Maybe you are feeling stressed, lonely, socially starved, or disabled. These are situations you would always crave support from other people. What happens when no one is around for you? The worst is when everyone seems to continue with their lives and not notice that you need help.
The situation described above is what may lead someone to consider getting emotional support animals (ESAs). If it is the first time you are hearing of the term, do not worry as that is what we discuss in this guide and why you need such support animals.
When you first get support animals, you will still need to make a few changes in your life to accommodate them. This may include providing reasonable accommodation, health care, and getting the animals trained to do the work that you need. All that is discussed below to see how to start caring and keeping the emotional support animals.What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal can have multiple definitions, but it is essentially an animal companion that would offer support and companionship to people living with disabilities. When they have the animals in their lives, they will help alleviate how a person with a disability feels about their life.
There is always confusion between service animals and support animals. A mental health professional would recommend the right option for you between the two after assessing your situation.
Based on the training of the support animal, it can work or perform tasks that would help the person with their daily lives. Even a person with a mental disability can get a support animal that would help improve their lives.
CertaPet ESA Letter Service
If it has been challenging for you to get an ESA letter, you may have forgotten about CertaPet. This company makes the whole process easier and faster. This is because the brand understands the comfort and companionship these animals offer to their new owners.
The whole process is fast and seamless. You would get free screening, a session with a licensed therapist, and also have access to the customer support in case of more queries.
The best part about the CertaPet ESA letters is that they are 100% compliant with the different state and federal regulations. So, you would present the letter to different landlords and it will be accepted.
Pros CertaPet:
● 100% compliant with state and federal laws
● Assessed by real mental health professionals
● Quick turnaround time for approvals
Step to get an ESA
Here are the steps you should follow when looking for an ESA from CertaPet
- Fill out a screening test. It takes five minutes to complete
- You then speak with a licensed therapist in your state
- After the assessment, you get a customized treatment plan that also includes an ESA letter
Visit here to get a Legitimate ESA letter at the best price
Other ESA Registration Agency that you can trust
Mental Health Benefits Of Emotional Support Animals
People who may be suffering from mental health would generally find an emotional support animal as the closest thing to making them happy. Even a licensed mental health professional can recommend that individuals with disabilities consider using these support animals.
Other than persons with disabilities, other people would also use these types of animals. They include those who may have;
- A post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety disorders
- Some types of phobia
- Depression and more.
Besides helping you feel that you have company, here are more relations between animals and emotional support.
- Studies show that animals such as a dog can help in making a person happy. This is because the dog will help your brain release the dopamine hormone responsible for making you feel happy.
- Those who have had a phobia of flying should definitely consider these support animals. They would be able to help you calm your plane anxiety.
- If you are not a threat to the support animals’ health, they would also take care of you. They are seen as a source of unconditional love.
- Any mental health professional offering a psychiatric service knows that such animals can provide social support. Everyone needs social support for their mental and emotional health needs.
What Animals Can Be Emotional Support Animals?
You may be now intrigued to try out using the emotional support animals; there are several options for you to consider. Here are some options;
- Using a dog is a common choice. These dogs are individually trained to cater for your need for emotional support. Whether it is disability-related or otherwise, you would find dogs as the popular recommendation. There is always a better connection between humans and dogs. They might not be psychiatric service dogs, but they do a good job.
- The other option is using cats as emotional support animals (ESA). For those who are cat people, the use of cats can be a nice choice. Even though cats might seem to have grumpy attitudes, they are still lovely creatures too.
- You may see that rabbits would also be a good choice too for your mental health. Also, not many landlords or neighbors would be agitated with you keeping a rabbit. It is a quiet animal compared to some dogs that might keep the neighbors awake with their barking.
- A bird is also a good choice too. Some birds, such as parrots, can replicate human speech. Such are intelligent animals you could use for emotional support.
There can be many other options for you to consider for emotional support. An evaluation by an expert is necessary to see which animals would be the best.
How to Qualify for An Emotional Support Animal
If you are not sure if you qualify for emotional support or not, there are a few things you need to do first. Most of the time, the process is simpler to get a support animal than a service animal.
The first thing is to be certified as an individual with a disability emotionally. This is through an assessment by a therapist, psychiatrist, psychologist, or any other mental health professional.
The mental health professional would now write you a letter indicating that you deserve to get an ESA. The letter will include information such as;
- The patient name
- The license type
- Date of license
- License number
- The state which issued the license and more.
Depending on the local government laws, sometimes you may have to provide this letter on demand. They just want to be sure the animal does not pose a direct threat to other people in public.
Emotional Support Dogs Are Not Service Dogs
There is a chance you will find support dogs often confused as service dogs or vice versa. What you should know is that there are several differences.
The biggest difference between a service animal and a support animal is where they are allowed. A support animal or psychiatric service dog would be allowed everywhere, unlike the ESA that would be limited to only some places. Of course, each animal must be trained to perform certain functions.
The Fair Housing Act and Emotional Support Animals
As of January 2020, there are newly revised guidelines by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on how housing providers deal with the needs of people with disabilities.
This led to the Fair Housing Act (FHA), which made it illegal for landlords and other premises from discriminating against housing depending on the disability of a person. Since it is federal law, it has always been followed.
Even with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) backing, you can find that the people with disabilities would have assistance animals. These assistance animals include the service animal and other animals, which can now be classified as support animals.
Support animals are defined as animals trained to perform personal tasks, work, provide assistance, or provide therapeutic emotional support for a person.
What is Required for Landlords to Accept Your ESA?
You are required to present an ESA letter to the landlord for confirmation before you can be allowed to use the pet or support animal on the premises. The letter is given to you after being certified by a mental health professional.
The housing providers are not allowed to evict you when you have an ESA. they would be violating the Federal Fair Housing regulations. Once you present the ESA letter, they need to provide reasonable accommodation to allow you to use the ESA on the property.
Fortunately, most landlords know about ESAs so they will not bully you so much for having an emotional support animal. If they do, try to advise them on your rights and they can always verify the letter if they want.
Even those with a pets policy against a certain type of animal would be forced to reconsider so that they can accommodate a person’s disability.
Are Emotional Support Dogs Allowed on Flights?
No is the short answer.
The U.S Department of Transportation has vital regulations on support and service animals whenever you are traveling. These animals were before allowed to be on air travel, but that has changed. As of December 2, 2020, the Department of Transportation made it possible for the airlines not to accommodate ESAs based on the Air Carrier Access Act.
This led to a trickle-down effect that now other international flights are doing the same. You may still be lucky that you can get an international flight allowing the use of ESAs. However, those who own a service dog may find it possible to have the dog accompanying them.
Final Thoughts: Are Online ESA Letters Legit?
It is possible to find some people asking do online ESA letters work? Yes. These letters actually work. So long as the letters have been signed by a professional mental health expert and there is an official letterhead. Those who ask for such letters would want to know if they can verify it.
Right now, you can see why people consider emotional support animals and service animals. If you can get the best emotional support animal, it will generally make your life easier. Other than being your companion, it could still do some tasks based on its training.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who qualifies for an emotional support animal?
You can only qualify for an emotional support animal if you have a mental or emotional disability and it has been certified by a professional in mental health.
2. Can I get an emotional support animal for anxiety?
Yes. It is possible to get an emotional support animal if you have anxiety. It has to be certified by the mental health expert that the ESA will help with emotional support and also provide companionship to reduce anxiety.
3. Can landlords charge for emotional support animals?
The landlords will not charge the tenant an extra amount as pet rent for animals meant for emotional support based on federal laws. Also, the landlord will not apply any other pet policy rule, such as restricting the breed or weight of your pet.
4. What if my landlord doesn’t allow pets?
The landlord is not permitted to deny you housing even if the premises do not allow pets. So long as you can provide an ESA letter, the landlord is supposed to provide reasonable accommodations for the ESA.
5. Can I bring my emotional support animal on a public transportation
Most places allow you to take the emotional support animals on public transport symptoms. Provided the support animal or service animal is trained not to cause a nuisance to other travelers or the staff, then you should be good.