How to get my family's emotional support dog designated as my ESA?

You must be certified as emotionally disabled by a psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist or certified mental health professional. Your doctor would have to send a letter explaining the you are disabled by mental illness and how the emotional support animal will help the disability.

You will need to find another doctor who would be willing to provide an ESA letter. A veterinarian does not have the ability to provide any kind of documentation for an ESA animal - I believe only a mental health professional can make the designation. Keep in mind that an ESA is not the same as a service animal and although there are provisions in the Fair Housing Act that cover ESAs you should make sure you know what is and isn’t legal when asking for provisions if you are renting a house or apartment.

Yes, you should speak to your physician about this. My understanding is that they can provide a letter stating that you have a mental or emotional problem that would benefit from the presence of your pet as an ESA. I don't believe a mental health specialist is usually required, although your physician could clarify this for you if there's any confusion :)

Emotional Support Animals are trained to help a person depending on that person's specific needs, and there is no one set rule or training program for them. Each dog is trained individually, assisting in tasks such as helping with panic attacks, anxiety, etc. These dogs are also not considered service animals in some cases, so may not have the same protections as a service animal such as Guide Dogs for the Blind. There is also no specific certification or designation for ESAs. That said, if you are interested in having an ESA, speaking with a trainer in your area that specializes in service dog training is a good place to start. They can work with you on tailoring training techniques, and get you into actual training certification programs such as Canine Good Citizen which can help teach basic obedience and social skills all service dogs should have.

Hi there! I think part of the issue may be the terminology you're using, when you're trying to find someone to help. By definition, a "therapy dog" is a dog who visits hospitals, nursing homes, or other places and interacts with people there to bring them comfort. What you're describing - a dog that helps you, not members of the public - would be either an emotional support animal, or a service dog. If you're trying to make Leo an emotional support animal, you just need a letter from your doctor or mental health care provider stating that you have anxiety that is helped by having your dog with you. This allows you to have him with you in certain housing situations that may not otherwise allow pets, and may allow him to travel with you in come cases, but does not give him any other public access rights (restaurants, stores, etc.) A service dog, by definition, is trained to perform a specific task to alleviate an owner's disability. So if you're interested in working with someone to train him to do something specific to help you, you would need to find a trainer to work with who has experience training service animals. Off the top of my head, I don't know who in your area might be able to do this - but at least you know what to ask about now, when you call trainers to inquire. Best of luck! :)

Hi there. A dog does not normally need any specific training to be an emotional support animal - this just means that they make you feel better by being around. So she doesn't need to learn any particular skills. I would not expect her age to be an issue for this, as long as she has a calm, confident personality and gets along well with you :) If you mean that you want to train her as a service dog to accompany you in public places, this is much more involved. In that case, her age doesn't really matter, but her temperament matters a lot - some dogs are well suited to be service dogs, and others are not. If this is something you're considering, I would recommend getting in touch with a professional trainer in your area who can evaluate her in person and help you get started on training her the skills she needs if she seems suited for this job. You can search for a qualified obedience trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

There's actually no true emotional support animal certification. If you speak with your psychologist/psychiatrist or whatever doctor diagnosed your mental disorder about writing a letter stating you need the pet and then present that letter to your college. You should also first check with your college housing office about what they would require to allow your cat to stay with you.