Comprehensive Guide on How to Register an Emotional Support Animal
Anyone who has owned a pet knows how much love and care it can give to its caretaker. And that’s exactly what emotional support animals do for their owners – they are making it easier to recover from mental disorders even when usual ways of treatment bring no effect.
Although you may choose almost any type of animal for the role of your ESA, dogs still remain the all-favorite option. Surely, dogs, like no other pet, always stay loyal to their owners and can help you fight all sorts of disorders by keeping your spirits high even on bad days.
However, what is also important is to make sure your ESA dog is certified. This will let you have no problems with the legal side of the question. To be on the safe side, you only need to know how to register pet as emotional support animal to make it legitimate.
Unfortunately, not everyone understands how to do it and too many people confuse a legitimate process with a wrongful and fake one. But don’t worry – legal ESA registration is fast, easy and affordable as long as you know how to complete all steps correctly.
Easy Way to Complete Emotional Support Dog Registration
You might have heard all sorts of stories about ESA dog registration but let’s get it straight – there is no such a thing as an official emotional support pet registration. In other words, you won’t have to pass any specific procedure or add your pet into some database.
Instead, you only need to get your pet certified and receive an ESA letter, so here is what you should know about it.
Steps to certifying an ESA
If you are looking for an emotional support dog registration service, you may find it hard to find a legitimate company. In fact, too many companies offer false and illegal services and such registration service providers should be avoided at all costs.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t be difficult to complete the procedure as long as you use the services of a legitimate company and know how to do everything in the right manner. To achieve this, you just need to do the following:
- Make sure this way of treatment is what you really need.
- Decide whether a dog is the most suitable type of ESA in your circumstances or, select the other pet instead.
- Contact a mental health professional to apply for an ESA certificate.
- Get diagnosed by the qualified therapist.
- Receive an ESA certificate from the doctor.
That’s all you need and no other procedures are necessary. After you complete these steps, you’ll become a legitimate ESA owner and will be able to use your rights to the fullest.
Note: An ESA letter proves that you have a mental disability and getting this letter is an important part of emotional support animal registration. The procedure itself won’t take much time and you can do everything online without seeing a doctor in person.
What’s the purpose of getting an ESA letter and certifying your dog?
Basically, the very purpose of the ESA certificate is to demonstrate that your dog or any other companion animal gives you emotional support to help you live a better life despite your disability.
How does a letter look like? The certificate usually contains the next details:
- Details about your disability
- The explanation of why and how your pet helps you fight your health problem
- Signature of the mental health expert
- Date indicating when the letter was issued.
Note: The document usually remains valid for a year and after it expires, you will need to renew it.
Remember that there is no other way to register dog as emotional support animal despite a common misconception that you need to go through some specific registration procedure.
What you should also understand is that an ESA certificate is exactly what gives you full access to your rights as an ESA caretaker. Simply put, getting your ESA dog certified and receiving a letter is an important step on your way to a new life.
Benefits you can get if you register your ESA dog
By registering your ESA pet, you’ll be able to:
- Take your ESA with you on board the airplane without leaving it in the cargo sector.
- Rent apartments where pets are prohibited or where you need to pay extra charges for living with a pet.
These and other merits are the main reasons why you might want to register emotional support animal and get an ESA certificate.
How to check if you qualify for an ESA certificate?
If you suffer from a psychological disability, your diagnosis must be approved by a qualified doctor before you get your letter. In this case, the letter would serve as legal proof of your diagnosis and your need for a companion animal.
To make sure you meet the requirements, you only need to consult a doctor and check if this therapy can really work for you and bring the needed effects.
Are you obliged to pass registration?
Not really. You might be confused with the terms “certification” and “registration” and some people often think that it’s a legal requirement to get your assistance animal registered. However, you should understand that this procedure is completely voluntary.
Nevertheless, there are a few important things you can achieve through ESA registration. By doing it, you will:
- Make your pet legitimate
- Give it a special status
- Make sure you don’t face legal problems
- Gain access to amazing benefits and legal freedoms.
And all these things can really make a difference. Surely, ESA certification is not a compulsory rule, but it is highly desirable. Just imagine how many benefits you can get if you make your ESA legitimate and all your doubts will vanish. Legal proof of your pet`s status will just make your life easier and you’ll get greater freedom as a rightful ESA owner.
Do you also think it’s a worthy investment? Then don’t hesitate to contact a therapist and check if you can get yourself a faithful companion!