Emotional support animals are used as a part of the therapeutic process by individuals struggling with mental health issues. An ESA is prescribed by a mental health specialist to a person with diagnosed mental illness.
Support animals are very popular among people with mental health issues; however, there are many misconceptions associated with them. There are many myths associated with ESAs such as what they do, why they are helpful, and how to get one.
Many different animals can be emotional support animals, but the most popular ones include an realesaletter and an ESA cat. Some other emotional support animals include rabbits, hamsters, miniature horses, and miniature pigs.
First myth: emotional support animals are the same as service animals
There is a huge misconception that an emotional support animal can provide supportive services such as helping to prevent falls during seizures, assisting while walking, and providing medicine, etc. the emotional support animals are only meant to provide emotional support and companionship and they have no purpose other than this.
The services provided by service animals can be variable that include physical support, psychological support, and disability support. The service animals perform their duties because they have been specifically trained to do so, whereas ESAs do not get special training for performing specific services.
Service animals are recognized by law on a wider scale and they have a wide scope of access compared to emotional support animals. The service animals can go to almost all places with the handler.
The service animals have to be trained and certified to ensure that they can perform their duties, before being given to a disabled person, whereas, no certification is required for ESAs.
Second myth: emotional support animals can go anywhere
The second myth is associated with the first myth, as emotional support animals do not have the same rights as service animals. So people often wrongly presume that they can take their emotional support animals wherever they go, which is prohibited by law.
The fair housing act allows a person to live with an ESA despite the no pets policy of the building. All you need is the real esa letter to live with your pet. However, these exceptions do not apply to all places. The service animals will have access to all public places with the handler as the person is usually disabled, but the emotional support animals are adjusted according to policies of each place.
Certain beaches may allow ESAs, certain hotels may also adjust the ESAs, but not all of them. Similarly, restaurants and grocery stores allow ESA if they allow pets and have no separate policy for ESA.
The ESA is allowed to board the airplane with the handler according to the air carrier act that considers the emotional support animals to be equivalent to service animals. However, after the recent revision of the flight policy, emotional support animals will be treated as pets and the same boarding charges will apply to them.
Third myth: You just need a vest to declare your ESA
You would need more than just a vest for your emotional support animal. The first and most important step for getting an ESA is the ESA letter, as it declares that you have a medical need for an ESA. The letter is issued by a licensed health professional which gives it high credibility. The health professional can include a mental health professional psychologist, psychiatrist, or registered nurse.
The professional assesses the mental health condition of a patient, determines the diagnosis, and then prescribes the treatment plan which includes an ESA. This letter validates that you have a genuine need for an ESA and your rights are protected under the American disability act.
Fourth myth: All ESAs can travel without a problem
Not all emotional support animals get the same rights and privileges. The usual and popular emotional support animal letter choices like dogs and cats get access to more services and you can travel with them easily.
While flying with an ESA dog, you can choose almost any airline as dogs are the most favored species. You do not have to pay any additional charges for traveling with your dog, but if you travel with some other animal, you might have to pay additional charges.
Animals other than dogs and cats are not easily recognized as ESAs. Moreover, unusual or exotic animals are considered pets rather than ESA, so you don’t get special rights for them.
Moreover, even if your ESA is accepted by the airlines, it will have to behave well during your travel because if your ESA bites or attempts to bite another person, it will be considered a pet and you will have to pay full charges.
Considering the additional challenges of traveling with an unusual ESA, try choosing a more conventional one. However, the rules and regulations of all airlines are different so you can check the rules of the airlines that you wish to travel with.
Fifth myth: you need to certify or register your ESA
There is no such thing as an ESA registration or certification. Your emotional support animals are not like a service animal that needs special training and certification. The ESA is there for emotional support and company so it does need any certification.
The only document you need for your ESA is the letter given by your therapist. If an online website claims to provide you registration services, then it is lying; you should never trust such services.
Top 6 Poodle Care Tips the Owners Must Know – Guide