Emotional Support Animal

I thought I had my dog certified as an emotional support animal. The $300.00's I spent and the kit it bought me assured me I had but when I wanted to take my dog with me to visit my mother, the guy at the desk said my dog was not in the computer's national registry and I was not to bring him again. How humiliating!!!!

So now I'm out $300.00, but we all learn and move on. I've done the moving on part, and now I'm trying to learn and warning others to find out which organization is legal in their part of this deceptive world.

My question: There are sooooooooo many organizations on line who will claim to certify you animal but which one is the legal site? My vet does not know and a Neuro Psychologist who has agreed to write me a letter after I bring her my medical info does not know, and the guy who said I could no longer bring my dog to visit my mom does not know....... so does anyone here know? I'm in the USA, Florida.

Thank you

That sucks.

Eta: there is a service dog support chat, maybe you can PM it's host, they might know.

There is a major difference between a Service Animal (which can run $10,000+) and a Support Animal. Service Animals must be allowed everywhere by law. Support Animals are considered pets and the same obligation is not extended.

O.K. So I'm told this is the site to register an emotional support animal in the USA. Someone here on PC gave me this answer. I did it and it only cost me $79.00 and they do issue a registration number that can be looked up by any establishment with questions about it's legitimacy. They can even see a picture of your animal there. I'll update you if it does or does not work for anyone interested.

https//www.registermyserviceanimal.com/emotional-support-animal-requirements.html

The idea that there is a registry is an idea that is spread by folks who just want to make money. There is no such thing. I am sorry that someone got your $300.

Service dogs are treated differently under the law. They are generally allowed any place that the public is allowed, but the animal (almost always a dog) has to be trained to do a specific thing that mitigates the owner's disability. There is no registry for service dogs, either.

Emotional support animals support their owner simply by being present. So if petting your cat helps you feel less anxiety, it is an ESA. If your cat is trained to go get your Xanax when you have a panic attack, it is a service animal.
Depending on what is going on with you, you might be able to legitimately train your pet as a service animal. My dog is trained to alert me when I dissociate, so he qualifies as a service dog.
I'd be happy to try to answer any questions you have on the subject.

Service animals (which cost many thousands of dollars and are highly trained for a multitudes tasks) are allowed everywhere. Emotional support animals(like your dog) are animals that soothe their owners and are not specially trained. They are not allowed everywhere but landlords are not allow to deny their owner housing regardless of pet policy

hi, try the NSAR: the national service animal registry. 866-737-3930. their website looks like it's for real. GOOD LUCK!! let us know how it turns out!

I don't think there is technically a registry. As far as I know from an NPR podcast I heard the other day, you just have to have a letter from your psychiatrist stating that you need an emotional support animal.

Find PC user seesaw and ask her. She knows a lot about this and trains her own dogs.

Oh lord...let's spread a whole bunch of misinformation...

Here are the U.S. definitions:

Service dog: a dog that is trained to perform specific tasks to mitigate a person's disability (could be physical or psychiatric). But must be a TRAINED task. There is no legal registry or certification in the U.S. If you are paying for one on the internet, you are being scammed. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) allows persons with disabilities to have public access with their service dog anywhere the general public can go. And businesses are allowed to ask two questions and two questions only: Is that a service dog for a disability? And what tasks is the dog trained to perform. I repeat: THERE IS NO FEDERAL OR STATE RECOGNITION OF ANY ONLINE REGISTRY OR OTHER REGISTRY OF SERVICE DOGS IN THE U.S. AND only DOGS and MINIATURE HORSES are allowed to be service animals. Your cat or monkey or lizard cannot be a service animal. The ADA ruled against that some time ago, although some individual states have different rules. However, remember that those rules only apply in your state. If you're traveling, your lizard won't be a service animal when you get to a different state because it's not recognized as one there.

The only time you need any documentation for your service dog is if you need to ask for reasonable accommodation from an employer under the ADA or for housing under the Fair Housing Act or to fly under the Federal Air Carrier Act. In that instance you would need a letter from your doctor for the service dog. Letters from therapists work too or psychiatrists if it is a psychiatric service dog.

Emotional Support Animal (ESA): An emotional support animal can be any kind of PET, and it is a pet, that provides comfort just by existing. They are not trained. They do not have public access rights. You must have a disability to have an ESA. ESAs are only granted rights by the Federal Air Carrier Access Act and the Fair Housing Act. You will need a letter from your doctor for both air travel and housing (unless you own your own house, of course). ESAs, I repeat, are NOT allowed in public.

Therapy Dog: A Therapy Dog is the only dog that is certified, and they are certified by a few specific programs in the U.S. to visit hospitals, rehab facilities, and schools, etc. to provide emotional support through cuddling and being petted. They are certified because they have to be vetted as being acceptable dogs to visit patients or children, etc., and not be aggressive or reactive. A Therapy Dog has no rights under any law. They are a pet that you, as an owner, do volunteer time with.

Please PM if you would like to know how to get a service dog. It does not have to cost $10,000. Many people "owner-train" their dogs with the assistance of a professional trainer and it is quite manageable. I'm not going to go into the whole process here, but if you want a service dog, please message me and I can steer you in the right direction.

Ruftin, if your dog is a service dog and you were denied access at this facility your mother was at, please contact me and I will contact them and do some education as a disability advocate. However, if you simply have an ESA, you're out of luck, because you do not have public access rights with your ESA.

I hope this clears things up.

Seesaw

Big thanks to all of you for your input!!!!!! This is an issue that needs to be clearly marked out for those that are coming behind us and those that are already here. I do believe that after several calls to my government that (((seesaw))), (((phoenix31))), (((Kecanoe))) and many others here have the right idea about there being no such thing as an animal registry and that those sites promising they are, are thieves and frauds. I did report the company who took advantage of me. Knowing that a "service dog" is allowed everywhere is also good to know. Thanks (((Apokolips))), (((seesaw))), (((Kecanoe))), (((Justafriend))). I am also interested in learning about more about my rights. I will keep you posted because this is a learning process and I would like to help others learn from my mistakes. Shame on those who take advantage of people like us. It's so wrong on many different levels.

Here's some legal info I found

https://www.animallaw.info/article/f...ort-animals#s2

My son has an emotional support animal, "certified" with a letter from his mental health professionals. Yes, he is allowed to keep her in his apartment, despite the official policy--but he can't take her (a dog) just anywhere. So, I'm verifying what the other folks said.

I'm sorry you got taken. Shame on them.

((Ruftin))

Right, it's a prescription from his doctor, not a certification from an organization. The doctor has 'certified' his need for an ESA. I just steer clear from the certified word because it confuses so many people.

I did get some papers today from the Disability Rights for Florida, stating that dogs are considered service animals under the ADA regardless whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government. The entity may ask whether the animal is a service animal and what task the animal has been trained to perform but they may not require documentation that the service animal is trained or ask the person what their disability is. Florida criminal law outlines penalties for individuals who are convicted of interference with or obstructing the use of a service dog. I will turn all of this in with my application.

I hope this has been of some use to anyone trying to get their dog serving as an emotional/service dog. I do recommend you obtain the minimum training certificate just to back you up. That includes sit, stay retrieve, off leash come command, and try to train he/she to do a particular task that would qualify the dog for a particular service.

Good luck and thanks to all who have provided input.

Lol, I'm calling Disability Rights Florida tomorrow about my ADA violations at work. Glad you got in touch with them. They are a great resource. If you a couple bucks, donate to them too. They are a nonprofit and their services are free.

Final note: I did go on to have my dog registered as an emotional support dog. (Whatever that means). I also had to get a prescription from my MD plus a written affidavit from my him stating why I needed the dog and he (My MD) had to have it all notarized to prove he was a MD. So yes my rights to privacy were violated (they will know exactly why I carry a little fluffy dog into the elevator every time I visit my mom and I will feel humiliated). Final thoughts: It's humiliating for now and yes it was my choice to give my personal information out, but I will have my dog with me, so in the end, I did reach my goal. Don't ever give up. Ask questions. Try to do the right thing. If my submission is denied I will get the Disability Rights People involved. I hope my journey helps the next person.