An emotional support dog is an emotional support animal (ESA) that comforts an individual with a psychiatric disability through companionship. However, this doesn’t mean every loving dog that provides relief to their owner doesn’t automatically make it an emotional support animal.
There are laws and rules for a dog to become an emotional support animal. In this article, we’ll answer how a dog can become an emotional support dog. If you have a dog, read on to know everything about making your dog an emotional support animal.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal is a pet that provides comfort through companionship. Whether your dog is a tiny Yorkie or a golden retriever, they can become an emotional support animal. However, you’ll need to take a few actions to get an ESA certification to make your dog an emotional support animal.
Difference Between Service Animals and ESAs
Service animals and emotional support animals aren’t the same. While an emotional support animal can be any type of pet, service animals must be dogs trained for specific tasks to help their handler. Think of a service dog trained to prevent their handler from lapsing into a panic attack by applying physical pressure or creating distractions.
Another clear difference between service and emotional support animals is their public access rights. A service animal is allowed to enter any public space their handler can, including places that typically have no-pet policies, such as restaurants and government buildings.
Although ESAs don’t have as much freedom when it comes to no-pet policies of public spaces, their rights are also protected under the Fair Housing Act. Even if a landlord or apartment complex has a clear no-pet policy, qualifying individuals can bring their dogs to rental homes. This also applies to breed and weight restrictions.
What Does a Dog Need to Become an Emotional Support Dog?
Below, you’ll find the two most critical things a dog needs to become an emotional support dog.
A Qualifying Owner
First and foremost, your dog needs to have an owner that qualifies for an emotional support animal. This means you must have a qualifying psychiatric disability, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Individuals without a mental disability don’t qualify for an ESA. If that’s the case, a service animal may be more suitable for you.
While this is a straightforward rule, not everyone with a mental disability can get an emotional support animal just because of their condition. It requires more than having a diagnosis letter from a therapist, which brings us to our next point.
An ESA Letter
The second thing you need for your dog to become an emotional support dog will be to get an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional, such as a therapist or psychiatrist. This is a fairly simple document that outlines your condition and your LMHP’s recommendation for an emotional support dog.
With an ESA letter, your mental health practitioner prescribes you an emotional support dog to help manage your symptoms.
The ESA letter must include a few critical pieces of information to be valid. This includes basic information about your dog, such as their name and breed, the license number of your mental health practitioner, the date of issue, and your diagnosis.
Getting an ESA Letter
Although there may be more to getting an ESA certification, depending on your specific situation, the above are the two essentials a dog needs to become an emotional support dog.
If you’re already seeing a licensed mental health professional in your state, you can discuss an emotional support animal as an option to help manage your symptoms. After an evaluation, your LMHP can write an ESA letter that includes details about your dog.
Those currently not seeing a therapist must book an appointment with a licensed mental health professional in their state. Alternatively, you can get an ESA letter through online services like US Service Animals that connect you with LMHPs in your state. Often, such services can help qualifying individuals get an ESA letter faster.
