If you have, his owner wants him back.
Wally (photo below) is an emotional support ‘gator who was swiped from his owner by pranksters, dropped off in a backyard, recaptured by a certified trapper, and taken by wildlife agents to a remote swamp (read story here).
Wait a minute. An “emotional support” ‘gator? What the heck is that?
Its owner, Joie Henney, is a reptile rescuer. He’s also a cancer patient and depression sufferer. His “gentle gator,” he says, doesn’t bite and has lovable behavior traits, such as walking on a leash, sleeping with him, and stealing pillows and blankets (see story here).
Okay, I guess if a critter provides you with emotional support, and can pull you out of a funk, then it’s a support animal no matter what kind of creature it is. And because Henney works with reptiles, it’s not surprising he picked a reptile as his support critter.
But to some folks, this story is just more proof the practice of service and support animals is out of hand. They see it as ridiculous when people take horses on airplanes; same with goats, snakes, reptiles, rodents, and insects claimed to be emotional support animals. To their way of thinking, normal people cuddle dogs and shoot alligators, not the other way around.
In an election year, the question is, would they vote for a dog-hater or alligator-lover anyway?
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