Emotional Support Animal

Therapeutic animals are often invited to visit organizations that are not pet-friendly, such as hospitals and schools, but they do not have any universal legal protections or rights of public access. Emotional support animals are NOT service animals (who are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities). Emotional support animals, by contrast, are permitted under the Fair Housing Act to reside in no-pet housing and may be allowed to fly in the main cabin of an aircraft with their guardian handlers (patients) at no charge, at the discretion of each airline. Emotional Support Animals can be more than a dog or cat. Beyond housing and transportation, however, emotional support animals do not have public access rights in stores, restaurants, and other places of public accommodation. They may be any species and are not required to have even basic obedience training; they are obliged only to provide comfort to their guardian-handler by virtue of their presence. To qualify for an emotional support animal, the guardian handler (patient) must have a psychiatric diagnosis that results in disability and must obtain documentation from a healthcare professional, such as a physician or counselor, attesting to the individual’s need for the animal’s companionship.