Are There Any Criteria For Your Pet Becoming An ESA Animal?

Perhaps, as a pet owner, you are well read up on how to keep your pet healthy and happy. But did you know your pet can do the same for you in return? Did you also know that your pooch can be legally recognized for his/her “therapeutic role” if you sign him/her up for emotional support animal registration online (get started by clicking the link)?

You may wonder if you have to have a particular kind of animal to qualify as an ESA, but the fact is it can be a dog or cat of practically any breed or size. Other animals may qualify as well. The icing on the cake is that no special training is needed. Even if Fido doesn’t know any “tricks”, doesn't even play fetch, he can still be an ESA.

If you have a recognized psychological or physical condition, anything from heart disease to depression/anxiety, you can likely get your pet approved as an emotional support animal and have the documentation on the way in the mail within 24 hours.

What are the benefits? You eliminate pet deposits and most breed/size restrictions at NO PETS ALLOWED apartments and don't have to pay unfair pet airline fees ever again! All for just getting your animal recognized as the emotional help he/she already is.

Which Animals Qualify as ESAs?

To become an ESA, your pet has to be “prescribed” as such by a licensed therapist or other mental health professional. The reason is because this animal will be counted as part of your therapy program and not simply as a pet anymore.

All sorts of domesticated animals can potentially qualify to be ESAs, including: dogs, cats, miniature pigs, birds, mice, snakes, and more. There is no age restriction: puppies and full grown dogs, kittens and cats, all qualify. There is no particular “pedigree” or breed criteria that needs to be met.

The animal simply needs to be capable of minimizing the symptoms of its owner's physical and/or mental disability. That can mean lowering stress, lessening loneliness, reducing high blood pressure, and a host of other things animals can do for people according to recent studies. Other than that, the animal simply cannot be “unmanageable in public” or likely to cause problems in a home environment.

Qualifications for ESA Owners

There are really more requirements for pet owners than for the pets when it comes to ESAs. You have to meet the following requirements to qualify:

• You have been declared disabled by a licensed therapist and can prove the same by a formal prescription letter from that therapist. A family doctor may sometimes be sufficient, but normally, it needs to be a mental rather than physical health specialist who issues the letter.
• You must still be a patient of the therapist issuing the letter used as evidence of your condition.
• Your disability must be listed in the 4th or 5th version of Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
• You must be able to name one or more “life activities” that your disability prevents or limits.

If you have a qualifying condition, already have a pet or are wanting to acquire one, and are willing to spend only minimal time/effort on some online research and a short application process, you would do well to apply for an ESA. Why not utilize the benefits of having an ESA, especially being a pet owner already, when all you need to do is go through the registration process?