There are many stories circulating these days about emotional support animals. In fact, you may have recently heard about the woman who tried to take her peacock on an airplane, claiming it as an emotional support animal.
Emotional support animals (ESAs) are different from service animals, although many people mistakenly use the terms interchangeably.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as one that has been trained to aid a person with a disability by performing certain tasks. For example, guide dogs trained to assist a blind person with navigating their environment more easily, or a dog that can smell chemical changes in an epileptic owner’s body right before they have a seizure.
Service animals are trained for their specific job. By law, when working, they “must be under control of the handler at all times” and must be leashed or tethered to their owner. Many handlers request that people not interact with their service animal while the animal is “working” because a distraction could actually be life-threatening to the owner. Service animals often wear vests or special tags and it is illegal to deny a legitimate Service Animal normal access to a hotel, restaurant, school, or hospital.
The purpose of an ESA is to provide comfort to an individual who suffers from a mental or emotional condition such as depression or anxiety. They can make a genuine difference for some people, allowing them to participate in activities that they might not otherwise be comfortable with. While they are usually dogs, they can also be cats, rabbits, hedgehogs, horses or any other domesticated animal.
One problem with ESAs, however, is that unlike service animals, ESAs are not required to have any training; they are simply pets in public. Unfortunately, some owners are not always responsible with the behaviors of their emotional support animals.
Also, because the federal Fair Housing Act says that ESAs must be allowed in apartments or rental houses that otherwise have a “no pets” policy, some people will abuse the system so that they can get around the “no pet” policy. Some airlines allow ESAs to travel with their owners and some establishments, like hotels, will allow ESAs to accompany their owners during their stay.
While both types of animals provide valuable services, it is important to be aware of the differences between service animals and ESAs, as well as the different laws and regulations that apply to bringing them into places where normal pets are typically not allowed. It is also important that people who need ESAs are responsible for the training and behavior of their animals when in public.
— Brown County Humane Society
