Pet On A Plane: Are Some Pushing The 'Emotional Support Animal' Limit?

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Take a flight and chances are another passenger will bring a pet on the plane.

From pigs and peacocks to snakes and spiders, the face of emotional support animals aboard flights continues to evolve.

"If it makes you feel better I'm not here to judge," said one Philadelphia resident.

"I think the airline should make that decision," added another.

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In most cases, you must provide a letter of certification, citing why the animal is there and how it helps your diagnosis. And while many flyers obtain it from their doctor, you can also get one online.

Case in point: Amy Wadas, a reporter from our sister station KDKA in Pittsburgh, who logged onto a website, answered a few mental health questions, paid a fee and got approved.

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Wadas used a website called Certapet in hopes of getting her cat, Simba, to become an ESA animal.

Wadas answered a series of questions honestly and paid a $149 fee. KDKA says days later she got an ESA letter in the mail. Wadas tested it out and on the first leg of her trip, she wasn't even required to show the document. On the way home, she was asked to show the letter, but the trip was otherwise uneventful.

"If people without legitimate mental health issues are making use of that system by faking sick, they're diminishing the structure of the whole system," said Sara Corse, a licensed Psychologist at the Council for Relationships.

Corse says emotional support issues shouldn't be taken lightly, which is why she says it's so important for the person signing the letter to have met the person asking for it.

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"I don't think there's any way to diagnose a person filling out a form online, so yeah. I think it's unethical practice," she says.

Delta has also drawn a line in the sand. It now forbids several animals including hedgehogs, ferrets, insects and goats.

United has also tightened its policy, requiring health and vaccination records for pets on their planes.

As for Certapet , they sent KDKA a statement saying they find their assessments to be very thorough and in issuing the letters, are sure to abide by current legislation.