How Do I Make My Dog an Emotional Support Dog?

Emotional support dogs have become a popular option for people coping with mental and emotional health issues. Many dog owners are aware of the therapeutic benefits and support their canine friends provide. An emotional support dog is a legally recognized assistance animal that is allowed to accompany its owner in residences free of charge (even in buildings that ban pets).

In this post, we will discuss how you can qualify your current or future dog as an emotional support animal (ESA).

Qualifying a dog to become an emotional support animal involves the following steps:

1. Understand what an emotional support dog is
2. Connect with a licensed professional to assess whether an ESA is right for you
3. Request an ESA letter
4. Adopt an emotional support dog if you do not already have one
5. Submit your ESA letter to your landlord

1. Understand what an emotional support dog is

What are the characteristics of an emotional support dog? 

• can be a dog of any size and breed 
• provides the owner with mental and emotional health benefits
• does not need any specialized training 

What protections do ESAs and people with ESAs have?

• Under Federal Fair Housing rules, landlords must allow emotional support dogs as a reasonable accommodation for a tenant’s disability. 

For this purpose, a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Common disabilities among people who own emotional support dogs are depression, severe anxiety, and phobias. A licensed healthcare professional must assess whether you have a disability and whether an emotional support dog can help you.

2. Connect with a licensed professional to assess whether an ESA is right for you

To qualify your dog as an emotional support animal, you will need an ESA letter from a licensed professional, including:

• counselors
• social workers
• psychologists
• psychiatrists
• registered nurses
• family and marriage therapists
• doctors

If you already have a relationship with a licensed provider, that’s the best place to start. If not, online therapists that provide ESA services remotely may be a great option for you. This is convenient for people who face challenges finding help and cannot easily leave their homes or schedule in-person visitations.

Regardless of where you turn to for help, it is important to discuss your mental health issues with a licensed professional as openly as possible. You can be candid about what options you think may be helpful to address your issues, including the aid of an emotional support dog. If you’re searching for assistance, ESA Doctors can help connect you to a practitioner familiar with ESAs and who is licensed for your state.

Click here to get started on qualifying for your ESA letter

3. If you qualify, request an ESA Letter

If your licensed practitioner determines that you qualify for an emotional support dog, they can write an ESA letter for you. You will submit this ESA letter to your landlord in order to obtain reasonable accommodation for your emotional support dog.

A typical ESA letter will be on the professional’s letterhead and contain the following information:

1. Provider’s contact information
2. Date the ESA letter was issued
3. Provider’s license information
4. A statement establishing you have a disability for purposes of the Fair Housing Act
5. A recommendation for you to have an emotional support animal to help address symptoms of your disability
6. The provider’s signature

The ESA letter must contain the provider’s contact and license information. Landlords are not allowed to request detailed information regarding your condition, but they can verify that the letter was written by an actively licensed professional. It is important to note that things like registrations, certifications, and IDs are not sufficient to establish your need for an emotional support animal. Landlords will insist on seeing an ESA letter for your emotional support dog from a licensed professional.

If you believe you may qualify for an ESA letter but do not have access to a licensed healthcare professional, we would be happy to assist you.

4. Adopt an emotional support dog if you do not already have one

Any dog breed can potentially be an effective ESA with no specialized training. If you currently have a dog, it may already provide you with therapeutic benefits. A valid ESA letter will transform your dog from a pet into a recognized emotional support animal.

If you do not already have a dog, there are various factors to consider when selecting a dog:

• The temperament of the dog
• The size of the dog
• Whether you can provide the dog with a comfortable and safe environment within the confines of your home/apartment
• The amount of grooming required

Even though emotional support dogs do not require specialized training to address the owner’s disability, they should still undergo basic training. An ESA owner is always responsible for their dog’s actions. If you have an emotional support animal that damages property or attacks another tenant, you could be liable for damages. In addition, an emotional support dog that poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others can give a landlord justification for evicting the dog.

Like any other dog kept as a companion, it is important to ensure your emotional support dog is well-behaved and obedient in all settings. Group training sessions with other dog owners can be a great way to train your dog and improve its ability to socialize with other dogs and humans.

5. Submit your ESA letter to your landlord

Housing providers are allowed to request proof that a dog is actually an emotional support animal, which comes in the form of an ESA letter.

Once you have your ESA letter, you can submit it to your landlord. A landlord can only reject an ESA request in a few circumstances. For example, if the landlord has determined your emotional support dog poses a safety and health risk to others, they may be able to deny your request properly. A landlord must consider an ESA request whenever the tenant submits it. However, to stay in the landlord’s good graces, tenants should ideally submit their request before moving the dog in, especially if the tenant lives in a building that prohibits dogs.

Emotional support dog owners are allowed to bring their dog home even if they live in a building that explicitly prohibits pets. You can read about your federal and state rights here. 

Can emotional support dogs board flights?

You may have heard that emotional support dogs can board the cabin of flights free of charge. Unfortunately, due to regulatory changes, that is no longer the case. Psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) are still allowed to travel in the cabin of planes free of charge. Psychiatric service dogs are not the same as emotional support dogs. They must be trained to perform tasks relating to a disability and have different qualification standards. If you believe you need a psychiatric service dog, a PSD letter might be right for you.

Emotional Support Dogs to the Rescue

If you feel an emotional support dog may help with your mental or emotional health, be sure to ask your health professional if an ESA may be right for you. Whether you are using a current canine companion or are searching for one to adopt, having the perfect furry support may be one of the best things you can do for your mental and emotional well-being.

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See if your dog qualifies as an emotional support dog today!