The Role of an Emotional Support Animal

If you’ve heard the term “emotional support animal” you may have thought that it was synonymous with a service animal. However, emotional support animals play a different role and have different responsibilities than service animals. The laws regarding ESA’s also vary from that of service animals. 

Assisting with “invisible disabilities”

The main role of an emotional support animal is to support individuals who have conditions that may not be visible to the naked eye. There are instances where physically disabled persons require an emotional support animal, but this, generally, is due to co-morbid mental health illness. Anxiety is the most prevalent disorder that individuals require an emotional support animal, but they may also require one due to depression. 

Many people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) use the emotional support animal to help them combat episodes. These animals are not trained to assist with medications or physical disabilities, their presence itself is the therapeutic agent that allows their owners to carry on with their day to day activities. 

Emotional support versus service animal

There is a difference between an ESA and a service animal. As mentioned earlier, the presence of an ESA helps to mediate an owner’s potential anxiety or panic attacks, alleviate depression, and assist with disorders such as PTSD. Service animals are specially trained to perform a variety of tasks that are directly associated with a medical condition. Service animals may be trained to assist a blind person with safely travelling, or barking when a person with diabetes is experiencing hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. 

Service animals are generally trained through rigorous processes that enable them to focus on the task at hand. While ESA’s may seem less trained, their importance in maintaining their owners health should not be disregarded. 

Laws for travel

People who have ESA’s are generally allowed to travel by plane with their animal as long as they have a letter written by an appropriate professional, namely a psychologist, psychiatrist, or other physician. There are some online programs that help people travel with emotional support animals, accessing the ESA letters are more convenient than the traditional methods. Airlines can be more stringent with their travelling requirements and may want a letter within the last year. This is to deter individuals who may be misrepresenting their need for an ESA, which is often an untrue stigma. 

Housing laws

In the United States, persons with ESA’s are generally not subject to certain housing restraints. Landlords are not allowed to charge them a deposit above an ordinary amount simply because they’re introducing an animal into the property. There are some circumstances where the landlord does not need to adhere to allowing a person with an ESA to apply for tenancy. If a landlord lives in a dwelling with four or fewer units, they may not be obligated to rent out that unit to a person requiring an ESA. These exemptions are relatively rare, and people requiring an ESA are able to rent out the vast majority of properties on the market. 

ESA’s and work

The laws surrounding bringing an ESA to work in the United States are in a state of development currently. There have been cases where there is support for bringing an ESA to work and cases where it was seen as negative. There are currently no established laws on ESA’s like there are with service animals. Employees are allowed to bring an ESA to work with the proper documentation, but their employer may or may not accept it. Hopefully the laws work in the favor of those who require these animals in the future. 

Do’s and Don’ts

You should treat an ESA with the same respect you would have reserved for a service animal. While ESA’s may not be trained to avoid attention from strangers, this doesn’t mean that you should be distracting them from their owners. Remember, the animal is there to serve the owners medical needs. Taking the attention of the animal, or distracting the animal can lead to detrimental consequences in the owners health. As much as we all love animals, we should respect the boundaries for animals being used for medical purposes. 

Emotional support animals help many people with a variety of disabilities perform the functions of their daily life. They are different than service animals, but they can be just as important in maintaining a healthy quality of life. The legislation on ESA’s currently requires more development and hopefully we will see some moves to making workplaces more accessible in the future. Thankfully, there are laws protecting the housing and travel accommodations for people who need an ESA.