Emotional Support Animals and Service Dogs: Are They The Same?
“Dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a Life Coach” -Moby
Though Covid-19 reared its ugly head four years ago, people still deal with the effects of lockdowns worldwide. Since the lockdowns were lifted, the demand for service dogs and emotional support animals has risen significantly. Service dogs and emotional support animals can be very beneficial to those who struggle with mental illness. But, service dogs and emotional support animals are nowhere near the same. Knowing the difference between service dogs and emotional support animals is important because both the training needed and the access that is allowed are very different.
To qualify for an emotional support animal, you must first have to have professional documentation stating that you suffer from some form of mental disability like PTSD, Bipolar, anxiety, depression, ADHD, Autism, and phobias. Having this documentation from a mental health professional allows you to live with an emotional support animal in housing that has strict “no-pet” policies. There is no special training necessary for your pet to qualify as an emotional support animal. This is because emotional support animals are meant to be used for companionship, alleviating loneliness, and sometimes help with the symptoms of mental illness.
Because of the lack of training, emotional support animals do not have access to full access to public buildings. Unless a business is pet-friendly, the owner, management, and staff have every right to ask you to leave if you are not abiding by their policies. The same goes for flying with your pet. Another huge difference between emotional support animals and service dogs is that any pet can be an emotional support animal. There have been people who have birds, turtles, snakes, and even an alligator for their emotional support animal. Emotional support animals can be very beneficial to those who need them, but they should not be mistaken for service dogs.
For someone to qualify for a service dog is similar to an emotional support animal but also includes the visually and hearing impaired. As I have explained in my previous post, for a dog to qualify to be a service dog, they must pass behavioral and task training. A reactive dog is not allowed to become a service dog because the handler must be in total control of their dog at all times while in public. Due to the extensive training and exposure service dogs must go through, they are allowed in “no-pet” public places, have access to flying with their handlers on a plane, and are allowed in housing with “no-pet” policies.
As someone who utilizes a service dog, it is my job to ensure not only the safety of myself and my dog but also the safety of others and the dogs that we come into contact with. For me to do this, Dobby and I have been in continuous training since he was six months old. Even though Dobby will be three this year, doesn’t mean I can slack on our training. While our training looks very different than it did when we started, we work every day on basic commands, his down-stays, home distractions, and the tasks that I utilize to help with my mental health.
Taking time every day to train ensures that I can depend on him when I need him. For example, one of the tasks is alerting me when I am anxious and performing Deep pressure therapy. What this means is that when I am becoming anxious or I am heading towards an anxiety attack, Dobby will use cues to get my attention for me to sit on the floor with him. Once I am on the floor, he leans against me and uses his body weight as pressure. This helps not only to lower my anxiety but also helps regulate my breathing. This is a task I can utilize both at home and in public.
Some of the things we work on when we are in public are rewarding calm behaviors, down-stays, keeping his attention, and his tasks that help keep space for me when I am in crowded spaces. Even though Dobby does well when we are in public, I still use these times to train him. Practice makes perfect, right? I will continue taking time to train him every day until he retires to perfect and maintain our hard work. Being a service dog, Dobby is considered a working dog. If he were an emotional support animal, we would have spent less time training and would not have had to task train.
Depending on the needs of the person, both emotional support animals and service dogs can be very beneficial to their handlers. Those who feel the need to have their dog with them at all times should look into either getting on a waitlist for a service dog or finding a professional service dog trainer. Not all dogs are fit to be service dogs, and it’s important to take the proper steps to keep you, your dog, and others safe.
As we start the New Year, we start working on our goals for ourselves. Making time for yourself to work on your goals is an important step in completing your action plan. Come back next week as I discuss time management and how to stay on track towards achieving your goals. Always remember, we all can rise from our ashes and soar.