An emotional imbalance could affect your productivity. What’s more, conditions such as depression and anxiety, among other mental or emotional illnesses, if not handled well, could lead to long-term health concerns.
Dogs have been man’s best friend for thousands of years. Dogs can now be considered emotional support animals, with a dog being one of the best ESAs for depression. However, since owning pets is not without challenges, you need to take that extra but straightforward step to let your pet enjoy better services and help your emotional state with little to no interference.
If you consider your pet as an emotional support animal, then you need to apply for an emotional support letter. Getting an emotional support dog letter is not a complicated process. All that is required is to prove that your dog helps you emotionally or to handle a mental condition you may be suffering from.
Emotional support animal letter application
Start with your doctor
Your family doctor or therapist is an excellent ESA application process starting point. Ask if they offer emotional support animal letter services. If they do, you need to be honest and about your mental or emotional state to make the process easier.
Your doctor/therapist will weigh your condition and determine if you need an emotional support dog. If you do, they will provide an official emotional support dog letter. If your doctor does not offer such services, you can seek it from another physician.
Go online
Much like most of today’s activities, you can get a dog letter through an online application. You can apply for an ESA letter online by visiting a reputable site, filling out a questionnaire, and waiting for a therapist to contact you with the results.
After the therapist’s approval, you will get your emotional support dog letter via email and then in your physical mailbox. Apart from accessing your condition, the therapist will also establish if your pet is among the certified emotional support animals.
Your pet doesn’t need any special ESA pet training. Unlike service dogs, ESA dog training only aims at ensuring that the dog does not pose a threat to you or other people. Once you get an emotional support dog letter from a licensed mental health professional, you get to enjoy several privileges among them being;
• Get to fly with your pet
Boarding a plane with your pet can be quite a hassle. What’s more, you may be required to pay exorbitant fees to bring your pet along. However, with an emotional support dog letter, such concerns are removed.
Following The Air Carrier Access Act, if you have an emotional support animal letter, you can bring your dog, and you won’t be required to pay any fee. In fact, following International Air Travel Association statistics, in 2015, one of the major airlines carried over 24,000 emotional support animals.
Flying with your emotional support animal not only saves you from the hassles but accords you the much-needed support you need to enjoy a peaceful flight.
• Enjoy fair housing
Imagine giving up your pet or having to pay an extra fee to have it in your house. How about those annoying limitations such as the breed or pet size? Well, pets can put you in quite a spot with your landlord, forcing you to choose between your hard-earned cash, the pet, or moving out.
Among the benefits of certification is that you get to keep your pet and pay no extra fee because you are protected under the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1998. This privilege allows you to continue enjoying the many benefits that your warm furry friend offers to your healthy wellbeing.
Registering your pet as an ESA and knowing your rights can significantly improve your mental and emotional wellbeing. Make a point of understanding what having an ESA entails and how you can get the most out of your never-ending bond with your dog.
