In the USA and some European countries, you can register a dog, a cat or any other pet as an emotional support animal. A registered pet than has some advantages over regular pets. However, it isn’t an assistance dog.
An emotional support animal or ESA is a pet that is considered (by mental health experts) beneficial for people suffering from mental diseases. Therefore, people with an anxiety disorder, panic attacks, clinical depression or other conditions that may disrupt their everyday activities can register an ESA.
Some of the mentioned benefits of such animals for their owners are the abilities to comfort them, help them relax, reduce anxiety, stress and depression. Other advantages include reducing loneliness, strengthening social engagement and interaction and normalizing heart frequency and blood pressure.
While service assistance animals have to go through training for their mission (detecting an attack, assisting blind or disabled people, etc.), ESAs don’t need any training. Moreover, there aren’t any qualification requirements which would determine whether the animal is a suitable ESA. Dogs are registered most often, but there are no rules limiting the species. A cat, a parrot, a horse or any other pet can therefore be an ESA.
In contrast to an assistance animal, an ESA doesn’t need any special vest or any other visible feature in public. There is also no official list where your pet should be included. You will only need a confirmation from your therapist.
The fact that calling a pet an ESA is so easy also has one downside – you may encounter fraud companies who will claim they can officially certify your pet even though it’s not true. And you will pay for a illegitimate document or fake certification.
And what advantages does it mean to have an ESA? The law says it can live with you in dormitories, university apartments or any other facilities where animals are usually prohibited. A landlord can’t forbid you from its presence if the pet’s behaviour is not destructive or aggressive. The second federal law related to ESAs allows these pets to be with you on the board of an aircraft.
However, the advantages unfortunately don’t include other things such as the access to healthcare institutions, official buildings and so on. It’s also because there are no assessments of the animal’s behaviour and the level to which it is safe for the public.
What do you think about ESAs? If the law develops further, animals will be assessed with regard to their suitability and safety. On the basis of these assessments, they might be allowed to enter schools and workplaces. I believe it would be great therapy in the Czech Republic as well.
Have you ever watched your cat and asked yourself what it might be thinking? It sometimes seems that these furry friends enjoy situations in which you don’t know if they love your or want to claw your eyes out. They only sit and watch you from a...
These special dogs were bred and raised specifically for hunting of puffins and guillemots (water birds). For this reason, they have several very specific and for their purpose very practical physical deviations. For example, they have extremely...
They say there aren’t many activities as relaxing as fishing. And it’s no longer true that fishing is only for men. When my friend told me she takes her dog for fishing, I was really surprised. And I immediately had to question her about how it...
If you like small dogs, it will be easy for you to fall in love with pomeranians. Not only they look like teddy bears with a nice face and look, they will also impress you with their nature. They belong to sociable dog breeds rightfully. Besides their...
Living with dogs is such a natural thing for us dog lovers that we sometimes treat them more like people. We love them, we nurture them but we may sometimes care a bit too much and unintentionally harm our furry friends. Such cases include wrong fur...
Miniature pinscher is also called min pin or German pinscher. There is a great personality with a big heart inside its little body. It is a big warrior,sports dog and a tourist. Perfect sports for this breed are for example dog dancing or agility where...
Some animals are simply talented for water sports. Already as a puppy, Ricochet grabbed people’s attention for her confidence she jumped into sea waves with. Later on, she became a dog hero helping disabled and a role model for many enthusiasts who...
While in the wildlife, their diet depends on natural instincts, rodents kept by humans and other small animals require a regular and balanced diet. What should rodent’s diet include and what should it avoid? What food is dangerous/safe for it? And what...
If you wish to do sports with your dog, you should at first think about if it’s right for you pet, no matter if you want to do it for leisure or top-level. And not only from the point of view of your pet’s nature but also of its physical predispositions.
Have you ever discussed whether a cat or a dog is more intelligent with your friends? Reportedly, scientists already know the answer. In this article, I mention a few facts and observations from a recently published research paper on this topic.
Cats can handle a new human in your family very badly. They are more sensitive to the changes than dogs. Are you interested in what you can do to enjoy this time and not to deal with the problems with your cat?
Are you considering getting a rodent as your new pet but you are afraid it won’t be doing good with your dog under one roof? Don’t be afraid, dogs and rodents can do great together. It is important to teach your dog from an early age that other animals...
