Can a Python Be an Emotional Support Animal?

Can snakes, the animal commonly known for instilling panic upon sight, actually help to ease anxiety?  According to snake owner Darla McGinnis, they can.

WCVB-Channel 5 (ABC) in Boston recently covered a story about McGinnis and her fight with the City of Council Bluffs, Iowa, which currently has a ban on its residents having snakes as pets.

McGinnis — who suffers from anxiety and is pictured below together with her daughter and their pet pythons — claims that her pets are the only things that help to put her at ease.

However, the city isn’t budging.  Albeit recognizing the importance of emotional support animals, Council Bluffs refuses to circumvent its code to grant her the special accommodation that she allegedly needs.

Rather, McGinnis has to travel across state lines to neighboring Omaha, Nebraska, in order to see her loving reptiles.  In the meantime, she intends to continue to battle the ban in hopes to change the existing city code.

Click here to watch the report on WCVB’s website.