Highlighting the Needs of Emotional Support Animal & ESA Letters

Whether it’s an individual getting nervous breakdowns or fits before taking tests, someone coping poorly with a past traumatic situation, or an individual suffering from extreme depression, there are an increasing number of people, who are leaning on animals for comfort, companionship, love, and support. 

While such ‘emotional support animals or ESAs” serve a genuine purpose for many individuals, they have stirred much controversy in the recent years, notably on airplanes, such as when a woman on a cross-country flight was feeling fearful and unhappy because she has to sit next to a very big Dalmatian that was on the owner’s lap. On another flight, a man was bitten on the face by a U.S marine’s emotional support dog. Many of such instances have kept on happening and extreme complaints from other patrons availing the flight are been encountered. 

Considering the fact, the emotional support animal serves a genuine purpose of healing an individual’s psychological disability and owing to the range of complaints and objections on emotional support animal living and traveling with everyone else in the flights has resulted in the introduction of a law by the Federal Government. This law has been introduced by the Federal Government because there are many people, who are taking wrong benefit of emotional support animal rights. Emotional support animals are not meant to be dangerous and if in case it is, then their entry can be restricted. But, usually the emotional support animals, including dogs, rabbits, rats, cats, etc., are not so threatful. Moreover, before providing any ESA, it is properly verified that the animal is safe for the individual carrying it as an emotional support animal. 

There are many people, who took advantage of the ESA rights and take their normal pets with them in the name of emotional support animals. Moreover, emotional support animals meant to provide medical benefits. But, there are many people traveling in flights, who don’t need ESA’s for any medical reasons. 

For this reason, the Federal government has introduced ESA letters. An ESA letter is a legal document provided by a certified medical practitioner that states the medical reason for which an individual is required to have an emotional support animal. This document by the doctor is the only source of legal identity for the emotional support animal. Getting an ESA letter from a doctor is critical to ensure Federal protection for housing and travel, and ESA recognition in the law. There are several benefits of getting your pet an emotional support animal letter. Some of them are outlined below: 

• No pet deposit can be charged for an emotional support animal
• An ESA is a service animal and not a pet that you can rent in ‘no pet’ housing facilities 
• Free airline travel for ESA’s that helps you save a great amount may be around $150 or so per flight 
• Travel within the cabin of a flight, instead of storage below in a travel crate 
• Free access to cruise ships, taxis, trains, etc

Having the ESA letter entitles your pet to enjoy several benefits. This letter or documentation has become a prerequisite to restrict people taking wrong advantage of the ESA rights.

However, this has perhaps taken us to another problem, where many fake websites are providing false ESA letters to people. ESA letters are a medical document and must be taken by a doctor only.

A certified doctor using their original stamp validates the emotional support animal letter. No other kind of document claiming to be an ESA letter will be accepted at places of travel and housing.

We at Psychological Disability Service Center have been helping people deal with their various emotional and psychological conditions with the help of an emotional support animal. An ESA can provide comfort, companionship, love, and support that in turn help the disabled person deal with his/her psychological conditions and enable improve the ailment day-by-day. 

Consult us in case you require any suggestion or assistance with regard to ESAs. 
For details, visit our website: www.pdscenter.com