The airlines have been pushing back by making it tougher to fly with emotional support animals and I can’t say that I disagree with them.

Years back I rarely recall ever seeming emotional support animals in the airport. These days, it seems like I see animals in the airport all the time.

It was big news when United Airlines banned an emotional support peacock from boarding its plane.

Kim came across a story today about a student who was told by a Spirit Airlines employee to flush her emotional support hamster down the toilet!

The airline refused to let her pet onboard even though the student, Belen Aldecosea called in advance to see if it was OK for her dwarf hamster, Pebbles to fly. She said that Spirit Airlines, “told her it was not a problem“, according to Fox News.

Aldecosea, 21 from Miami Beach, Florida  was flying from Baltimore to South Florida.

When she got to the airport, the airline would not let Pebbles fly. Aldecosea’s friends were hours away and her family in Florida so she didn’t have many options as to what to do. She claims that a Spirit Airlines employee told her to  either let Pebbles go or flush him down the toilet.

Fox mentions that, “Aldecosea skipped her flight and tried to rent a car instead, but said she was too young to rent one.”

She thought about letting Pebbles free outside but didn’t want the hamster to freeze or get hit by a car. She was left with what she felt was the most humane option, to flush Pebbles down the toilet.

A spokesman for Spirit says that Aldocosea was misinformed that the hamster could go on the flight while also denying that an employee told her to flush Pebbles.

While most of these bizarre emotional support animals sound like people trying to take advantage of flying with pets, Pebbles may’ve actually been a legitimate support animal.

Pebbles was a doctor- approved emotional support animal that helped Aldocosea deal with things when she developed a growth on her neck.

She is now considering legal action against the airline.

While thinking about this scenario unfolding, I’m trying to understand why Aldocosea didn’t just stick Pebbles in her pocket or in a bag and then take the hamster out when the flight was in the air? Would anyone have really noticed a tiny dwarf hamster on the flight? We’re not talking about a large animal!

Find out more from Fox News here.