09 Feb Woman Flushes Emotional Support Hamster Down Toilet After Airline Refuses To Let It On Flight

Living with a mental health problem of any kind is challenging. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways that those suffering can make their day-to-day lives easier, such as therapy, medication, or the more unusual approach of getting an emotional support animal.

And after a cancer scare, 21-year-old student Belen Aldecosea decided to get an emotional support hamster.

Emotional support animals (ESA) are pets that have been certified by medical professionals as being helpful in alleviating at least one symptom of a person’s disability. Unlike other animals, ESAs do not need any training to do their jobs.

Balen, along with Pebbles the hamster, had been traveling back to her hometown of Maimi from college in November 2017 when the incident took place.

She had a doctor’s letter to prove that her hamster Pebbles was there to support her, and, prior to boarding her Spirit Airlines flight, she had contacted the budget airline twice to make sure that she could bring her ESA onboard.

Despite informing Balen that she was allowed to bring Pebbles on the flight, she was not allowed to board the plane with the hamster or store the animal in the hold, either. A Spirit employee then told her to set Pebbles free or flush her down the toilet.

Not wanting to kill the animal she described as “so loving”, Balen delayed her flight to weigh up her options.

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