Emotional Support Animal VS Service Animal

Key Differences Between Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals

Although emotional support animals and service animals are often confused, the table below highlights their key differences in purpose, training, and legal protection.

Services Provided by ESA and Service Animals

Many people do not know the differences between emotional support animals vs. service animals. Broadly, service animals are nothing like ESAs. Service animals are specifically trained to perform different tasks for their owners. An ESA just provides emotional support as a companion and friend without actually any physical help for the patient.

Protection Provided by The Law

Patients and owners of service animals largely depend on their animals as they perform physical tasks for them. Because of this, the service animals are provided with legal protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In contrast to this, emotional support animals do not enjoy such protection under the law. Though they are protected under the Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act, there are many places that do not allow ESAs into their premises, restaurants and other public places.

In case of a service animal, you can take it anywhere with you. Either in a public place or an office, a service dog can not be denied entrance.

Certification

As the services of the two animals differ, the certification also has some differences. Usually, the service animal does not need any official letter, as the physical disability is visible, and people can see that a dog or a miniature horse is a service animal.

In case of an ESA, you will need to get a genuine and real ESA letter that must be written by a mental health professional, like a therapist, psychiatrist, or mental health consultant.

In a nutshell, emotional support dogs are intended to provide companionship to people. And the service dog is trained to assist and help people with disabilities.

Psychiatric Service Dog vs Emotional Support Animal

Many people get confused between psychiatric dogs and emotional support dogs since both of them are used for a somewhat similar purpose. However, a psychiatric dog will need proper training to identify any panic signs and get help and assist the conflicted person. To travel or live with one legally, you’ll need a PSD letter issued by a licensed mental health professional. An emotional support animal, on the other hand, does not need any proper training.

The only job of these animals is they provide emotional and mental support and help to their owners. They are not protected under the ADA law and do not enjoy full-fledged rights like a service dog or animal.

Emotional Support Animals vs Service Dogs vs Therapy Dogs

Other than emotional support animals and service dogs, there are other kinds of animals that are different from them. Therapy dogs work in hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers and spend some time with them. These dogs do not need to be trained but they just need to be disciplined, comfortable around strangers, and good at socializing with other people.

Usually, the dog owners are with them to control them and therapy dogs have fewer rights than both service and emotional support dogs.

Benefits of an Emotional Support Animal

Experts have always supported the idea of animals helping and supporting people with mental and physical health issues.

Research shows that having a pet can cause positive mental effects. The reason is the emotional connectivity between the patient and the animal.

Emotional support animals can be beneficial in many ways:

• Anxiety – By just rubbing your hand in your pet’s head. And petting your dog can lighten your mood up.
• Trauma – Emotional support animals and pets give comfort to people who are in critical situations, like trauma.
• Physical Health – Research has shown that emotional support animal owners have low blood pressure and a healthy respiration rate.
• Loneliness – Animals can be your pals. People who live by themselves are advised to own pets as they help to kill their loneliness.

Getting an emotional support animal for oneself is a healthier step that one takes towards his mental health. Your ESA gives you peace and unconditional love and makes your life normal again.

Animals can be Your Emotional Support Animal

Any animal can be your emotional support. There are different types of animals that you can keep as an ESA. Cats, dogs, peacocks, miniature horses, a fish, or even a goat, there are no limitations for the kind and size of the animal.

Usually, for emotional support as well as for service purposes, people like to keep dogs. If you are a cat person, you can keep a cat as your emotional support animal. However, a cat cannot be your service animal.

Benefits of Service Animals

Some of the key benefits of service animals are:

• For People in Wheelchairs - People who have difficulty in moving, service animals like dogs provide physical assistance and support. Service dogs can help their owners in opening and shutting doors, helping with the switches of light. And can even pick things up from the ground for them.
• Benefits for Epilepsy - Service dogs can be really helpful to people who have epilepsy. As they can inform them before a seizure occurs, which eliminates the chances of injuries during a seizure attack.
• For people with Physical Disabilities and Fatigue Problems - Just like for those in wheelchairs, service dogs provide support to those who feel pain and fatigue in mobility. They help people with their balancing issues and save them from falling.

Animals can be Your Service Animal

Unlike ESAs, you cannot have just any animal as a service animal. Since a service animal assists its owner in moving around, a small and fragile animal like a cat, rabbit, or hamster is not suitable for the role.

For a service animal, only dogs and miniature horses are considered fit for the role. Therefore, only dogs and miniature horses are allowed as service animals.

What are ESA Dog Requirements?

Unlike service animals who are individually trained to perform tasks, the ESAs do not require extensive training. They just have to provide comfort and affection to the individual.

ESA dog requirements can be as follows:

• It is very important to make sure that your emotional support dog is well behaved.
• Your pet or an emotional support dog shouldn’t disturb the people. Even if at home or on the airplane.
• According to the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), a service animal or emotional support animal is not registered. To get your companion animals certified, all you need is an ESA letter. and remember to renew your ESA letter annually to ensure your housing and travel privileges remain valid.

How to Register a Dog as an Emotional Support Animal?

Let’s bust your bubble! There is absolutely no such thing as emotional support animal registration. Surprised? There are a trillion online websites claiming to provide you the registration for your ESA in exchange for money.

Well, they are there to basically rob you. Anyone claiming to provide you your pet’s registration as an ESA is nothing but a scam. Don't fall into this trap.

We provide authentic and legal certification of your emotional support cat or dog. So that you and your pet can enjoy all the rights.

To get an ESA you just need a letter by the mental health professional. The letter will include the following information about you and your ESA:

• Your name
• Name of the disability
• How the disability is a hindrance in your daily routine
• Reasons to get an ESA
• Details about the federal laws about the disabled and the ESA

Fill in the information asked and a legal certificate will be issued to you. It is important to know that to enjoy all rights everywhere you should keep this certificate with you all the time.

How to Certify a Service Animal?

Unlike an ESA for which you need a real ESA letter, a service animal does not need any official document. Physical disability like being in a wheelchair or being blind or deaf is visible and the people could determine it themselves that your dog or miniature horse is a service animal.

However, you will need to keep your animal’s medical records updated, in case you need to show them to your landlord or in the airline.

Animals make our lives much better and both emotional support animals and service animals are proof of it. Both of these animals assist and help people and better their lives in a number of ways.