Man registers beer as his emotional support animal

A New York man has registered a pint of beer as an emotional support animal with the USA Service Dog Registration office.

Floyd Hayes, 47, got the certificate so he could carry his favourite IPA on public transport.

Hayes told Brooklyn Paper: “I travel from upstate to Brooklyn a lot, and on the bus they say it’s a federal crime to smoke or have an alcoholic beverage unless by prior written contest, and I always wondered where you get that consent … Not that I’m an alcoholic.”

Hayes added that he simply wanted to see if the method would work.

“It was really just . . . an experiment,” he said. “I’m not trying to make light on anybody who has any emotional issues.”

But an unidentified USA Service Dog Registration employee said that despite the organisation emailing him a registration code, Hayes would face a few issues in his quest.

“He can register his beer all day long, it’s not going to get him anywhere,” she said, adding that the use of an emotional support animal on public transport requires medical approval.

Emotional support animals refer to dogs and other pets that provide emotional support and comfort to their owners on a daily basis.

Individuals with emotional support animals are afforded some additional rights in the US, such as the ability to live in otherwise non-pet-friendly housing under the Fair Housing Act. Additionally, the Air Carrier Access Act allows emotional support animals to accompany their owners in the cabin of an aircraft during flights.

There was an uproar a few years ago when a turkey was spotted aboard a Delta flight acting as a “support animal”.