Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

That fake emotional support peacock might cost you $250

caption: Dexter the peacock did not get to fly the friendly skies.
Enlarge Icon
Dexter the peacock did not get to fly the friendly skies.
Photo courtesy Dexter the Peacock via Instagram screenshot/www.instagram.com/dexterthepeacock/

This week a woman and her peacock were turned away from a cross-country flight. She'd pleaded that Dexter was an emotional support animal, to no avail. And now the most regal road movie in existence is taking place as the pair drives to Los Angeles instead. But sneaking untrained animals onto planes and into restaurants is no snickering matter, and could soon be subject to civil penalties in Washington state.

While the legislature deliberates over a bill that would impose a $250 fine on ersatz support animals, Bill Radke spoke to a handful of guests for some perspective. Cole Eckerman of Citizens for Off-Leash Areas and Sanaz Eftekhari of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America chatted about the bonuses and drawbacks of a city with two dogs for every child. And Taylor Garland, who's with the Association of Flight Attendants, put Dexter in context on the Noah's Arc of animals people have tried to pass off as seatmates.

Why you can trust KUOW