Here’s the story we talked about all day on my show and on News 4 At 6 — Debby Rose of Springfield, Missouri, says her monkey is a service animal that assists her with an anxiety disorder, so under the ADA, she should be able to take it to restaurants with her.
The story reminds me of a column I wrote six years ago, about a woman who insisted that her 300-pound pig sit with her in the passenger cabin of an airplane. That was a non-starter to me, too.
I realize it’s not as bad as Snakes On A Plane, but Monkey In A High Chair is unacceptable in any restaurant I’d want to go to. I understand the concept of a service animal, and have no problem with a seeing-eye dog that sits quietly under the table, but Bubbles The Chimp sitting opposite you enjoying a plateful of mashed bananas isn’t quite the same thing.