A New Zealand advertising agency employee recently made
headlines after bringing an emotional support clown to his
termination meeting. Sensing the writing on the wall, the man paid
$200 to hire a professional clown to lighten the mood during a
meeting notifying the employee of his layoff. The employee claims
the meeting went smoothly, other than some distracting noises
caused by the clown making balloon animals.
While there have been a number of headlines in recent years
regarding strange support animals (e.g., pigs, ducks, peacocks,
squirrels, and even turkeys), this one certainly takes the cake.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended, a
"service animal" is one that has been trained to do work
or perform tasks directly related to an individual's
disability.
