Archive for the ‘Emotional Support Animal’ Category
Humans are lucky to have dogs as our companions. Dogs used to help us watch livestock or help us hunt. Now, they are here to provide us with much-needed support. Unfortunately, people often get assistance animal regulations wrong. We are here to help clear things up. The first step is to understand the rules and regulations around assistance animals.
Can I Register my Dog as a Therapy Dog?There are three types of assistance animals. Each performs a specific function and has special access rights.
Service Animal – trained to perform a specific task for their handler’s disability. Service Dogs have full access to all public places, including restaurants, hotels, and no-pet housing. A fee cannot be a charge for granting access to Service Dogs. A service dog is considered a medical device and not a pet. Emotional Support Animal – does not require special training and provides comfort to their handler. Emotional Support Dogs have access to no-pet housing, and the landlord cannot charge a fee for an ESA as well. Therapy Animal – does not require special training and provides comfort to others. Therapy Dogs do not have special access and must be invited in. A fee can be charged for granting access to a therapy dog.Share this image on your site (copy code below): <div style="clear:both"><a href="https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/how-to-register-a-therapy-dog/" target="_blank"><img decoding="async" style="max-width:100%;margin:0 0 10px;" src="https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/service-dog_esa_therapy-dog.jpg" title="3 Types of Assistance Animals" alt="Infographic comparing service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs" border="0" data-src="" /></a></div> Copy
You can register your dog as a therapy dog by following the links below!
Therapy Animals are often confused with Emotional Support Animals. A quick way to discover which assistance animal you need is to ask yourself a simple question.
Is my dog here to support my emotional needs or is my dog her to support other’s emotional needs? If the answer is yourself, you require an ESA Letter from a therapist. If your answer is others, your require a Therapy Dog Certification. Train and register your dog as a Therapy Dog in 3 Easy Steps – First – Adopt and train a dog with a calm and kind temperament and can pass a Canine Good Citizen Test. Second – Train your dog to be well-behaved in public places such as a hospital or school. When they go to a hospital or school, they need to be well-behaved as to not hurt others or themselves. Third – Certify your Therapy Dog by registering them with Service Dog Certifications Register your therapy dog hereYour Therapy Dog can also act as your Emotional Support Dog. To qualify your Therapy Dog as your ESA, you will need an ESA letter from a therapist. If your current therapist understands ESA laws and can help you write an ESA letter, this is your best route. If you do not have access to an ESA Doctor or ESA therapist, we recommend seeking support for a legitimate ESA resource.
Do you know the difference between a Service Dog and an Emotional Support Animal? Many people lump these assistance animals into one category. However, they are not the same.
A Service Dog is an assistance animal that is specifically trained to perform a task for a disabled individual. This work could include any number of things. It could be as simple as picking up dropped items all the way to alerting the person to an oncoming health issue. You may read this article if you want to focus on training and certifying your dog into a service dog.
An Emotional Support animal is an assistance animal who provides love and comfort to a disabled individual. ESAs do not require special training and cannot pose any harm to others. You may choose to certify your dog as an ESA while you train them to become your service dog. Emotional Support Animals have two special rights. We will address it briefly below and you can also read more about them in detail here – ESA Travel and Housing Rights.
In this post, we will address the rights of the ESA and how one can go about getting a legitimate ESA letter.
What Are the Legal Rights of an ESA?The Emotional Support Animal has specific rights under Federal Law. These rights are not as extensive as Service Dog rights, but are just as important.
1) You have the right to access to “no pets” policy rental units with your Emotional Support Animal.The landlord, building manager or owner must make reasonable accommodations for your ESA as long as it does not cause him/her undue financial or administrative burdens. These regulations are set by the FHA and the HUD.
Below are a few examples of reasonable accommodations and also what may not qualify.
Example #1 – Sally has 2 ESA cats and 1 ESA dog. The landlord has a “one cat” only policy. However, they will grant Sally reasonable accommodations and allow her to live with her 3 ESA. Example #2 – Rick has two ESA dogs. The landlord has a specific “breed restriction” against pit bulls or dogs larger than 35lbs. They will still grant Rick reasonable accommodations so he can live with his 2 ESA dogs. Example #3 – Jenny has an ESA horse and lives in an apartment. The landlord can deny Jenny’s ESA horse housing access since having a horse in an apartment will cause the landlord undue burdens.You can, however, be asked to leave or be denied housing if your ESA is destructive or causes any danger or is a threat to the other tenants. It is important that your ESA is well trained and does not hurt or disturb others.
2) On a few airlines, you can take your ESA into the cabin of an aircraft at no extra charge.A few airlines are tolerant of ESAs and allow you to take your ESA into the cabin of the aircraft. To be able to fly in the cabin with its owner, the emotional support animal has to be well-behaved, and it is expected to sit on the floor in front of your legs. The ESA will also have to be of a reasonable size.
Some participating airlines have their own form they require completed. When booking tickets you should always inquire with the airline about what their policy is for ESAs and if there are any deadlines to submit additional documentation. If you fail to do so, you might risk being denied access to the aircraft.
How Do I Get a Legitimate ESA Doctor’s Note?Before you get an animal with the expectation of making it an Emotional Support Animal, there is a process to be followed to make it legitimate; the note from a licensed therapist who is well versed in ESA law.
Seeking medical help from a mental health professional is your first step. This person can help you with your condition and they can prescribe you an Emotional Support Animal as part of your treatment plan. The letter must be signed and dated and include your doctor’s license number, evaluation date, and direct contact information. This document may only be valid for one year.
Unfortunately, animal therapy is still a relatively new concept so not all doctors and therapists believe in emotional support animal therapy or may not be aware of ESA regulations. If this is the case, you can seek support from a referral service that specializes in supporting people in need, such as yourself, through the use of technology. You can connect with a doctor or therapist online using the link below.
Click here to start the ESA letter process. Get On the Road to RecoveryIf you are suffering from an emotional or mental illness, be sure to seek medical help. Once you are under a therapist’s care, ask them if they could provide you with an ESA letter. If so adopt an animal that you can bond with, then get on the road to recovery. The Emotional Support Animal may just be what will help you begin to live again
The presence of a furry or a scaly or a feathery companion can provide a form of unconditional love, acceptance, and support. This is why many mental health professionals are now prescribing an Emotional Support Animal to those patients that would benefit the most.
In this post, we will discuss the number of emotional support animals allowed, the laws governing ESAs, and how a person can get a legitimate Emotional Support Animal letter.
How Many Emotional Support Animals Can I Have?You can have more than one ESA. There are no specific rules stating the maximum number of ESAs you may have. As long as the animal(s) does not violate any state or local laws and your therapist agrees your ESAs are there for your well-being, you can have more than one emotional support animal. The number of emotional support animals you have must also make sense. For example, having one or more horses in an apartment may not be feasible.
The Fair Housing Act states that a landlord, building manager, or owner of any rental unit must make reasonable accommodations for a person with an emotional support animal. As long as this reasonable accommodation clause does not cause any undue burden to the rental unit’s landlord, manager or owner.
The health and wellbeing of the ESA must also be addressed. All animals will need to be fed, groomed and given veterinarian care. Does your budget allow for these financial extras?
Can my landlord deny reasonable accommodations if I have multiple ESAs?There are only a couple of circumstances that may allow your landlord to reject your emotional support animals.
When it comes to multiple ESAs, it would depend on the species and number of animals that are being housed. For example; 6 large dogs that bark in a small apartment or 2 goats in a condo can be considered an undue financial burden to the property owner. Thus, challenging the reasonable accommodation clause.
How Do I Get an Official ESA Letter?There is a simple process that needs to be followed to either make an existing pet an Emotional Support Animal or if you are going to adopt a new animal.
Step # 1 – Work with a Mental Health ProfessionalThe law states that you must be working with a mental health professional such as a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. This mental health professional must then write you a prescription for the ESA in the form of an ESA letter.
Step # 2 – Get a legitimate ESA Letter from a TherapistThe letter is more than a few words scribbled onto your doctor’s prescription pad. The document must include or state –
– Your therapist believes that an Emotional Support Animal would be beneficial in your treatment plan – The laws that protect you as an Emotional Support Animal handler – Your therapist’s direct contact information and licensing information – Written on your therapist’s official letterheadThe letter is typically only valid for one year.
Step # 3 – What if you do not have access to a therapist?You may choose to work with a legitimate online ESA letter referral company. Not all online referral companies are the same. A few things to look out for –
Referral services that provide “instant approval” or are priced too low (under $100) – a real licensed therapist’s time is more valuable Referral services that pair you with an out of state therapist Make sure that your therapist’s licensing information is listed on the ESA letter Step # 4 – Register your Animal(s) and order your ESA License and CertificateYou are not legally required to have your ESAs registered, but some people chose to do so for the benefits. Certifying your emotional support animals will put you into a database, as well as provide you with custom identification cards, vest, and certificate.
Having this extra validation will help when you are applying for housing or booking a flight with your emotional support animal.
One, Two or More ESA’s Work!When deciding how many emotional support animals are necessary, consider the space and time you have along with your finances. Once you have your ESA(s) and the letter you need from your mental health professional to make it legitimate you are well on your way to living a happier and healthier life.
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