Emotional Support Animals

[prplchknz]

What do you think of them?

do you have one?

if you do what hoops did you have to go through?

what was your motivation of getting your pet certified as one?

If you disapprove of them why?


me:
1. I think they provide a needed service for lonely people and people with mental illnesses and emotional issues.
2. No, but my therapist offered to write a letter certifying daisy (my cat as one) because she often prevents me from committing suicide like the other night i was thinking about hanging myself and i thought about her and I couldn't and provides much needed comfort.I wasn't even the one who brought it up
3.I don't know yet, all i know is i have to find a registry (there's multiples so i don't know where to begin), get her updated on her shots (I need to do this anyway)
4. If i ever have to travel for somewhere for a long period of time, meaning long than a month i want to be able to take her with me. I know it's stupid to most people but she really means a lot to me and we have a connection. I don't mind leaving her for a week and so far if i leave her longer i know she's at my mom's. So why don't you just leave her with your mom? because like i said she's saved my life indirectly and i need her in case i get suicidal. I sort of am right now, but because I have her I know I won't act on it.
5.I don't.

 

[phoenix31]

I may be wrong, but I don't believe there is an actual legit registry. At least I know someone who trains dogs and that's what she said.

 

[prplchknz]

I may be wrong, but I don't believe there is an actual registry.

maybe it's not a registry but there is an application i have to fill out and they send you either a vest or a collar.after you're approved

 

[phoenix31]

Right. Just the problem is that that means pretty much anyone can obtain a vest or collar so there's no real technical way to "certify" what is a properly trained and used animal.

 

[phoenix31]

And just a thought on #5... there is definitely a use for support animals I think, but the problem is that ignorant people don't do the training properly or people who just want their pets around abuse the system and it's created a lot of problems for restaurants, airlines, etc. Especially with strange animals like turkeys or whatever.

Also, just a bit of information I wanted to pass on... I have read that at least with dogs, if people attempt to train them as an emotional support animal for things like anxiety attacks, etc., and don't know what they are doing, they can actually create a lot of stress on the animal, which I find really sad. So if someone is planning on training a dog they really need to know what they are doing. And the things I read say that for emotional support, vs other types of service animals, the dog should actually be trained while it is young with someone else, away from the person who eventually plans to own the dog.

Idk anything about cats though.

 

[prplchknz]

Right. Just the problem is that that means pretty much anyone can obtain a vest or collar so there's no real technical way to "certify" what is a properly trained and used animal.

you're right i looked it up, but i would not say my pet was an esa just to say that. I mean she's not and it does suck that people get vests and collars who are not actually trained, what's worse is they act like there dog who is often poorly trained is a service animal so they can take them into stores. I couldn't do that with an ESA my advantage would be flying with her (if i needed to take her with me) and hotels can't say no nor can apartments. But I don't really get service animal privilages cuz she would not be one. and to be honest she'd be a terrible service animal, nor do i need one.

 

[Luminous]

What do you think of them?

do you have one?

if you do what hoops did you have to go through?

what was your motivation of getting your pet certified as one?

If you disapprove of them why?

I think they can be incredibly helpful. I don't think there's that big a difference between animals who are truly needed for emotional reasons and animals who are needed for physical reasons. A dog can help a blind person get around, can help someone who has seizures, and can also help someone who has PTSD to live a better life. It's awesome.

No, I don't have one. But if I needed one, I would love to have one. The pets I have had, though not emotional support animals, provided me with emotional support (my last Doberman had more emotional intelligence than a lot of people), and if I had a severe problem that impacted my ability to function daily and an animal could help? That would be wonderful.

 

[Dreamer]

This might sound weird...but I would always fear destroying some animal with my own sadness by using them as my blankie. I know pets are absolutely beneficial for the emotional health of their owners at times, but I think there’d always be a part of me that feels guilt for putting them through MY grief, like it’s some disease they don’t deserve to be around...maybe it doesn’t quite work that way, but like, dogs sense when their human friends are depressed right? Ya...I don’t know.

 

[prplchknz]

This might sound weird...but I would always fear destroying some animal with my own sadness by using them as my blankie. I know pets are absolutely beneficial for the emotional health of their owners at times, but I think there’d always be a part of me that feels guilt for putting them through MY grief, like it’s some disease they don’t deserve to be around...maybe it doesn’t quite work that way, but like, dogs sense when their human friends are depressed right? Ya...I don’t know.

I don't use daisy as my blankie. I didn't even consider getting her certified until my therapist brought it up then my mom brought up good arguments for it. I don't take her everywhere I go, But she does provide much needed support at home for me. She crawls into my lap daily she purrs she cries when i leave she waits for me by the door if i'm out for less than 5 minutes. She will come running when I open the door if i've been gone for awhile not to go outside but just because i'm back. if i come back after going out of town for a couple of days she spends a good 15-30 minutes purring and walking all over me and won't let me do anything else. she hangs out with me on my bed while i sleep

 

[Dreamer]

I don't use daisy as my blankie. I didn't even consider getting her certified until my therapist brought it up then my mom brought up good arguments for it. I don't take her everywhere I go, But she does provide much needed support at home for me. She crawls into my lap daily she purrs she cries when i leave she waits for me by the door if i'm out for less than 5 minutes. She will come running when I open the door if i've been gone for awhile not to go outside but just because i'm back. if i come back after going out of town for a couple of days she spends a good 15-30 minutes purring and walking all over me and won't let me do anything else. she hangs out with me on my bed while i sleep

Aww I love this! Being the creeper I am, I’d love to be able to witness this bond you two must have

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

What do you think of them?

do you have one?

if you do what hoops did you have to go through?

what was your motivation of getting your pet certified as one?

If you disapprove of them why?


me:
1. I think they provide a needed service for lonely people and people with mental illnesses and emotional issues.
2. No, but my therapist offered to write a letter certifying daisy (my cat as one) because she often prevents me from committing suicide like the other night i was thinking about hanging myself and i thought about her and I couldn't and provides much needed comfort.I wasn't even the one who brought it up
3.I don't know yet, all i know is i have to find a registry (there's multiples so i don't know where to begin), get her updated on her shots (I need to do this anyway)
4. If i ever have to travel for somewhere for a long period of time, meaning long than a month i want to be able to take her with me. I know it's stupid to most people but she really means a lot to me and we have a connection. I don't mind leaving her for a week and so far if i leave her longer i know she's at my mom's. So why don't you just leave her with your mom? because like i said she's saved my life indirectly and i need her in case i get suicidal. I sort of am right now, but because I have her I know I won't act on it.
5.I don't.

What is the difference between an emotional support animal, and you know, a pet?

I just know that taking care of and spending time with a cat make me happy.

 

[prplchknz]

A trained emotional support animal can recognize when its owner is about to have a significant issue, like a panic attack, and help them during an episode...among other things.

But yes, pets can be therapeutic in general, regardless of whether or not they are therapy dogs.

That's still a service animal

[MENTION=4660]Julius_Van_Der_Beak[/MENTION] there's not much difference just you get some extra rights regarding your pet, like if a hotel or an apartment has a no pet policy they legally can't tell you. you can't bring your pet. On airplanes you can bring them into the cabin with you and once again legally they can't deny you. I'm doing it if i have to travel with her ever meaning i'm traveling longer than a month. oh and you also don't have to pay a pet deposit, though if the animal destroys the apartment you still have to pay for that

 

[Frosty]

I have my cats registered as them. Because it was either get them registered or pay 1000 dollars for the pet fee. And... no. I asked my therapist to write me a letter, she emailed it to me. And i emailed it to the apartment. (It was a hard read though, the letter- describing the reasons I was... needing of one. What was wrong with me. But worth it. It was worth it)

But yes. They are helpful. I love them. I think that emotional support animals are wonderful tjings- because they are there for you and you are there for them and therefore... you need each other and that creates a really great bond. They are there for you on good days and bad... and thats... that matters so much

 

[oxyjen]

What do you think of them?

do you have one?

if you do what hoops did you have to go through?

what was your motivation of getting your pet certified as one?

If you disapprove of them why?

I think they can be very useful for people who need them. [MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION] explained well that there seems to be some confusion among terms. A service animal is an animal that has been trained for a reason, to serve a specific medical purpose. An emotional support animal is the same as any pet, but a mental health professional has stated the owner has a need for the animal, generally for depression or anxiety in my experience. Under FHA, landlords must allow for service animals and emotional support animals even if they have a no-pet policy; deposits for these animals are waived (though owner is liable for damages upon move out). Airlines let emotional support animals travel with their companion, unlike regular pets. Businesses cannot legally forbid service animals entry, but they can forbid support animals (the difference is the animal must be trained for a specific medical purpose, mental health included).

I'm not sure if it differs by state--I live in the USA--but as far as I know, the only documentation you need is from a mental health professional that you need a companion animal for mental health considerations. Other than maybe certain wording, and the letter coming from someone who meets the criteria of a mental health professional, I don't think there are any more hoops to jump through. There is no registry or certification other than this that I know of. My background is on the housing side, I don't know much about what airlines want.

My only complaint is the people who wreck it for others. I've run into a few that brought their support animal in to the building and not take care of it well at all. Granted, a small fraction of pet owners are going to be that way. However if they need it for emotional support, I feel like there should be a stronger bond than the typical pet owner; the pet shouldn't be without food/water for a few days because the owner took off for awhile, for example.

I'm sure there are also probably online places where you can pay a fee for a letter that claims you need one, even if you don't have ongoing counseling with a mental health professional. There's a market for anything these days. This is cheating and gaming the system. Perhaps I should be more annoyed by that, but as long as the animal is being taken care of, I can't bother to give that much of a damn.

 

[prplchknz]

I think they can be very useful for people who need them. [MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION] explained well that there seems to be some confusion among terms. A service animal is an animal that has been trained for a reason, to serve a specific medical purpose. An emotional support animal is the same as any pet, but a mental health professional has stated the owner has a need for the animal, generally for depression or anxiety in my experience. Under FHA, landlords must allow for service animals and emotional support animals even if they have a no-pet policy; deposits for these animals are waived (though owner is liable for damages upon move out). Airlines let emotional support animals travel with their companion, unlike regular pets. Businesses cannot legally forbid service animals entry, but they can forbid support animals (the difference is the animal must be trained for a specific medical purpose, mental health included).

I'm not sure if it differs by state--I live in the USA--but as far as I know, the only documentation you need is from a mental health professional that you need a companion animal for mental health considerations. Other than maybe certain wording, and the letter coming from someone who meets the criteria of a mental health professional, I don't think there are any more hoops to jump through. There is no registry or certification other than this that I know of. My background is on the housing side, I don't know much about what airlines want.

My only complaint is the people who wreck it for others. I've run into a few that brought their support animal in to the building and not take care of it well at all. Granted, a small fraction of pet owners are going to be that way. However if they need it for emotional support, I feel like there should be a stronger bond than the typical pet owner; the pet shouldn't be without food/water for a few days because the owner took off for awhile, for example.

I'm sure there are also probably online places where you can pay a fee for a letter that claims you need one, even if you don't have ongoing counseling with a mental health professional. There's a market for anything these days. This is cheating and gaming the system. Perhaps I should be more annoyed by that, but as long as the animal is being taken care of, I can't bother to give that much of a damn.

Yeah my therapist said that people come in and ask for her to write a letter after one or 2 visits. She says she says no but I've been seeing her for awhile. But there are places you can do that even sites that will write you a letter. And it sucks that people don't take care of their pets in general but worse when they do that and register them esa. I've left daisy before but the longest was 5 days may sure she had plenty of water and food and had someone check on her every other day. It's tough to leave her but she it stresses her more to travel so i take her if I'm gone longer than a week.