therapy animals

Miniature horses at Vancouver Int’l Airport

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A real dog and pony show at YVR Airport

The folks at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) know travel can be stressful.

That’s why this award-winning airport has great art, a public observation area, a giant aquarium and lots of other great amenities.

Since 2017, the airport has also had a pet therapy program called the Less Airport Stress Initiative or LASI (get it?).

Until now, the LASI program was staffed with dogs.

But this summer, the airport is adding miniature therapy ponies to the team.

Throughout the summer, Miniature horses, Magic and Tinkerbell (3 and 17 years old respectively), and their handlers will be visiting from Green Acres, a local organization dedicated to equine-assisted activities (EAA) to improve well-being.

So pack some carrots in your carry-on.

While YVR may be the first airport in Canada to welcome miniature horses to the airport, they are not the first airport in North America to do so.

For several years, starting in 2016, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) welcomed miniature therapy horses from a local farm to mingle with travelers.

Move over therapy dogs, New Orleans Int’l Airport has ‘gators

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You’ve likely seen or heard about the therapy animals that visit airports around the country to help de-stress travelers.

Most airports have dogs, but San Franciso International Airport’s team includes a pig, Denver International Airport’s team boasts a cat and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport regularly hosts minature horses.

What’s next?

How about alligators?

On Fridays at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport the Audubon Nature Institute brings live alligators to the baggage claim area and encourages passengers to pose for an “MSY Gator Selfie.”

Brave travelers can also touch the baby gators, which are one to three years old and up to three feet long, according to an airport spokeswoman.

MSY airport does have a dog therapy team – the MSY K-9 Krewe (a nod to the krewes, or groups, that organize parades and balls in New Orleans) – but alligator visits and gator selfies are another way the airport is working to enhance the passenger experience.