I’m an animal lover and have had dogs for over half my life.
But how is someone’s stress-relief balanced with someone else’s anxiety from being close to dogs? Is it fair for someone with Cynophobia (fear of dogs) to have to see dogs at an airport?
Would “stress-relieving tarantulas” be permitted at the same venue? What about “stress-relieving snakes”?
You already see dogs at an airport. Travel with dogs is legal, and dogs are already used for bomb and drug patrols.
If someone is irrationally afraid of windows, we aren’t going to build our buildings with just huge gaping holes in them. If someone has an irrational fear, it is incumbent on them to either address it with mental healthcare or else avoid the trigger. The rest of society shouldn’t deprive itself of valuable advancements just because some slice of the population is uncomfortable for reasons which they themselves would admit as irrational.
The difference is, unlike windows, which you’d expect to see on a building, dogs shouldn’t be in places you wouldn’t expect them to be in.
If you have a fear of dogs (or snakes, or large spiders), it’s easy to avoid them.
But when these animals are placed in areas where they would not be expected to be in or around, you are creating a negative situation without considering the effects on others.
And it doesn’t even need to be a fear of dogs. It could be an allergy, too.
If someone has an irrational fear, it is incumbent on them to either address it with mental healthcare or else avoid the trigger.
This is the irony. If someone has an irrational fear of flying, they should take steps to quell those fears without “depriving society”, as you put it.
Medication, deep breathing, counselling… these are all things that can help someone without indirectly creating problems for someone else.
Someone might calm their anxiety by smoking weed. But you shouldn’t expect other people to have to deal with the smell and smoke from it. Same with dogs. There’s a time and a place for dogs, but the airport isn’t one of them.
For some people, a therapy dog is the best tool for them to alleviate their anxiety. And given the prevalence of sight dogs for the visually impaired, I submit to you that there is no public place in modern society where one should expect they can avoid dogs forever.
For some people, a therapy dog is the best tool for them to alleviate their anxiety.
That’s not what’s happening here. The airport has always allowed therapy dogs, which are exceedingly rare no matter the location, with only ~13,000 therapy dogs in all of Canada. I personally have never seen one inside the dozens of the airports that I’ve been through around the world, but that’s beside the point.
What the airport is doing is providing multiple spots with dogs throughout the airport for regular people (i.e. they don’t have/need a therapy dog) to feel better. They are also trying to make the program 7 days a week, which means someone who chooses to avoid these dogs won’t even be able to.
Huge difference, and I think the airport needs to be more mindful.
And I circle back to my original question: Would therapy tarantulas and snakes be welcome, too?
Snakes and spiders can’t be trained as much as dogs to keep to themselves and behave appropriately in crowded places. If they could, I don’t think there would be any issue for me personally.
Snakes and spiders can’t be trained as much as dogs to keep to themselves and behave appropriately in crowded places.
A behaved dog doesn’t rid someone of the phobia, unfortunately.
Snakes and arachnids can be incredibly docile, more so than a trained dog. But would it be fair for someone to bring a snake around, knowing that the fear of snakes would affect a ton of people who simply want to go on a flight? Seems odd to create new problems in this situation.
If they kept these dogs out of sight, but with way finding signs to get to them, should someone choose to, then it’s less of an issue. You’d still have to wonder whether introducing an allergen to a public space is a good idea or not.
Irrational? Dogs, unlike windows, can bite you
SJA therapy dogs are extremely well-trained. There is a strict training regimen which ensures they are totally safe
Thank you. My partner is afraid around dogs and cats, and news like this makes me feel bad for her.
I had the same dilemma about emotional support animals.
Also people with severe allergies
