Emotional Support Animal Registration

Our pets provide us with unconditional love, that is a fact, but did you know they offer mental health support, too? An emotional support animal is much more than just your trusted companion. This adorable dog or cat plays a pivotal role in helping you manage your symptoms while providing comfort and support. To learn how the emotional support animal registration process works, please read on.

What Is an Emotional Support Animal?

An emotional support animal is a dog, cat, or any domesticated animal with a very important purpose. These beloved pets provide 24/7-support for their human who struggles with a mental health condition. Whether it is depression, anxiety, bipolar, or PTSD, the constant companionship provided by the ESA is simply invaluable.

An emotional support animal is not trained to perform any specific tasks, but is solely a source of support and comfort. Emotional support animals differ from both service dogs and psychiatric service dogs.

• A service dog is trained to perform jobs for a disabled owner specifically related to the disability. An example of this are the services a seeing eye dog does for a blind person.
• A psychiatric support dog is trained to recognize the symptoms of the owner’s mental illness, like a panic attack. The dog then performs the action that will reduce the intensity of the symptoms and provide comfort.

An ESA enhances the peace of mind that comes with having a companion animal. Once the pet obtains the ESA certification, the owner enjoys housing security and enhanced accessibility into certain public business settings.

For a pet to obtain the status of an emotional support animal (ESA), there are some qualifying criteria. Emotional support animal registration requires the pet owner to be diagnosed and treated for a mental health disorder. Their doctor is tasked with providing a letter requesting that the patient be granted ESA status for his or her pet.

Benefits of Emotional Support Animals

Pets make wonderful additions to our lives, offering us so many great benefits. For someone with a mental health challenge, having an ESA is even more beneficial. Let’s consider some of the numerous ways an ESA can improve our quality of life:

1. Sense of purpose. Taking care of an ESA offers the pet owner a sense of purpose in their daily lives. Their animal depends on them and loves them, which is reciprocal.
2. Improved health. Having a support animal offers the same health benefits of pet ownership in general. People with ESA are apt to be more active, such as walking a dog, which has immense health benefits.
3. Sense of security. Those with a history of trauma benefit from having a pet with them, as it provides a sense of security.
4. Access to public buildings. ESAs are often allowed to enter business establishments with their owners, or to accompany them on a plane. This provides someone with mental health concerns a chance to feel protected out in public.
5. Housing protections. People who rent their home may encounter resistance when they get an ESA if the landlord doesn’t accept pets. There are laws that protect against this and guide landlords to comply with them.

How Emotional Support Animals Aid in Mental Health Management

To further support the claims of mental health and lifestyle benefits of an ESA, a recent study has weighed in. Researchers found several quantifiable benefits among the study participants, including:

• Decrease in symptom severity. The study found that symptom severity for depression, anxiety, and loneliness was reduced in individuals who had support animals.
• Higher oxytocin. By the twelve-month mark, participants registered higher amounts of the bonding brain chemical oxytocin, and expressed being emotionally attached to their ESA.
• Reduced cortisol. After spending ten minutes with the ESA, levels of the stress hormone cortisol were measured and found to be lower.
• Protects against suicide. People with chronic mental illness have higher rates of suicide. However, those who are emotionally attached to their ESA felt responsible for their animal, which was protective against suicide.
• Lower rates of social isolation. People with ESAs feel freer to venture out of the house and to engage in the community. Legal rights to have an ESA are protected by the ADA, HUD, and FHA.

Process and Regulations for Emotional Support Animals

Emotional support animal registration requires the assistance of a mental health professional, such as a licensed therapist or psychiatrist. If you are receiving outpatient or residential treatment for a mental health disorder, the doctor can issue the letter.

The letter provides the formal documentation that you are being treated for a mental health condition. The letter recommends the ESA as part of your ongoing treatment and acts as a type of “prescription.” Again, an ESA does not require any special training to fulfill this important role.

To obtain the ESA certificate, ID card, animal vest, to identify your pet as an ESA, you can go online. However, be very selective about the website that you select, as there have been some scams reported.

What Access Do You Receive with an ESA?

Even after the emotional support animal registration, the ESA has fewer privileges than service dogs or psychiatric service dogs. This means that public buildings or businesses will allow the ESA to enter at their discretion. Some businesses will grant entry, but others will not.

A similar situation applies with air travel. Airlines have greatly restricted the presence of ESAs on board, where at one time they were allowed to fly free of charge. There are still some airlines that do allow ESA, but at a charge.

Housing is another matter altogether. By law, a landlord must allow the ESA to reside with you, even if they have a “no pets allowed” policy. This is because individuals who need an ESA as part of their mental health treatment are protected under the ADA, HUD, and FHA laws.

Mental Health Hope Offers Professional Guidance for Mental Health Concerns

Mental Health Hope provides free online assistance regarding mental health treatment options and information. If you are struggling with a mental health condition and need some guidance, we can assist you. Please reach out today at (424) 622-6369.