5 Tips to Getting an Emotional Support Dog Certificate
It is possible to get an emotional support animal that will help you to stabilize your emotions if you suffer any emotional conditions. Also known as ESA, these can be prescribed by a health professional who deals with health matters. An emotional support animal is a very important aspect of living with emotional conditions or mental health. Would you like to get an emotional support dog? What are some of the things you need to do to get an Emotional Support Dog Certificate? In this article, we shall discuss some of the tips you need to know about this issue.
Here are 5 tips for getting an emotional support dog certificate:
1. What is an emotional support dog?
An emotional support dog is a pet that provides health benefits to people who suffer mental disability or mental-emotional disability. You need to know that it is a special pet that can be trained, though this is not always a requirement. These animals are protected and they have access to all the housing types regardless of the no-pet policies that are put in place. Be aware of the rights and requirements of these animals.
2. Do you qualify for an emotional support dog?
It is important that you ask yourself if you qualify for the services of an ESA. For you to get a certificate, you must qualify for it. If you suffer from any of the mental illnesses such as autism, ADHD, bipolar, depression, among others; your health practitioner may recommend that you get an ESA. This is a requirement for certification to have an emotional support dog.
3. ESD training requirements
Unlike the service dogs, an emotional support dog does not have to be specially trained for their roles. Your ESD requirements entail the dog being a well-behaved animal that should always be under your control. It should not cause any disturbances while on a plane or at home. The dog should be neutered or spayed so that they won’t have any mating related aggressiveness. This is an advantage to you anyway since you won’t have to care for puppies.
4.Where to get an ESD certificate
After you have taken care of the above issues, you can then be given a certificate for your ESD. Where can you register the dog for this certification? Well, you must have a letter from a registered mental health professional recommending the services of this dog. The letter should be on the registered practitioner’s letterhead. Failure to this means that your ESA may not be accepted by airlines.
5. ESD/ESA Vest Options
Your dog does not require a special vest for identification. However, some handlers may prefer that their dog has a special vest for this purpose. If you do not want to encounter questions from the public, an ESD vest is a great way to have your dog identified as a “working” animal. It will also be easy for the dog to be respected and accepted wherever you are accompanied by it.
Awesome post!! Thanks for writing this. I would love to get a support dog so this helps, I need a doggie to help me during the difficult times!