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Eva Sasaki

Jorgensen

English 10 H

6 September 2018

Emotional Support Animals

The number of assistance animals in use has been increasing rapidly in the past few

years. The term “assistance animals” is a very broad word umbrella term with smaller

subcategories such as service animals, emotional support animals (ESAs), and therapy animals.

According to “Public Perceptions of Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs, and Therapy Dogs”

by Regina Schoenfeld-Tacher, etc, a service animal is “an animal that provides assistance related

to a person’s disability, and enjoys broad access to public locations under the Americans with

Disabilities Act, Title II, and Title III[2,3,4]” (Schoenfeld-Tacher 1). Service animals may only

be dogs, or in some cases, miniature horses, and have an advanced level of training relative to a

typical dog as stated by the ADA. Service animals can assist those with major depression,

bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, panic attacks, and schizophrenia. An emotional support

animal, on the other hand, may be any type of animal and is not required to have any registration

standards. This can often cause controversy in whether or not emotional support animals should

be allowed in public places.

Emotional support animals can often cause commotion due to lack of training and the fact

that your emotional support animal can be your own personal pet. However, according to Hal

Herzog’s “Emotional Support Animals: The Therapist’s Dilemma Requests for Emotional

Support Animals puts Therapists in a Difficult Situation”, if you want any benefits from
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emotional support animals such as free plane tickets, then you need “a letter from a physician or

mental health professional certifying the animal is necessary for your mental health or treatment

for your psychiatric health” (Herzog 2). Although it may seem like this would tighten the reins

on emotional support animals, you can easily obtain a fake letter from online sites. Moreover, the

animals can affect other’s well being due to the lack of training. More and more it has become

common to see animals on plane rides. According to “Are Emotional-Support Animals a Scam?”

by Natalie Proulx, “Delta alone flies about 250,000 animals a year- not even counting those

tucked inside carry-on bags or checked in cargo holds” (Proulx 2). Without basic training,

emotional support animals may not be fit for public things such as the above mentioned. For

example, a man was mauled on a flight to San Diego last year by a large part- labrador. Incidents

such as this have led to many passengers having allergic reactions or fighting over the animals

with others. Emotional support animals at school can also be a problem, as they may act as a

distraction to children or could cause allergic reactions.

In conclusion, emotional support animals can be a huge help to those suffering from

conditions such as anxiety, depression, etc. but should be at home only. However, if they have

been trained and can be non- disruptive in public settings, they can be very effective for their

owners as well as not being a distraction to those around them. The animal should be specifically

used for their owner’s health and should not be a previous personal pet. In addition to their

specific uses, they should be required to have legitimate certification and proof of training. With

correct and proper training, emotional support dogs can help their owners as well as respect those

around it.
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Works Cited

Herzog, Hal. “Emotional Support Animals: The Therapist’s Dilemma Requests for Emotional

Support Animals puts Therapists in a Difficult Situation”. Psychology Today. Sussex

Publishers. 19 Jul. 2016.

Natalie Proulx. “Are Emotional Support Animals a Scam?”. The Learning Network, The New

Yor Times, Student Opinion Section. The New York Times Company. 7 Feb. 2018.

Schoenfeld-Tacher, Regina, etc. “Public Perceptions of Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs,

and Therapy Dogs”.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

14 Jun. 2017.