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'He brings so much joy': Meet Mr. Sushi, an emotional support skunk

Mr. Sushi, a 10-month-old fully domesticated and de-scented skunk owned by Chris Alberts, visited the Coralville Police Department in Iowa earlier this month as a registered emotional support animal.
Owning a domesticated skunk is legal in Iowa, one of 17 states with such laws.
Alberts is working to get Mr. Sushi certified as a Therapy Animal, and he has been making visits around eastern Iowa, bringing morale and interest wherever he goes.
According to Anthony Detwiler, the Community Relations Officer for the Coralville Police Department, "You could just tell... From the morale and the boost, the interest... Everything that Mr. Sushi brought was exactly what they're going for," and Alberts stated, "Truly, I was like this would be a great opportunity,".
Iowa House lawmakers recently passed a bill to change the penalty for misrepresenting an animal as a service animal from a warning to a simple misdemeanor, and Alberts emphasizes that Mr. Sushi is currently only an emotional support animal, highlighting the importance of understanding the difference.

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