shows what many here are thinking:
“For those who have been asking, here is the definition of Emotional Support Dog. An emotional support animal (ESA) is a US legal term for a pet which provides therapeutic benefit to its owner through companionship and affection. Emotional support animals are not specially trained to ameliorate disability as psychiatric service dogs are. They require only as much training as an ordinary pet requires in order to live peacefully among humans without being a nuisance or a danger to others.”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maddies-Corner/161720263040
By that definition, which I think is the definition instinctively being used by most of us here, Chenowyth’s situation is not the same as you and your pet.
If you would indulge me (us) for a bit and re-read even the more strident responses, I think you’ll find that the outrage is that Chenowyth wants us all to think that it is.