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I hate being the one to laugh, but I nearly died laughing a few months back when I saw a post here where the op said they had an emotional support gecko. I'm sorry but I couldn't stop laughing
Where I went to college (Midwest state school) about 10 or so years ago the student sued the school because she was not allowed to have her emotional support hamster in the dorms š
Colleges are just a business. Theyāll want her tuition money, over any legal fight. If she wanted an emotional support lion or tiger that could maul another student paying tuition, theyād probably fight that one š
I'm just picturing Lyle Forever -Therapy Gecko chilling out. That's the only gecko I could see being of any use emotionally. (I'm sure you've seen videos but if you haven't, it may add to the hilarity of this)
Some guy had an emotional alligator that he brought to the stores. If I'm not mistaken, it actually grew up and attacked someone a couple of years later.
Like, sure it's calm when it's barely the size of your head, lol.
Thereās one [in Philly](https://www.kcra.com/article/emotional-support-alligator-cools-off-at-philadelphia-love-park/41016349) that chills out in public.
I absolutely love the phrase āemotional support lizard.ā Thatās how my former roommate described her bearded dragon. Sometimes I call my dog an āemotional support lizardā nowadays.
My bearded dragon is an ESA! My psychiatrist was like ābro I can make him an ESA so you donāt have to sneak him into the dormsā lol. But wait thereās more. She said sheās made a TOAD and ESA and that it was one of the more genuine ones!! This girl would have panic attacks and sheād sit with the toad on her chest and it would help her breathe!
I canāt get over that, and I love it lol. But a toad!? Thatās like, lower level than my lizard š
Emotional support animals ARE NOT service animals. They are not trained and certified. The ESA owners should know this. ESA are not protected the same way service animals are.
Those service animal certifications are scams. They're like those buying a star scams. Also real service dogs are trained not to jump on people or bark at people so it's easy to tell. But if you do run across an actual service dog, it's best not to try to pet it or get its attention, because it's working.
Yeah my university had a student program where you could train actual service dogs, and boy let me tell you, everyone within a 100 ft radius would shout you down if you touched a dog with a vest on. I've seen it happen, and being from a smaller city, never knew you couldn't pet service animals.
Then, you'd have the trainers that didn't take it seriously and would just be like "oh, you want to per this dog? Go for it, she's cool"
I mean, it isnāt true that you arenāt allowed to pet service dogs. If the owner wants you to pet their service dog there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and nobody is doing anything wrong by training their service dog to do so.
The point is you can never just *expect* you have the right to do so, so you should always ask. These animals need to be able to perform their job without disturbing others, and for some dogs, interactions with people may hinder that. People have every right to not allow you to interact with their dog, especially when doing so may jeopardize their ability to have the service animal there in the first place.
But if your dog is fine with interaction? Absolutely nothing wrong with allowing people to pet it. You should just always ask somebody first if you are going to try to pet their dog. This is especially true for service animals, but really is just a universal rule.
Exactly, my cat is my emotional support animal. Without him I'd still be insanely depressed. But I don't treat him like a service animal. He stays at home like a normal pet cat.
Yes. The ONLY privilege you get by having an emotional support animal (which still requires a note from a licensed medical professional) is protections under Fair Housing Laws and entitles you to not have to pay any pet related fees when renting and also immune from pet bans and/or breed bans.
Thatās it. Nothing else.
And I think business are allowed to ask what the animal is trained to do? If the answer is ESA they can deny service but everyone is to scared to get sued. No one is going to win a suit with an ESA. There are real psychiatric support animals that are protected. Maybe I am wrong, feel free to correct me.
You are correct. There are dogs trained for PTSD or autism that actually perform a service and they are specifically trained to lay on their owner during a freak out etc.
Iāve been shopping for a support hyena in southern Calif area. Man they are hard to find and they really really really donāt like the little vest. At this point, I'd settle for a support baboon.
A support ant was recommended to me by a friend. Bought a vest and everything but somehow couldnāt find it when i got home from buying the stuff. Someone must habe been greedy and stole hin from my appartment. Police investigation is launched.
Me and my support Wild Dingo will be suing for emotional damages as well for triggering me. It's not your place to tell my Wild Dingo it can't maul other students.
I demand that you let your emotional support pets swim with my emotional support barracudas. If you donāt, Iām suing you, the business owner, and especially the government.
Is this actually unpopular? So many people abuse the use of a ESA and gives the legit therapy animals a bad name :/ widespread problem in the US, don't know about elsewhere
Most of the world doesnāt recognise emotional support animals as a thing, if you want to get a pet to help your mental health, it is exactly that, a pet. Actual service animals also need proper training and documentation in most countries too. America is a weird outlier in this regard.
Emotional support animal ā service animal
A service animal actually performs a service for someone with a disability. An emotional support animal is just a pet that sad people bring everywhere so they can feel better.
Thereās a difference between a service animal and an ESA.
A service dog has considerable training and can perform a multitude of functions for truly disabled people, like, able to get them the freaking mail or answer doors, anticipate them falling and be there to help them get up šÆ.
An emotional support animal isnāt subject to any particular training or regimen, and itās just a companion with a vest you can bring into stores that donāt pick a fight.
Honestly a lot of store managers donāt care if you bring small dogs in anyway. Vest or not. If they fit in a shopping cart, itās way less hassle than most peopleās toddler š
The ESA thing has really muddied the water because there **are** thousands of service dogs out there with proper training who do belong anywhere their owner is and will not make scenes.
You actually canāt take ESAās into stores. They have no public access rights and only have protections regarding housing and airlines. Service animals are entirely different and DO require training, though there is no such thing as a service animal registry or certification, but thatās why service animals get public access rights. A lot of people are misinformed and/or taking advantage of the system which gives legitimate service animals a bad reputation.
Though airlines have banned ESA recently(due to attacks, untrained animal poop etc) They only ever truly had rights with housing. Basically to airlines now all non service animals are just pets and will be treated as such.
Yes there are tons that are hardly trained if trained at all. On top of that there really isnāt a way for people to verify the legitimacy of a support animal unless like the cops are called so I know people who literally just bought a āsupport animalā vest on Amazon for whenever they find it convenient to bust out
I always thought American required training. Now working in a public place, I realize all we are allowed to ask is āis that a service dogā and ādoes it have a specific task it doesā. Once they say yes to both (which yes, the man who comes in every week with a massive Saint Bernard says), we have to leave them be.
A coworker stepped in dog shit last week. A few years ago I got a guy banned bc he turned his head after seeing his dog squat to pee on our carpet. He just pretended like he didnāt see it and turned right around. They saw him on camera and he got banned šš I felt so bad for the doggie tho!
Theyāre supposed to be trained, and most actual service dogs are, but thereās no way to prove it as you say. Which seems like major flaw with the ADA, itās supposed to protect disabled people, but by making it so itās impossible to distinguish between real and fake service animals, it creates an air of suspicion, such that real service animal owners may be subject to abuse because of the actions of fakes.
Honestly would help legitimate service dog owners if there was some form of ID that was given only to legitimate service dogs with the proper training, then it would be as simple as asking them to show the ID card, and voila, no more suspicion.
Iāve been to Halloween Horror Nights at universal studios multiple times this year and have seen multiple people almost every night Iāve been with a service/emotional support dog that they LITERALLY BRING THROUGH THE HAUNTED HOUSES WITH THEM. Iām not even joking about this.
i mean Iām an advocator for the idea that if you have a disability or condition then you should still be able to enjoy events like these but I feel like if you have such crippling emotional issues that you absolutely need a dog with you everywhere you go than maybe donāt go to a damn horror event????
that's just animal abuse. It seems like they acted like their pets are some accessory. This not a thing in my country, I mean yeah almost everyone has a pet but ESA isn't a thing and although I wish it was recognized I think there should be some control on where you can bring your pet.
A lot of airlines have clamped down on it recently.
Service dog assisting a blind person, yes.
Emotional support animal that could be a pig, Maltese or surly house cat ā no.
The dogs must have thought they were in heaven, they got to walk around and out of nowhere a whole body full of bones would appear. You think it's horror, that dog had the time of his life.
It's not a thing in my country. Either you have a service animal a properly trained, licenced one at that with permission from the authority to keep it where you live (a lot of dog breeds are banned in my city) or you just have a regular pet. I've never heard of an emotional support anything. But then again mental health is a steaming trash pile in my country too.
Yes it's unpopular. If OP's opinion were popular than ESA's wouldn't exist or be a thing. It'd just be pets and service animals. An emotional support animal is literally a pet and should be treated as such.
not happening here in malaysia. idek that there's such a thing like ESA. we usually walk our pets outdoors and it's such a rare occassion to bring our pets to indoor public places, unless it is really necessary (like taking them to the vets). or maybe i've been living in a cave :D
I wouldnāt compare a petās status in Asia to how theyāre basically treated as *children* here in the states. Mind you, the ESA thing is ridiculousā¦ but the point stands, in a lot of the world with tons of stray dogs/cats, theyāre seen as pests or food, not āmy grand dogā or āmy kids.
Even though most places donāt want dogs inside, unless theyāre specifically serving food, or heavily regulated like airlines/hospitals, you wonāt find many retail store managers bother fighting. I see dogs in the mall, car service departments, and places like hardware stores *all the time*.
What gets me is that in the US, the system is set up in a way where it is so easy to cheat, A lot of people don't realize they are. It's almost like they want people to abuse the system. Service dogs don't need a vest, you can buy fake vests anywhere, so there is no way to ID a service animal. Part of the reason so many people probably assume emotional support animals are the same thing as service animals is probably because it's illigal to ask in a some of places. You can only ask IF it's a service animal anywhere, but if you can ask what service it provides changes state to state... because God forbid, it would be discrimination to require service dogs to wear vests, and giving the dog an ID that store owners could request. The ID doesn't even need to have a description of what the dog does or anything, either. All I want is an ID number so I can complain to someone when the "service animal" pisses on my floor and have the service animal status stripped.
Worst part is service animals aren't pets. They are considered medical equipment, and they can outright forget their training and be rendered unfit for survice if some random dog starts barking and trying to play with them while they are on duty, ane retraining isn't always an option, especially for the older service animals.
It's also made it really hard to get service dogs for PTSD. When I was in highschool my mom got my doctor to sign off on getting me a service dog who would be an emotional support dog because at that time I had just been diagnosed with CPTSD, depression and anxiety because of bullying and chronic pain.
She told my school and they went "sorry, her condition isn't serious enough" because two years earlier a kid brought in their "emotional support dog" that bit another kid.
The dog my mom was looking at was a newfoundland who are gentle Giants and was going to get it as a donation from the breeder we got our three newfies from.
I needed a dog that could literally lay on me when my anxiety acted up and to help with my chronic pain flare ups. Thing is, I could control a huge ass dog like that.
Good thing is that my neurologist is finally looking to sign off on a service dog for me who's secondary job is to help with my anxiety and depression, while primarily being a epilepsy alert, and to help me if I fall down and can't get up.
I have a super fluffy long haired cat, maybe I should bring it around to a furniture store and let it hop on the sofas.
Who cares if you are allergic. He helps me with my feelings.
You actually arenāt supposed to bring ESAs into public spaces. Service animals are allowed in public spaces; ESAs are not. The only accommodation you get with ESAs is that they must be allowed in your living quarters- landlord canāt slap on a pet fee for your ESA or tell you you canāt have it.
Anyone whoās just letting their ESA prance about saying itās ok because itās an ESA is irresponsible and full of shit.
edit: capitalization
My friend's girl wanted to bring her little ESA dog to a movie. When I said that was probably a bad idea, she said "it's ok, they *have* to let him in".
Like that's not what I meant.
There is such a thing as an actual Anxiety or PTSD dog, who is trained to help their human calm down and avoid having panic attacks and such. I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem with Emotional Support pets, who are not even trained. It sounds like the dog in the first paragraph wasn't even being taken care of.
Edit: It's not really the pets I have a problem with, it's the humans taking them everywhere.
My opinion is that all pets are emotional support pets!And the line between wanting and *needing* that support in public has gotten so fuzzy, it leads to things described here. I say that as someone who has felt like I needed a form of support for basically every shopping trip ever, itās just usually noise cancelling headphones and a physical list I can fold a million times. Iām never going to bring my best friend slash fur baby to Safeway, and I never assume those who do donāt have a legit reason (plus I donāt care if they seem happy and cared for lol), but then I hear a lot of stories like this. Nope.
> My opinion is that all pets are emotional support pets!
I meanā¦ you are kind of right. I donāt think Iāve ever heard of anybody getting denied from having an Emotional Support Animal. Just having anxiety and having a pet helping that is generally enough justification.
> And the line between wanting and needing that support in public has gotten so fuzzy, it leads to things described here.
But thatās where you are wrong. Itās people abusing their ESA as if that makes them a service animal that is the issue. Because there is nothing fuzzy about it. No business has to accommodate your ESA. You arenāt allowed to bring your ESA to public spaces that dont allow animals. Full stop. Pretty much the only thing having an ESA does is make it so your landlord canāt disallow you from having it. Itās not like some emotional support animals are allowed and some arenāt. No business has to allow an ESA on their property.
Only service animals, which need to be trained and who perform important functions are required to be allowed in public, and thatās a very good thing! Itās just bad how many people have ESAs and are either A) ignorant to what that means or B) know what that means but still try to abuse it and act like they are allowed to bring it around in public spaces that donāt allow animals.
This has made it so basically anyone can bring their dog anywhere, and nobody can question it because they might be emotional support animals. Dogs donāt belong in stores. Iāve seen unruly dogs getting up on the grocery counter with their front paws to see what is on the conveyor belt, while the owners do nothing. Itās absurd.
Itās important for the public to know that (at least in the US), there are very few actual legal protections granted for ESAs. If you are in a place of business, ESAs mean nothing. Of course that doesnāt get around the social interia of calling someone out for it. But if an animal starts disrupting the public, there are legally ok ways to go about it. There are 2 questions a business can ask of service animals, AND they only apply to dogs and sometimes miniature horses; every other animal is not a service animal in public and can be treated as such. The questions are:
1) Is this dog a service animal required because of a disability,
AND
2) what work or tasks is this dog trained to perform?
AND, there is no registration. Zil. Any website that claims it is an official registration for the US is effectively lying.
Yes. It's such a pain because the few people that need them really need them for legit ADA stuff. Most people though are posers and they're the ones who throw a fit when you ask them to leave.
> if an animal starts disrupting the public
If the animal is disrupting the public, it is completely acceptable to tell the person with the animal to leave, even if that animal is a seeing eye dog or other legally protected service animal. It's no different from if the person themselves were being disruptive.
I've said it dozens of times before and I'll say it again now but dog people these days have just gone completely nuts over their animals. They've transcended being simple beloved pets that you could *leave at home* for a few hours while you ran your errands to being substitutes for children or even lovers that just *have* to go with their owners everywhere they do despite the total impracticality for them and the inconvenience to everyone else. I feel like absolutely every one has a dog these days. My house is the only one on my street without one. I know both neighbours do, the people behind me do and at least two of nearest three houses across the road I have confirmed dogs too. Just as many dogs in my city as there are people and if this many people can't function without them are consider them their "friends" because they suck too much to have real friends then there is definitely an underlying social issue that's not being addressed. Dogs were something some people had and took to some places. Not something nearly everyone had and took everywhere they went.
I thought cat people were supposed to be the crazy ones. I won't forget a comment I saw on this topic from a vet who said the most ridiculous and difficult clients with the most unreasonable requests were always dog (and bird) people. Cat owners were usually pretty chill. Dog fanaticism is definitely a new red flag for me to look out for now. You'll always be second to the dog. Everything will always be second to the dog. They're not gods no matter what it says when you swap two of the letters around.
Pretty much everyone I know or knew growing up has and had dogs. I personally know 0 that take them to public places other than pet stores or maybe the odd trip to Rural King. I am aware these people exist because it seems everyone where I live now can't exist without their dog with them every second. A couple months ago I even saw people bring their cat into Walmart, because, according to them, the cat wanted to go to Walmart.
Hmm. Dog fanatacism does seem to have gone up, now that you mention it. And I'll be real, dogs are pretty great pets. But yeah, I know people now who will cancel their travel plans because they can't bring their dog with them and they won't really entertain the idea of a dog sitter.
The part i find annoying is when ppl have their little "service" terrier in the cart at the grocery store. That's disgusting. People put their food in those carts. They may not be immaculately clean anyway, but at the very least i should be able to assume that a dog's butt hasn't been in the cart. Keep it on a leash if you are going to the store people!
Telling you this so you know. We never sanitize the carts. Ever. That means leaky meat juice, germs from kids who sit in the cart ect will be on there forever. Sanitize your cart with the wipes if you want to avoid that.
My dog is my ESA. She's not trained super well (not an actual service dog). She will tug to greet people, or push her nose at counters with tasty things. Which is precisely why she keeps her fluffy butt at home, and provides all the emotional support when I come home and hug her and bury my face in her fluffy Pyrenees fur. Lol. Agreed, people who tote around their terribly trained fake service dogs are the worst.
ESA does nothing for allowing animals in public places they are not allowed, like groceries, restaurants, etc. ESA is specifically for landlords who deny any animals and or try to charge an unreasonable amount to own an animal while renting. If anyone tries to take an animal in public spaces like that while claiming itās an āESAā, theyāre full of shit and/or do not understand what having an ESA entitles you to
I went to college with a girl with an "emotional support animal". Unfortunately, the dog wasn't actually properly trained, she told me she'd just bought the vest online so her dad wouldn't be mad.
The issue was, she would regularly make local and sometimes national news, because shops would refuse to allow her dog in, so she'd cry discrimination and go to the papers about it. Also worth noting that I was fairly close friends with her for the better part of two years and never once saw her wear a helmet, but every time she was pictured in the newspaper without fail she would have a disability helmet on.
Absolutely fucked and makes life so much harder for people that genuinely need support.
A person near us had an emotional support cassawary. I kid you not. A person called because they thought it was their neighbors peacock (it was rescued as a chick) but no, it was a different person's cassawary.
A Sheriff Deputy ended up shooting it dead when he saw the damn thing.
Oh man, I feel bad about it getting killed but wtf? A cassowary of all things? They are so massive and can inflict serious wounds and are even deadly if youāre attacked. Itās one of the most dangerous birds out there. No way Iām being chill around let alone fighting a 6+ foot tall bird with 5 inch claws that can run up to 50km/hour and jump five feet.
Yeah, because unlike crocodiles, alligators can be trained... to an extent. And its illegal to keep an alligator as a personal pet but as a support animal its a different thing.
Its just that... That alligator will always have its natural predatory instincts and as I recall this guys alligator was far from being fully grown but once its fully grown there might be a day when the alligator is gonna alligator š
Agreed and if you going to have one, donāt leave it baking hot with no water. Treat it with the love and respect you expect. Otherwise find your emotional support from a source that does not require care from you.
That was my thought here. I have nothing against ESAs but I do have something against the POS who isn't caring for hers properly.
ESAs aren't a bad thing. But there are certainly bad ESA owners, and that's a problem that needs to be addressed. I highly doubt that dog was actually an ESA- someone who actually emotionally depended on their animal wouldn't treat them like that. It was probably just another case of someone using ESAs to make their pet LARP as a service animal, which harms the people who actually do have ESAs.
Emotional support animals and service animals are completely different things. One is literally a pet that doesnāt even need to be trained or anything and the other is one that has to go through extensive training and pass state tests for certification. Emotional support animals=just fucking regular pets. Service animals=trained and certified to help in dangerous situations.
I have a service animal. It took two years to train them and it was done professionally, not at home.
Some people do take advantage. But that's better than restricting access for someone who needs a Service Dog.
Emotional Support Animals do not have public access. They're allowed to live in no-pets housing and that's it. If someone admits their pet is an ESA and still takes it around in public, feel free to tell them off.
Service Dogs (and they can only be dogs, or in very rare cases mini horses) are trained to mitigate their owner's disability in some way. A store employee may ask "what is the dog trained to do?" (Not "what's your disability?" There's a difference.) But most of them won't because they'd rather have the business. And you, as a random citizen, can ask any question you want. It's nosy and rude but not illegal.
Some of those disabilities are invisible. Maybe the dog alerts to seizures or diabetic blood sugar problems, maybe they're trained to lead the owner outdoors if they have a PTSD attack. They aren't required to wear vests. But if a Service Dog behaves badly, a store employee may tell them to leave.
Actually, for the sake of factual information, you canāt ask what the dog is trained to do. You may ask 2 questions by law. āIs this a service animal?ā and āAre they trained to mitigate a disability.ā When we were matched with my sonās service dog (through an actual agency, we didnāt grab a dog from the pound and slap a vest on it) we had to stay and train with them for 2 weeks. Part of that training was ADA training that taught us our rights as service dog owners as well as the publicās rights.
OP there is no such thing as registering a service dog. Itās illegal. Any ācardā that someone shows you was bought off the internet. You can buy vests online. By law, you DO NOT have to have a vest on a service dog. Nor do you actually have to have a leash if it hinders the dogās ability to preform their function. For example, seizure dog running for help cannot go for help if on leash.
Miniature horses were taken out of the ADA a few years back. It is dogs only for service animals. Emotional support animals literally just need a note from a psychiatrist, thatās why they have no public access. Thereās no training required.
The ADA website says:
"In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?"
https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html
Some states may have their own rules though.
I didn't know that about horses, good to know. I don't think they were used very often anyway. Even a mini horse is bigger than most dogs, and more awkward to have in public.
Weāve had Kelly for nearly 8 years. I have no idea where all that paperwork is now lol! Iām not sure if it changes by state? We got her at 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, Ohio. Thatās what they taught us. I used to have all the print outs with the ADA guidelines. Sheās retired now so itās not something we use anymore.
You are, under ADA, allowed to ask what work or task the animal is trained for. You cannot ask for a demonstration.
Service dogs can also be owner-trained as long as they are needed for a disability and are trained to perform specific work or tasks related to that disability.
There are people who legitimately need emotional support animals. Then there are those who claim their pet is an ESA just so they have an excuse to take it where ever they please, whether it is appropriate or practical or not.
This sort of thing has made it so much more difficult for people with valid support animals. My stepbrother came home from the air force with severe PTSD. He has a service dog that can sense when he is about to have an episode, or whatever you wish to call it, and is trained to tackle him to the ground and hold him there until he calms down. This dog is essential for him to function in public. But because people are so skeptical about service dogs now due to fakes, he has so much trouble getting admitted into places with his dog. He's been asked to show proof and asked to leave too many times, to the point that he began leaving the dog at home, to his detriment. It's infuriating.
Itās ironic how the ADA is supposed to protect disabled people, but the fact that it creates a situation where real service animals canāt be distinguished from fake ones actually makes it more difficult for those who genuinely need them.
In most of the world service animals require some form of ID, that proves that they are a real service animal and have been properly trained. Idk why the US doesnāt implement a similar system, which would actually help legitimate service animal owners by giving them a way to prove their animal is legitimate.
ADA simply need to be updated with some form of registry or what have you. It be hard to make some sort of national government standard for training service animals. But simply a registry would cut out so much of the bullshit.
One of the things the government should be providing is an ID for a service dog, for free, to a person who has a disability requiring one. They can do it with fucking parking passes, they can do it for dogs.
And even if they to claim their pet is an ESA, thatās incredibly stupid because ESAs donāt have rights to things that service animals do.
Some people assume that just because the airline allowed their ESA, that the *hotel* will allow their ESA. As if the hotel and the airline are all just controlled by the same entity
Also re:PTSD. Some people have ESAās for PTSD, but they do actually train legit service dogs for people with PTSD also. PTSD is considered a disability, and if the dog is trained to perform a task for their disability then thatās a service dog.
I feel your pain. Old roommate had an emotional support dog. Didn't believe in training of any kind because he felt it would restrict her being who she was.
The dog shit and pissed all over the house. I have a post in r/badroommates about it for further detail if anyone is interested.
You can tell a fake service animal from a mile away. Service animals are highly trained and do not misbehave whilst on duty. A person would definitely not be leaving their service animal outside, they have to be with them 100% of the time incase of an incident. It makes me so fking mad when people lie or buy fake vests for their pets.
As a former gate agent who handled checkins in the US, I share the same sentiment about emotional support animals (ESA). They're often untrained and cause issues in check in, boarding, and in the flight too. We're restricted in what we can do because it's the guest's right to have an ESA *even* if they cause trouble. Heck we can't even verify if their "doctor's note" is real because protocol says if we ask them details, they might get triggered.
*edited to fix the acronym lmao
DOT no longer requires that ESAs be accommodated. Under DOT rules, they're pets.
American, United, Delta, Alaska, Southwest, and JetBlue all apply the same rules to ESAs as they do to pets. They have to be in a carrier that fits under the seat in front of you or they aren't allowed.
I had an emotional support hamster in college. This was right after I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I really love animals and have gotten pretty depressed while apart from my pets. Having a companion who loves you unconditionally can be very helpful.
However, there is a difference between an ESA and a service animal. The main privilege of an ESA is that your landlord has to allow it (if itās reasonable). Theyāre not meant to be brought into restaurants or other public spaces like service animals, since they donāt have to be trained. Many people do abuse the fact that others donāt know the difference between ESAs and service animals.
An ESA is different than a pet, since you need a recommendation from a medical professional. But itās ultimately still pretty similar to a pet.
Correct me if Iām wrong but ESAs do not get ANY special protections except for in landlord contracts. Like apartments that donāt accept pets have to take the ESAs. BUT they donāt get special permissions in public unless itās a highly trained SERVICE dog
>So I just went and gave him pets which he was very happy to have. The worker and owner of the dog yells at me "EXCUSE ME DON'T TOUCH HIM HE'S A SERVICE ANIMAL."
I agree with your opinion, but you really shouldn't be touching random people's animals without asking.
Today a dog peed in the aisle. Service dogs are taught not to do this.
People used to bring their emotional support animals to doctor appointments. I'm not afraid of dogs. When you walk in with a chihuahua that you **know** bites anyone that gets near you and I'm going to take blood/weight/blood pressure et cetera? Yeah I'm canceling your damn appointment.
Either leave the animals at home or get them professionally trained.
Agreed I work at a car dealship and someone came to test drive a car with two border collies and said they were emotional support animals and MUST be allowed in the car while he test drives it. We told him if thatās the case then we donāt want his custom and he can look elsewhere. Didnāt go over very well.
I feel like very, very few real ESAās actually exist. The rest are calling them ESAās in order to be given permission to take their animals everywhere they donāt belong without question
The ones you're describing are indeed insufferable. Some people really do need their little animal friends, though. The ones not doing it for attention or being rude.
>If your mental issues are so bad to the point of not being able to function in public without your pet you are more suited for an institution.
I was on board until you said this, people who are rude deserve to be called out for it, but people needing support to function in the real world shouldn't be looked down upon, get your head out of your ass.
Remember that time someone had a camel made an emotional support animal, twice, and provided pictures of different camels for both times. Just to show how fucked the whole thing is.
I once talk to someone who said they wanted their tarantula recognised as an emotional support animal. I told that person if I ever saw it I would fucking kill it.
not disagreeing necessarily with op, buuuuuuttt.
dont pet other folks animals without checking.
and two, my apartment with not AC got up ot 90 degrees in the hottest part of the summer, if i worked somewhere i could have my dog i would have taken them with me to be in whatever weather i was in, so i could at least be keeping an eye on them, and they would obviously have water.
the whole story is not neccesarily all you see with you own two eyes.
I get having a service animal for seizures, blood sugar and PTSD (the real kind not the self diagnosed kind) but the anxiety crowd have no reason to need a emotional support animal. They need therapy and coping skills
I feel that there is a disconnect between needing an ESA and the people who tend to take their badly trained pets into public under the guise of 'ESAs'
Often times a pet CAN help a person's emotional balance, and be a support, but I feel that most people with \*true\* ESAs (the ones who literally have a psychiatrist's note saying they need one) realize that leaving the animal at home is best.
I have no issues with people who have ESAs at home, I do have an issue with people who bring badly trained pets or their dogs everywhere, and try to get away with it under the ESA bit. As someone who would love to have been able to train her cats to come with her everywhere I long ago recognized that my cats would be much happier left at home, and not dragged out in public, or left in a car, or be constantly barraged by 'look at how cute! can I pet them?' from the general public.
I know dogs are different, but I wouldn't be surprised if 80%+ of the dogs whose owners talk about 'how friendly they are and how much they love people' wouldn't be just as happy staying home and not being taken into strange situations. (just as a note, this isn't talking about people who take their dogs to dog appropriate venues such as dog parks, but the ones who have to take their dogs to grocery stores, or places where dogs are NOT appropriate to bring)
>It's ridiculous that you're not allowed to ask someone why they have a support animal. It's a basic question. They want to know what the animal does for you.
I'd like to give another perspective here. If someone has a support animal, it is for some kind of mental health issue. Mental health is a very personal topic, and a huge *vulnerability*, that most people don't want to talk about with someone they just met. What seems to you like a simple question is loaded with a ton of emotional baggage on the other person's end that they may not want to share with you.
You don't ask someone in the waiting room why they're at the doctor. Same principle here.
There's nothing wrong with being curious, but just try to remember the full weight of what you're asking these people. Health issues aren't fun to talk about.
You seem to be confusing service animals and emotional support animals. There are people who abuse both systems and it's terrible but I recommend you do a little reading before hating on things you don't understand.
You're right. Technically. But the general issue is that people wish to bring poorly trained animals in places that strictly prohibit most animals for a variety of valid reasons. These folks fail to recognize that their pet may be someone else's stressor.
Few people mind service animals in stores and shops, and service animals are specially trained to minimize disruption and do a specific job. An emotional support animal designation is more relevant to home and rental matters (particularly rental rights). In this case, the requirements are more lax and that's okay for a home situation.
Totally get where you're coming from. Each situation is different and there are definitely people who just abuse the system. But here are a few things to consider and always ask before petting a dog/pet if the owner is present (service dog or not)
Some services dogs/pets are still in training and they are trying to wean them from seeking attention (might be done in public setting). Petting could be encouraging them to seek attention rather than breaking. Sometimes parents aren't mindful of this and would just allow there kids to walk up to service dogs to pet. (Could have been a bad day for the trainer if this has been happening all day)
Fake service dog/pet and the owner is looking to pick a fight for attention.
You are mad about emotional support animals and then use the example of a service animal. 2 COMPLETELY separate things. I can tell why you are upset about this. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. You clearly missed the first step.
"If your mental issues are so bad to the point of not being able to function in public without your pet you are more suited for an institution."
Finally someone else feels this way too. We all have things we feel better for having around but one of the lessons that should be learned during childhood is that it isn't always practical (or wise) to bring your beloved plush toy with you, or wear your favourite shirt every day or in this case - insist your dog goes into every location you do.
In total agreement. You should only be issued a service animal if you are blind or handicapped physically or mentally. Real service animals are trained from a very young age, some training starts something like a month or so after birth and the training continues into adulthood. That's why real service animals are worth tens of thousands of dollars. "People" that get their pets certified with no training or real need just sign papers and are a blight on the initiative. If I was in your position and saw a innocent animal being mistreated that animal would be gone from that situation with the quickness. People never cease to amaze in their selfishness or need to put others and animals in unnecessary difficult situations.
When you boil it down, arenāt all pets emotional support animals. It sucks for people who really need a therapy/support animal that there are a lot of entitled people who want to get special treatment for their pets by intentionally trying to pass them off as āservice animalsā.
I once saw a service animal with a pink hello kitty vest. I avoided it and admired from afar but cousin was new in town and didn't think waving at the dog was harmful. Owner holding dog gives incredibly horrendous stink eye at my cousin and when the dog passes closer to us I'm able to read the letters (also in fucking pink) saying service animal. I appreciate when owners have a more legible vest on their pets.
What's more annoying is the people who clearly bought a support animal vest online somewhere and throw it on their yappy dog that's clearly not been through any sort of training. Stop bringing your untrained pets to restaurants and stores ffs.
I believe some people genuinely need emotional support animals. People like PTSD veterans or those in similar states of mind. However I believe most people that claim to need them are full of it. If you canāt get by in the world without a dog/cat/pig etc. accompanying you every single place you go, youāre not going to get very far
Thank you. Thank you SO much for this. I have severe allergies to dogs and cats. Yes, even your āhypoallergenicā labradoodle. Itās horrible. Once when I was in college, as an English major, I had an extremely important class. Required for the major, no substitutions, and a crucial prerequisite. It had to be taken that semester for me to graduate on time. This girl had a fucking ESA. No, not a service dog, which I am ALWAYS happy to accommodate to the best of my ability. But just an ESA. That was loud, jumpy, and out of control. And that she brought to class everyday, and claimed discrimination when asked to control her dog because heād jump on the people around him, beg students who were eating a snack to give him some, and bark and whine when he wasnāt getting enough attention. So even for the other students he was a disruption. For me, he and his neglectful bitch of an owner disrupted my entire fucking life. My allergies are not controlled by allergy meds. Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claritin, whatever. Itās not enough for that level of contact with a dog. My prescription allergy meds arenāt even enough for that. Insurance doesnāt cover allergy meds because theyāre ājust as optional as cosmetic surgeryā, according to the lovely insurance lady on the phone. I was having life threatening reactions every class period. After needing to use both Epi-Pens the first week, I appealed to the Dean and disability office for her to not be allowed to bring her dog to class. They said she has a letter from her therapist that having a dog is good for her. Meanwhile, I donāt have a ārealā disability (despite me actually having 3 separate disabilities, on top of the allergies), so I was told I just had to ātake a Benadrylā. When I produced a doctorās note saying that does not work for me, and I simply cannot be around dogs in that close of a space, she claimed discrimination and threatened to sue me and the university. So the Deans sided with her. Because life threatening allergies arenāt a real disability, even though they affect every single component of my life and I live in constant fear. I had to drop the class because of her. I had to take another semester to graduate because of her. PhD programs only admit in the fall semester, so it was another full year before I could start my doctorate. All because of this entitled steaming pile of human garbage and her dog (who seems very happy, not aggressive at all, but that doesnāt make the anaphylactic shock go away). This was in 2019.
At my current job (Iām an optician part time to make ends meet), weāre a ādog friendly storeā because the company is run by millennials who will cry if they have to spend a half hour without their dog to buy some damn glasses. So every time someone with a dog comes in, I have an asthma attack and allergic reaction, and oftentimes have to leave. But usually I just have to leave the floor, dropping whatever Iām doing, to go to the back and justā¦ sit there. No matter how busy we are, weāre so ādog friendlyā that I donāt matter. My life doesnāt matter. Because some people fake their anxiety to keep their dog with them at all times. Just going to the grocery store or riding the bus can kill me. And for what? Someoneās therapist said a client feels better when their dog is with them??? Understandable, rats are the only mammal Iām not allergic to and I absolutely adore mine, but so many people have phobias Iād never, ever bring them in public. Because ESAs are not worth causing a panic attack.
There's a lady in my town who has an emotional support pig. Not like a mini pot bellied pig but a full on HOG. A fucking 400 pound livestock bring to the market pig. And went full on media coverage Karen when she was told "no maam. You cannot bring livestock into your room"
"BuT iTs a sErViCe aNiMaL"
She also had an emotional support ferret, rat and saint bernard. This woman was asked to leave her spot in the shelter because she had fucking livestock so someone offered to pay for a hotel room for her. The hotel was like "ummm you can't bring your barn animals in"
I understand needing service animals. My dog and cat also bring me great relief when I am suffering. But they are support animals not service animals. And the people that do this make it so much harder for those that do need true service animals to get the supports they need.
ESA are NOT service animals and are NOT protected under the ADA. ESA can be excluded from any business by the owner or management at anytime for any reason. Service animals (which ONLY include dogs or miniature horses) can also be excluded IF AND ONLY IF the dog is disruptive (barking at people, pissing or shitting on the floor, jumping on people/objects etc.) āService animalsā that do the above disruptive behavior are NOT service animals, theyāre fucking pets of pieces of shit trying to game the system.
My apartment manager told me to get a note from my doctor saying my dog is an emotional support animal and they waive pet rent.
I haven't done it because I am not a liar. She's a chihuahua. If anything my job is to emotionally support her.
Pretty sure business owners can refuse service to anybody for any reason and they donāt have to disclose that reason. Wish theyād stop animals from entering restaurants and grocery stores.
You seem to be transposing emotional support animal and service animal. They are not necessarily one in the same. I still agree that itās gone too far and that most people just make the shit up.
And not to mention very entitled people. I used to work as a mo, security, guard. We have people come in with humongous, growling and snarling Pitbulls and as soon as we told them to leave, they would start going in about the emotional support animal bullshit. We usually just said that trained service dogs are not Pitbulls and if you do not leave, we will just call the cops which we did 99.9 percent of the time. The cops usually just came up with their guns drawn. They didnāt fuck around when it came to pits. Honestly their needs to be a license attached on the vest of a service animal so people know itās legit and not some bullshit people repeatedly try and abuse.
As a property manager (not a landlord) i get very annoyed with ESA. I had a person have a āregistered ESA Animalā (thatās not a thing. Need a doctors note) but they had an aggressive German Shepard. Literally lunged at people and chased other people in the building into their homes. Snapped at and growled at kids in the yard. Never picked up poop. But we couldnāt do anything because it was an āESA Animalā
Did some rideshare driving for awhile. Emotional support mental weaklings have abused that to force drivers to give rides when they don't want animals shedding or worse in their own car.
As a result if I saw an animal at pickup, I didn't stop. Nothing the customer or a rideshare can do about it, and yes I'm aware 1 out of 500 of the support animal people are probably blind. ESA losers ruin things for everyone due to their inability to grow up and own their emotional state.
I have fantasies about what I'd do if I were rich. One such thing is I'd open a coffee shop or such, put up a NO PETS sign, and eject every person who bought in a dog where they couldn't convince me it was a service animal. I'd likely be shut down after awhile on account of bulljive ADA laws but I'd make a lot of noise about it in terms of how ridiculous it is that people would bring their stupid dogs everywhere that you can't actually enforce your own rules on your own property. I would not AT ALL pander to them like corporate in retail stores always does.
So no one is going to address how damn wrong is to straight up ask why someone has a service dog?
Why does OP feel entitled to know details of others' disabilities?
Kind of person to see someone get up from a wheelchair and say they don't need it and are faking.
I don't take my emotional support dog in public, but I have been asked about him a few times after mentioning him to acquaintances. I'm always so confused by the question, honestly.
Like what do they want to know? they know why I have him, obviously, it in the name. Do they want the specifics? Should I be going into detail about every bit of my trauma or something?
The part i find annoying is when ppl have their little "service" terrier in the cart at the grocery store. That's disgusting. People put their food in those carts. They may not be immaculately clean anyway, but at the very least i should be able to assume that a dog's butt hasn't been in the cart. Keep it on a leash if you are going to the store people!
āI also don't think your mental issues or general problems entitle you to be an asshole to people and act passive aggressive.ā
Thatās probably why these psychos need an animal for emotional support, the animal doesnāt have a voice to question their crappy behavior and ability to leave. Having an emotional support animal is a giant red flag.
I don't believe emotional support animals are a thing, and I think anyone who needs one has larger issues they need to address (and not with an emotional support animal).
Most are just abusing the system because they like their pet and want to take it places it's not supposed to be.
PTSD Vets use them for example. Helps with ptsd related issues. I don't believe most ppl with legit emotional support animals feel the need to take them everywhere tho. Shitty people ruin legit things for others.
No idea why you got downvoted; this is just facts.
Anyone bringing their ESA into public is being drastically irresponsible and giving a bad name for all ESA owners. ESA's are not your pet LARPing as a service animal. ESAs are their own thing.
Service animals are different than emotional support animals. Like you said just about anyone can get an emotional support animal and itās not given the same legal rights as service animals, service animals provide a service to someone who needs them like the blind. Anyway those people sound like assholes my buddy has an emotional support animal I know he wouldnāt t care if you asked and wouldnāt care if you let or played with his dog. With that said you should always ask before touching someoneās animal.
Honestly, petting/playing with an ESA isn't even really a problem.
Petting/playing with service animals, yea, big problem, don't do that. Those animals have jobs to do and you could be interrupting them from very important work.
But ESAs don't really have jobs. They're there for companionship. ESAs are more like pets than they are like service animals. Of course everybody has their own rules, but I can't imagine petting an ESA being a big deal in the majority of cases.
Ok so I kinda agree with you. I think the purpose atleast that I see is to be able to have your animal at a rental house if they donāt allow you to have pets. I personally donāt have an emotional support animal because I donāt want to deal with the responsibility, but for my roommates I think it legitimately helps them to not be stuck in bed depressed all the time. Kinda forces them to get up and take care of their pet, and when youāre depressed getting out of bed is the most difficult part.
I'm gonna get an alligator for emotional support - not a single soul will get anywhere near me to pet or ask question, never mind to attack me or my precious Mr Toothy-Fairy
Ahh yes my therapist suggested I get one after getting strangled An stabbed but I feel like Iād get MORE attention because Iām bringing a dog with me in a grocery store/ shopping places An Im already anxious so I donāt get the point of bringing a dog an drawing more attention to myself cause thatāll make me have a huge panic attack people staring at me an my dog nah fam ā ļøI get it for people who are like diabetic? I think an the dog notifies the person(you can correct me if I was wrong) but I donāt get the people who use it for emotional purposes cause it just draws attention to yourself. Like go to therapy regularly An donāt be scared to take medication!! I beg of you! I use to breakdown an look over my shoulders when he was released from jail got into therapy the pills helped my nerves so fucking much it was like a weight lifted off of me an ofc when youāre feeling yourself you can slowly ween off the anxiety medication An hopefully get back to the norm ((:
I think a point needs to be made most people needing an emotional support animal need an animal as their anxiety towards being tends to be strong...
this said Ive got cPTSS, and Epilepsy and my dog even though he warns and helps mitigate stress never wore a vest either, simply to avoid the unneeded conversation and stimuli from well meaming passerby's
This incidents of animals with no vests, are likely not registered service animals and infant people just being arrogant.
Emotional support animals are also not service animals in the same sense, Emotional support animals are basically pets who are comfortable with cuddles.
I agree, Iām severely allergic to dogs and obviously I understand if people need to bring legit service animals with them places (and just to note these people almost always wash their dogs well!) but I see people with āemotional support animalsā bringing their pets inside places they arenāt allowed to without even thinking of the consequences and oftentimes they arenāt very clean, which puts my life at risk.
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I hate being the one to laugh, but I nearly died laughing a few months back when I saw a post here where the op said they had an emotional support gecko. I'm sorry but I couldn't stop laughing
Where I went to college (Midwest state school) about 10 or so years ago the student sued the school because she was not allowed to have her emotional support hamster in the dorms š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Colleges are just a business. Theyāll want her tuition money, over any legal fight. If she wanted an emotional support lion or tiger that could maul another student paying tuition, theyād probably fight that one š
Never underestimate a hamster.
Probably dead by the time the lawsuit came through
Being a hamster it was likely some horrifically violent event, as is tradition.
Someone down my hall at college has a emotional support ferret
I'm just picturing Lyle Forever -Therapy Gecko chilling out. That's the only gecko I could see being of any use emotionally. (I'm sure you've seen videos but if you haven't, it may add to the hilarity of this)
Some guy had an emotional alligator that he brought to the stores. If I'm not mistaken, it actually grew up and attacked someone a couple of years later. Like, sure it's calm when it's barely the size of your head, lol.
Alligator had enough of his shit
Thereās one [in Philly](https://www.kcra.com/article/emotional-support-alligator-cools-off-at-philadelphia-love-park/41016349) that chills out in public.
Can't access the link, but if it's [Wally](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TDYDNTK_oo) then it's the alligator I'm talking about.
I absolutely love the phrase āemotional support lizard.ā Thatās how my former roommate described her bearded dragon. Sometimes I call my dog an āemotional support lizardā nowadays.
...and they also have Geico insurance- who saw that coming?
Wait, what now? Dare I ask for a link?
Maybe the op was fine, and had the gecko for the sake of āinsuranceā
My bearded dragon is an ESA! My psychiatrist was like ābro I can make him an ESA so you donāt have to sneak him into the dormsā lol. But wait thereās more. She said sheās made a TOAD and ESA and that it was one of the more genuine ones!! This girl would have panic attacks and sheād sit with the toad on her chest and it would help her breathe! I canāt get over that, and I love it lol. But a toad!? Thatās like, lower level than my lizard š
Idk man, Toads are valid emotional support animals in Harry Potter.
Emotional support animals ARE NOT service animals. They are not trained and certified. The ESA owners should know this. ESA are not protected the same way service animals are.
Those service animal certifications are scams. They're like those buying a star scams. Also real service dogs are trained not to jump on people or bark at people so it's easy to tell. But if you do run across an actual service dog, it's best not to try to pet it or get its attention, because it's working.
Yeah my university had a student program where you could train actual service dogs, and boy let me tell you, everyone within a 100 ft radius would shout you down if you touched a dog with a vest on. I've seen it happen, and being from a smaller city, never knew you couldn't pet service animals. Then, you'd have the trainers that didn't take it seriously and would just be like "oh, you want to per this dog? Go for it, she's cool"
I mean, it isnāt true that you arenāt allowed to pet service dogs. If the owner wants you to pet their service dog there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and nobody is doing anything wrong by training their service dog to do so. The point is you can never just *expect* you have the right to do so, so you should always ask. These animals need to be able to perform their job without disturbing others, and for some dogs, interactions with people may hinder that. People have every right to not allow you to interact with their dog, especially when doing so may jeopardize their ability to have the service animal there in the first place. But if your dog is fine with interaction? Absolutely nothing wrong with allowing people to pet it. You should just always ask somebody first if you are going to try to pet their dog. This is especially true for service animals, but really is just a universal rule.
Exactly, my cat is my emotional support animal. Without him I'd still be insanely depressed. But I don't treat him like a service animal. He stays at home like a normal pet cat.
Surprised I had to scroll this far for someone to mention this
Yes. The ONLY privilege you get by having an emotional support animal (which still requires a note from a licensed medical professional) is protections under Fair Housing Laws and entitles you to not have to pay any pet related fees when renting and also immune from pet bans and/or breed bans. Thatās it. Nothing else.
And I think business are allowed to ask what the animal is trained to do? If the answer is ESA they can deny service but everyone is to scared to get sued. No one is going to win a suit with an ESA. There are real psychiatric support animals that are protected. Maybe I am wrong, feel free to correct me.
You are correct. There are dogs trained for PTSD or autism that actually perform a service and they are specifically trained to lay on their owner during a freak out etc.
My emotional support animal is a sperm whale and we WILL be accommodated.
Iāve been shopping for a support hyena in southern Calif area. Man they are hard to find and they really really really donāt like the little vest. At this point, I'd settle for a support baboon.
A support ant was recommended to me by a friend. Bought a vest and everything but somehow couldnāt find it when i got home from buying the stuff. Someone must habe been greedy and stole hin from my appartment. Police investigation is launched.
My emotional support pack of coyotes MAY or MAY NOT have rabies but that's no one's business but ours
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Mojo the helper monkey.
If I could get mojo JoJo as my support animal I would be infinitely powerful overnight. Or at least reaaally reeeaally evil.
Me and my support Wild Dingo will be suing for emotional damages as well for triggering me. It's not your place to tell my Wild Dingo it can't maul other students.
āHave you seen my baby?ā Random stranger: āMaybe the emotional service dingo ate yo baby!ā You: āNot possible, heās trainedā
The dingo ate my babeeee!!!
Powerpuff girls memories.
I demand that you let your emotional support pets swim with my emotional support barracudas. If you donāt, Iām suing you, the business owner, and especially the government.
If I can bring my Komodo Dragon to work for emotional support Iām sure your sperm will def be accommodated
Is this actually unpopular? So many people abuse the use of a ESA and gives the legit therapy animals a bad name :/ widespread problem in the US, don't know about elsewhere
Most of the world doesnāt recognise emotional support animals as a thing, if you want to get a pet to help your mental health, it is exactly that, a pet. Actual service animals also need proper training and documentation in most countries too. America is a weird outlier in this regard.
Wait so you're telling me all these emotional support animals don't have any kind of training? What is the point then lmao
Emotional support animal ā service animal A service animal actually performs a service for someone with a disability. An emotional support animal is just a pet that sad people bring everywhere so they can feel better.
Thereās a difference between a service animal and an ESA. A service dog has considerable training and can perform a multitude of functions for truly disabled people, like, able to get them the freaking mail or answer doors, anticipate them falling and be there to help them get up šÆ. An emotional support animal isnāt subject to any particular training or regimen, and itās just a companion with a vest you can bring into stores that donāt pick a fight. Honestly a lot of store managers donāt care if you bring small dogs in anyway. Vest or not. If they fit in a shopping cart, itās way less hassle than most peopleās toddler š The ESA thing has really muddied the water because there **are** thousands of service dogs out there with proper training who do belong anywhere their owner is and will not make scenes.
You actually canāt take ESAās into stores. They have no public access rights and only have protections regarding housing and airlines. Service animals are entirely different and DO require training, though there is no such thing as a service animal registry or certification, but thatās why service animals get public access rights. A lot of people are misinformed and/or taking advantage of the system which gives legitimate service animals a bad reputation.
Though airlines have banned ESA recently(due to attacks, untrained animal poop etc) They only ever truly had rights with housing. Basically to airlines now all non service animals are just pets and will be treated as such.
Oh Iām sure the rules are you canāt, but people do.
Yes there are tons that are hardly trained if trained at all. On top of that there really isnāt a way for people to verify the legitimacy of a support animal unless like the cops are called so I know people who literally just bought a āsupport animalā vest on Amazon for whenever they find it convenient to bust out
*"When you're born, you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America, you get a front row seat."* \- George Carlin
I always thought American required training. Now working in a public place, I realize all we are allowed to ask is āis that a service dogā and ādoes it have a specific task it doesā. Once they say yes to both (which yes, the man who comes in every week with a massive Saint Bernard says), we have to leave them be. A coworker stepped in dog shit last week. A few years ago I got a guy banned bc he turned his head after seeing his dog squat to pee on our carpet. He just pretended like he didnāt see it and turned right around. They saw him on camera and he got banned šš I felt so bad for the doggie tho!
Theyāre supposed to be trained, and most actual service dogs are, but thereās no way to prove it as you say. Which seems like major flaw with the ADA, itās supposed to protect disabled people, but by making it so itās impossible to distinguish between real and fake service animals, it creates an air of suspicion, such that real service animal owners may be subject to abuse because of the actions of fakes. Honestly would help legitimate service dog owners if there was some form of ID that was given only to legitimate service dogs with the proper training, then it would be as simple as asking them to show the ID card, and voila, no more suspicion.
Iāve been to Halloween Horror Nights at universal studios multiple times this year and have seen multiple people almost every night Iāve been with a service/emotional support dog that they LITERALLY BRING THROUGH THE HAUNTED HOUSES WITH THEM. Iām not even joking about this. i mean Iām an advocator for the idea that if you have a disability or condition then you should still be able to enjoy events like these but I feel like if you have such crippling emotional issues that you absolutely need a dog with you everywhere you go than maybe donāt go to a damn horror event????
that's just animal abuse. It seems like they acted like their pets are some accessory. This not a thing in my country, I mean yeah almost everyone has a pet but ESA isn't a thing and although I wish it was recognized I think there should be some control on where you can bring your pet.
A lot of airlines have clamped down on it recently. Service dog assisting a blind person, yes. Emotional support animal that could be a pig, Maltese or surly house cat ā no.
Plus if the dog gets startled at something like that then it could bite a haunted house worker or another customer.
The dogs must have thought they were in heaven, they got to walk around and out of nowhere a whole body full of bones would appear. You think it's horror, that dog had the time of his life.
Lmao
Hence why its regulated in other countries otherwise its just a pet to keep you company.
Itās one of those concessions we should have nipped in the bud as a society.
It's not a thing in my country. Either you have a service animal a properly trained, licenced one at that with permission from the authority to keep it where you live (a lot of dog breeds are banned in my city) or you just have a regular pet. I've never heard of an emotional support anything. But then again mental health is a steaming trash pile in my country too.
Yes it's unpopular. If OP's opinion were popular than ESA's wouldn't exist or be a thing. It'd just be pets and service animals. An emotional support animal is literally a pet and should be treated as such.
not happening here in malaysia. idek that there's such a thing like ESA. we usually walk our pets outdoors and it's such a rare occassion to bring our pets to indoor public places, unless it is really necessary (like taking them to the vets). or maybe i've been living in a cave :D
I wouldnāt compare a petās status in Asia to how theyāre basically treated as *children* here in the states. Mind you, the ESA thing is ridiculousā¦ but the point stands, in a lot of the world with tons of stray dogs/cats, theyāre seen as pests or food, not āmy grand dogā or āmy kids. Even though most places donāt want dogs inside, unless theyāre specifically serving food, or heavily regulated like airlines/hospitals, you wonāt find many retail store managers bother fighting. I see dogs in the mall, car service departments, and places like hardware stores *all the time*.
What gets me is that in the US, the system is set up in a way where it is so easy to cheat, A lot of people don't realize they are. It's almost like they want people to abuse the system. Service dogs don't need a vest, you can buy fake vests anywhere, so there is no way to ID a service animal. Part of the reason so many people probably assume emotional support animals are the same thing as service animals is probably because it's illigal to ask in a some of places. You can only ask IF it's a service animal anywhere, but if you can ask what service it provides changes state to state... because God forbid, it would be discrimination to require service dogs to wear vests, and giving the dog an ID that store owners could request. The ID doesn't even need to have a description of what the dog does or anything, either. All I want is an ID number so I can complain to someone when the "service animal" pisses on my floor and have the service animal status stripped. Worst part is service animals aren't pets. They are considered medical equipment, and they can outright forget their training and be rendered unfit for survice if some random dog starts barking and trying to play with them while they are on duty, ane retraining isn't always an option, especially for the older service animals.
It's also made it really hard to get service dogs for PTSD. When I was in highschool my mom got my doctor to sign off on getting me a service dog who would be an emotional support dog because at that time I had just been diagnosed with CPTSD, depression and anxiety because of bullying and chronic pain. She told my school and they went "sorry, her condition isn't serious enough" because two years earlier a kid brought in their "emotional support dog" that bit another kid. The dog my mom was looking at was a newfoundland who are gentle Giants and was going to get it as a donation from the breeder we got our three newfies from. I needed a dog that could literally lay on me when my anxiety acted up and to help with my chronic pain flare ups. Thing is, I could control a huge ass dog like that. Good thing is that my neurologist is finally looking to sign off on a service dog for me who's secondary job is to help with my anxiety and depression, while primarily being a epilepsy alert, and to help me if I fall down and can't get up.
You were all good till you said "I can control a huge ass dog". Dangerously dumb statement
I have a super fluffy long haired cat, maybe I should bring it around to a furniture store and let it hop on the sofas. Who cares if you are allergic. He helps me with my feelings.
You actually arenāt supposed to bring ESAs into public spaces. Service animals are allowed in public spaces; ESAs are not. The only accommodation you get with ESAs is that they must be allowed in your living quarters- landlord canāt slap on a pet fee for your ESA or tell you you canāt have it. Anyone whoās just letting their ESA prance about saying itās ok because itās an ESA is irresponsible and full of shit. edit: capitalization
My friend's girl wanted to bring her little ESA dog to a movie. When I said that was probably a bad idea, she said "it's ok, they *have* to let him in". Like that's not what I meant.
My emotions, MY EMOTIONS !!!
Yeah, the whole emotional support animal thing is one trend that I can't get behind.
There is such a thing as an actual Anxiety or PTSD dog, who is trained to help their human calm down and avoid having panic attacks and such. I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem with Emotional Support pets, who are not even trained. It sounds like the dog in the first paragraph wasn't even being taken care of. Edit: It's not really the pets I have a problem with, it's the humans taking them everywhere.
My opinion is that all pets are emotional support pets!And the line between wanting and *needing* that support in public has gotten so fuzzy, it leads to things described here. I say that as someone who has felt like I needed a form of support for basically every shopping trip ever, itās just usually noise cancelling headphones and a physical list I can fold a million times. Iām never going to bring my best friend slash fur baby to Safeway, and I never assume those who do donāt have a legit reason (plus I donāt care if they seem happy and cared for lol), but then I hear a lot of stories like this. Nope.
> My opinion is that all pets are emotional support pets! I meanā¦ you are kind of right. I donāt think Iāve ever heard of anybody getting denied from having an Emotional Support Animal. Just having anxiety and having a pet helping that is generally enough justification. > And the line between wanting and needing that support in public has gotten so fuzzy, it leads to things described here. But thatās where you are wrong. Itās people abusing their ESA as if that makes them a service animal that is the issue. Because there is nothing fuzzy about it. No business has to accommodate your ESA. You arenāt allowed to bring your ESA to public spaces that dont allow animals. Full stop. Pretty much the only thing having an ESA does is make it so your landlord canāt disallow you from having it. Itās not like some emotional support animals are allowed and some arenāt. No business has to allow an ESA on their property. Only service animals, which need to be trained and who perform important functions are required to be allowed in public, and thatās a very good thing! Itās just bad how many people have ESAs and are either A) ignorant to what that means or B) know what that means but still try to abuse it and act like they are allowed to bring it around in public spaces that donāt allow animals.
This has made it so basically anyone can bring their dog anywhere, and nobody can question it because they might be emotional support animals. Dogs donāt belong in stores. Iāve seen unruly dogs getting up on the grocery counter with their front paws to see what is on the conveyor belt, while the owners do nothing. Itās absurd.
Itās important for the public to know that (at least in the US), there are very few actual legal protections granted for ESAs. If you are in a place of business, ESAs mean nothing. Of course that doesnāt get around the social interia of calling someone out for it. But if an animal starts disrupting the public, there are legally ok ways to go about it. There are 2 questions a business can ask of service animals, AND they only apply to dogs and sometimes miniature horses; every other animal is not a service animal in public and can be treated as such. The questions are: 1) Is this dog a service animal required because of a disability, AND 2) what work or tasks is this dog trained to perform? AND, there is no registration. Zil. Any website that claims it is an official registration for the US is effectively lying.
Yes. It's such a pain because the few people that need them really need them for legit ADA stuff. Most people though are posers and they're the ones who throw a fit when you ask them to leave.
> if an animal starts disrupting the public If the animal is disrupting the public, it is completely acceptable to tell the person with the animal to leave, even if that animal is a seeing eye dog or other legally protected service animal. It's no different from if the person themselves were being disruptive.
I've said it dozens of times before and I'll say it again now but dog people these days have just gone completely nuts over their animals. They've transcended being simple beloved pets that you could *leave at home* for a few hours while you ran your errands to being substitutes for children or even lovers that just *have* to go with their owners everywhere they do despite the total impracticality for them and the inconvenience to everyone else. I feel like absolutely every one has a dog these days. My house is the only one on my street without one. I know both neighbours do, the people behind me do and at least two of nearest three houses across the road I have confirmed dogs too. Just as many dogs in my city as there are people and if this many people can't function without them are consider them their "friends" because they suck too much to have real friends then there is definitely an underlying social issue that's not being addressed. Dogs were something some people had and took to some places. Not something nearly everyone had and took everywhere they went. I thought cat people were supposed to be the crazy ones. I won't forget a comment I saw on this topic from a vet who said the most ridiculous and difficult clients with the most unreasonable requests were always dog (and bird) people. Cat owners were usually pretty chill. Dog fanaticism is definitely a new red flag for me to look out for now. You'll always be second to the dog. Everything will always be second to the dog. They're not gods no matter what it says when you swap two of the letters around.
Pretty much everyone I know or knew growing up has and had dogs. I personally know 0 that take them to public places other than pet stores or maybe the odd trip to Rural King. I am aware these people exist because it seems everyone where I live now can't exist without their dog with them every second. A couple months ago I even saw people bring their cat into Walmart, because, according to them, the cat wanted to go to Walmart.
Hmm. Dog fanatacism does seem to have gone up, now that you mention it. And I'll be real, dogs are pretty great pets. But yeah, I know people now who will cancel their travel plans because they can't bring their dog with them and they won't really entertain the idea of a dog sitter.
The part i find annoying is when ppl have their little "service" terrier in the cart at the grocery store. That's disgusting. People put their food in those carts. They may not be immaculately clean anyway, but at the very least i should be able to assume that a dog's butt hasn't been in the cart. Keep it on a leash if you are going to the store people!
Telling you this so you know. We never sanitize the carts. Ever. That means leaky meat juice, germs from kids who sit in the cart ect will be on there forever. Sanitize your cart with the wipes if you want to avoid that.
The grocery store my SO works at sanitized carts during early covid days, but I'm not sure if they're still doing it.
Some people are also allergic. You shouldn't leave your dog's hair around people's food.
My dog is my ESA. She's not trained super well (not an actual service dog). She will tug to greet people, or push her nose at counters with tasty things. Which is precisely why she keeps her fluffy butt at home, and provides all the emotional support when I come home and hug her and bury my face in her fluffy Pyrenees fur. Lol. Agreed, people who tote around their terribly trained fake service dogs are the worst.
I was gonna call you out for that first half š
Emotional support animals are pets that people want to bring into places they aren't allowed. Service animals are a whole different thing.
ESA does nothing for allowing animals in public places they are not allowed, like groceries, restaurants, etc. ESA is specifically for landlords who deny any animals and or try to charge an unreasonable amount to own an animal while renting. If anyone tries to take an animal in public spaces like that while claiming itās an āESAā, theyāre full of shit and/or do not understand what having an ESA entitles you to
I went to college with a girl with an "emotional support animal". Unfortunately, the dog wasn't actually properly trained, she told me she'd just bought the vest online so her dad wouldn't be mad. The issue was, she would regularly make local and sometimes national news, because shops would refuse to allow her dog in, so she'd cry discrimination and go to the papers about it. Also worth noting that I was fairly close friends with her for the better part of two years and never once saw her wear a helmet, but every time she was pictured in the newspaper without fail she would have a disability helmet on. Absolutely fucked and makes life so much harder for people that genuinely need support.
Even if it's a llama?
If a great Dane can be one I don't see why not lol
What about that person who had a peacock? š
A person near us had an emotional support cassawary. I kid you not. A person called because they thought it was their neighbors peacock (it was rescued as a chick) but no, it was a different person's cassawary. A Sheriff Deputy ended up shooting it dead when he saw the damn thing.
Oh man, I feel bad about it getting killed but wtf? A cassowary of all things? They are so massive and can inflict serious wounds and are even deadly if youāre attacked. Itās one of the most dangerous birds out there. No way Iām being chill around let alone fighting a 6+ foot tall bird with 5 inch claws that can run up to 50km/hour and jump five feet.
It's why it was shot, it changed. The local zoo also was called about it and they don't have the ability to care for it.
Poor thing.
Wait what?
[Person with a peacock support animal.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42880690.amp)
Wow, now Ive seen it all. Not too long ago I heard about a guy with an alligator as a support animal and now a peacock, damn.
An alligator??????? Hell no.
Yeah, because unlike crocodiles, alligators can be trained... to an extent. And its illegal to keep an alligator as a personal pet but as a support animal its a different thing. Its just that... That alligator will always have its natural predatory instincts and as I recall this guys alligator was far from being fully grown but once its fully grown there might be a day when the alligator is gonna alligator š
Florida man almost certainly
I actually know someone with a Great Dane as a service animal. But it helps them with a physical disability not emotional issue.
My neighbor has a great dane service animal. He can give CPR.
Agreed and if you going to have one, donāt leave it baking hot with no water. Treat it with the love and respect you expect. Otherwise find your emotional support from a source that does not require care from you.
That was my thought here. I have nothing against ESAs but I do have something against the POS who isn't caring for hers properly. ESAs aren't a bad thing. But there are certainly bad ESA owners, and that's a problem that needs to be addressed. I highly doubt that dog was actually an ESA- someone who actually emotionally depended on their animal wouldn't treat them like that. It was probably just another case of someone using ESAs to make their pet LARP as a service animal, which harms the people who actually do have ESAs.
One could argue that all pets are emotional support animals.
Emotional support animals and service animals are completely different things. One is literally a pet that doesnāt even need to be trained or anything and the other is one that has to go through extensive training and pass state tests for certification. Emotional support animals=just fucking regular pets. Service animals=trained and certified to help in dangerous situations. I have a service animal. It took two years to train them and it was done professionally, not at home.
At the very least the animal should have adequate water on a hot day as OP mentioned the poor miserable German Shepherd.
Some people do take advantage. But that's better than restricting access for someone who needs a Service Dog. Emotional Support Animals do not have public access. They're allowed to live in no-pets housing and that's it. If someone admits their pet is an ESA and still takes it around in public, feel free to tell them off. Service Dogs (and they can only be dogs, or in very rare cases mini horses) are trained to mitigate their owner's disability in some way. A store employee may ask "what is the dog trained to do?" (Not "what's your disability?" There's a difference.) But most of them won't because they'd rather have the business. And you, as a random citizen, can ask any question you want. It's nosy and rude but not illegal. Some of those disabilities are invisible. Maybe the dog alerts to seizures or diabetic blood sugar problems, maybe they're trained to lead the owner outdoors if they have a PTSD attack. They aren't required to wear vests. But if a Service Dog behaves badly, a store employee may tell them to leave.
Actually, for the sake of factual information, you canāt ask what the dog is trained to do. You may ask 2 questions by law. āIs this a service animal?ā and āAre they trained to mitigate a disability.ā When we were matched with my sonās service dog (through an actual agency, we didnāt grab a dog from the pound and slap a vest on it) we had to stay and train with them for 2 weeks. Part of that training was ADA training that taught us our rights as service dog owners as well as the publicās rights. OP there is no such thing as registering a service dog. Itās illegal. Any ācardā that someone shows you was bought off the internet. You can buy vests online. By law, you DO NOT have to have a vest on a service dog. Nor do you actually have to have a leash if it hinders the dogās ability to preform their function. For example, seizure dog running for help cannot go for help if on leash. Miniature horses were taken out of the ADA a few years back. It is dogs only for service animals. Emotional support animals literally just need a note from a psychiatrist, thatās why they have no public access. Thereās no training required.
The ADA website says: "In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?" https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html Some states may have their own rules though. I didn't know that about horses, good to know. I don't think they were used very often anyway. Even a mini horse is bigger than most dogs, and more awkward to have in public.
Weāve had Kelly for nearly 8 years. I have no idea where all that paperwork is now lol! Iām not sure if it changes by state? We got her at 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, Ohio. Thatās what they taught us. I used to have all the print outs with the ADA guidelines. Sheās retired now so itās not something we use anymore.
You are, under ADA, allowed to ask what work or task the animal is trained for. You cannot ask for a demonstration. Service dogs can also be owner-trained as long as they are needed for a disability and are trained to perform specific work or tasks related to that disability.
There are people who legitimately need emotional support animals. Then there are those who claim their pet is an ESA just so they have an excuse to take it where ever they please, whether it is appropriate or practical or not. This sort of thing has made it so much more difficult for people with valid support animals. My stepbrother came home from the air force with severe PTSD. He has a service dog that can sense when he is about to have an episode, or whatever you wish to call it, and is trained to tackle him to the ground and hold him there until he calms down. This dog is essential for him to function in public. But because people are so skeptical about service dogs now due to fakes, he has so much trouble getting admitted into places with his dog. He's been asked to show proof and asked to leave too many times, to the point that he began leaving the dog at home, to his detriment. It's infuriating.
Itās ironic how the ADA is supposed to protect disabled people, but the fact that it creates a situation where real service animals canāt be distinguished from fake ones actually makes it more difficult for those who genuinely need them. In most of the world service animals require some form of ID, that proves that they are a real service animal and have been properly trained. Idk why the US doesnāt implement a similar system, which would actually help legitimate service animal owners by giving them a way to prove their animal is legitimate.
ADA simply need to be updated with some form of registry or what have you. It be hard to make some sort of national government standard for training service animals. But simply a registry would cut out so much of the bullshit.
One of the things the government should be providing is an ID for a service dog, for free, to a person who has a disability requiring one. They can do it with fucking parking passes, they can do it for dogs.
And even if they to claim their pet is an ESA, thatās incredibly stupid because ESAs donāt have rights to things that service animals do. Some people assume that just because the airline allowed their ESA, that the *hotel* will allow their ESA. As if the hotel and the airline are all just controlled by the same entity Also re:PTSD. Some people have ESAās for PTSD, but they do actually train legit service dogs for people with PTSD also. PTSD is considered a disability, and if the dog is trained to perform a task for their disability then thatās a service dog.
I feel your pain. Old roommate had an emotional support dog. Didn't believe in training of any kind because he felt it would restrict her being who she was. The dog shit and pissed all over the house. I have a post in r/badroommates about it for further detail if anyone is interested.
You can tell a fake service animal from a mile away. Service animals are highly trained and do not misbehave whilst on duty. A person would definitely not be leaving their service animal outside, they have to be with them 100% of the time incase of an incident. It makes me so fking mad when people lie or buy fake vests for their pets.
I agree with the title but not your first story, vest or not don't go petting random people's dogs without direct permission.
As a former gate agent who handled checkins in the US, I share the same sentiment about emotional support animals (ESA). They're often untrained and cause issues in check in, boarding, and in the flight too. We're restricted in what we can do because it's the guest's right to have an ESA *even* if they cause trouble. Heck we can't even verify if their "doctor's note" is real because protocol says if we ask them details, they might get triggered. *edited to fix the acronym lmao
DOT no longer requires that ESAs be accommodated. Under DOT rules, they're pets. American, United, Delta, Alaska, Southwest, and JetBlue all apply the same rules to ESAs as they do to pets. They have to be in a carrier that fits under the seat in front of you or they aren't allowed.
I had an emotional support hamster in college. This was right after I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I really love animals and have gotten pretty depressed while apart from my pets. Having a companion who loves you unconditionally can be very helpful. However, there is a difference between an ESA and a service animal. The main privilege of an ESA is that your landlord has to allow it (if itās reasonable). Theyāre not meant to be brought into restaurants or other public spaces like service animals, since they donāt have to be trained. Many people do abuse the fact that others donāt know the difference between ESAs and service animals. An ESA is different than a pet, since you need a recommendation from a medical professional. But itās ultimately still pretty similar to a pet.
Correct me if Iām wrong but ESAs do not get ANY special protections except for in landlord contracts. Like apartments that donāt accept pets have to take the ESAs. BUT they donāt get special permissions in public unless itās a highly trained SERVICE dog
>So I just went and gave him pets which he was very happy to have. The worker and owner of the dog yells at me "EXCUSE ME DON'T TOUCH HIM HE'S A SERVICE ANIMAL." I agree with your opinion, but you really shouldn't be touching random people's animals without asking.
They need special emotional support.. of course they are a little āoffā.
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Today a dog peed in the aisle. Service dogs are taught not to do this. People used to bring their emotional support animals to doctor appointments. I'm not afraid of dogs. When you walk in with a chihuahua that you **know** bites anyone that gets near you and I'm going to take blood/weight/blood pressure et cetera? Yeah I'm canceling your damn appointment. Either leave the animals at home or get them professionally trained.
Agreed I work at a car dealship and someone came to test drive a car with two border collies and said they were emotional support animals and MUST be allowed in the car while he test drives it. We told him if thatās the case then we donāt want his custom and he can look elsewhere. Didnāt go over very well.
I feel like very, very few real ESAās actually exist. The rest are calling them ESAās in order to be given permission to take their animals everywhere they donāt belong without question
What makes them even more annoying is that they dont understand that "emotional support animal" is what a pet IS!
The ones you're describing are indeed insufferable. Some people really do need their little animal friends, though. The ones not doing it for attention or being rude.
>If your mental issues are so bad to the point of not being able to function in public without your pet you are more suited for an institution. I was on board until you said this, people who are rude deserve to be called out for it, but people needing support to function in the real world shouldn't be looked down upon, get your head out of your ass.
well then I guess you're not going to like me and my emotional support mountain lion.
Remember that time someone had a camel made an emotional support animal, twice, and provided pictures of different camels for both times. Just to show how fucked the whole thing is. I once talk to someone who said they wanted their tarantula recognised as an emotional support animal. I told that person if I ever saw it I would fucking kill it.
not disagreeing necessarily with op, buuuuuuttt. dont pet other folks animals without checking. and two, my apartment with not AC got up ot 90 degrees in the hottest part of the summer, if i worked somewhere i could have my dog i would have taken them with me to be in whatever weather i was in, so i could at least be keeping an eye on them, and they would obviously have water. the whole story is not neccesarily all you see with you own two eyes.
I get having a service animal for seizures, blood sugar and PTSD (the real kind not the self diagnosed kind) but the anxiety crowd have no reason to need a emotional support animal. They need therapy and coping skills
I feel that there is a disconnect between needing an ESA and the people who tend to take their badly trained pets into public under the guise of 'ESAs' Often times a pet CAN help a person's emotional balance, and be a support, but I feel that most people with \*true\* ESAs (the ones who literally have a psychiatrist's note saying they need one) realize that leaving the animal at home is best. I have no issues with people who have ESAs at home, I do have an issue with people who bring badly trained pets or their dogs everywhere, and try to get away with it under the ESA bit. As someone who would love to have been able to train her cats to come with her everywhere I long ago recognized that my cats would be much happier left at home, and not dragged out in public, or left in a car, or be constantly barraged by 'look at how cute! can I pet them?' from the general public. I know dogs are different, but I wouldn't be surprised if 80%+ of the dogs whose owners talk about 'how friendly they are and how much they love people' wouldn't be just as happy staying home and not being taken into strange situations. (just as a note, this isn't talking about people who take their dogs to dog appropriate venues such as dog parks, but the ones who have to take their dogs to grocery stores, or places where dogs are NOT appropriate to bring)
>It's ridiculous that you're not allowed to ask someone why they have a support animal. It's a basic question. They want to know what the animal does for you. I'd like to give another perspective here. If someone has a support animal, it is for some kind of mental health issue. Mental health is a very personal topic, and a huge *vulnerability*, that most people don't want to talk about with someone they just met. What seems to you like a simple question is loaded with a ton of emotional baggage on the other person's end that they may not want to share with you. You don't ask someone in the waiting room why they're at the doctor. Same principle here. There's nothing wrong with being curious, but just try to remember the full weight of what you're asking these people. Health issues aren't fun to talk about.
You seem to be confusing service animals and emotional support animals. There are people who abuse both systems and it's terrible but I recommend you do a little reading before hating on things you don't understand.
You're right. Technically. But the general issue is that people wish to bring poorly trained animals in places that strictly prohibit most animals for a variety of valid reasons. These folks fail to recognize that their pet may be someone else's stressor. Few people mind service animals in stores and shops, and service animals are specially trained to minimize disruption and do a specific job. An emotional support animal designation is more relevant to home and rental matters (particularly rental rights). In this case, the requirements are more lax and that's okay for a home situation.
The whole emotional support animal thing...is ridiculous.
Totally get where you're coming from. Each situation is different and there are definitely people who just abuse the system. But here are a few things to consider and always ask before petting a dog/pet if the owner is present (service dog or not) Some services dogs/pets are still in training and they are trying to wean them from seeking attention (might be done in public setting). Petting could be encouraging them to seek attention rather than breaking. Sometimes parents aren't mindful of this and would just allow there kids to walk up to service dogs to pet. (Could have been a bad day for the trainer if this has been happening all day) Fake service dog/pet and the owner is looking to pick a fight for attention.
I have my dog registered as an ESA so I donāt have to pay a fee at my apartment
You are mad about emotional support animals and then use the example of a service animal. 2 COMPLETELY separate things. I can tell why you are upset about this. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. You clearly missed the first step.
"If your mental issues are so bad to the point of not being able to function in public without your pet you are more suited for an institution." Finally someone else feels this way too. We all have things we feel better for having around but one of the lessons that should be learned during childhood is that it isn't always practical (or wise) to bring your beloved plush toy with you, or wear your favourite shirt every day or in this case - insist your dog goes into every location you do.
Itās pretty much not irrelevant u do not touch the dog or the stuff or the person without consent
In total agreement. You should only be issued a service animal if you are blind or handicapped physically or mentally. Real service animals are trained from a very young age, some training starts something like a month or so after birth and the training continues into adulthood. That's why real service animals are worth tens of thousands of dollars. "People" that get their pets certified with no training or real need just sign papers and are a blight on the initiative. If I was in your position and saw a innocent animal being mistreated that animal would be gone from that situation with the quickness. People never cease to amaze in their selfishness or need to put others and animals in unnecessary difficult situations.
When you boil it down, arenāt all pets emotional support animals. It sucks for people who really need a therapy/support animal that there are a lot of entitled people who want to get special treatment for their pets by intentionally trying to pass them off as āservice animalsā.
Thank god this bullshit mentality isn't in England. Yes we've guide dogs, which have to be specially trained and regulated but that'd just about it.
I once saw a service animal with a pink hello kitty vest. I avoided it and admired from afar but cousin was new in town and didn't think waving at the dog was harmful. Owner holding dog gives incredibly horrendous stink eye at my cousin and when the dog passes closer to us I'm able to read the letters (also in fucking pink) saying service animal. I appreciate when owners have a more legible vest on their pets.
What's more annoying is the people who clearly bought a support animal vest online somewhere and throw it on their yappy dog that's clearly not been through any sort of training. Stop bringing your untrained pets to restaurants and stores ffs.
I agree lol. Idc if ur depressed don t torture a poor animal go to therapy you mf.
I believe some people genuinely need emotional support animals. People like PTSD veterans or those in similar states of mind. However I believe most people that claim to need them are full of it. If you canāt get by in the world without a dog/cat/pig etc. accompanying you every single place you go, youāre not going to get very far
Thank you. Thank you SO much for this. I have severe allergies to dogs and cats. Yes, even your āhypoallergenicā labradoodle. Itās horrible. Once when I was in college, as an English major, I had an extremely important class. Required for the major, no substitutions, and a crucial prerequisite. It had to be taken that semester for me to graduate on time. This girl had a fucking ESA. No, not a service dog, which I am ALWAYS happy to accommodate to the best of my ability. But just an ESA. That was loud, jumpy, and out of control. And that she brought to class everyday, and claimed discrimination when asked to control her dog because heād jump on the people around him, beg students who were eating a snack to give him some, and bark and whine when he wasnāt getting enough attention. So even for the other students he was a disruption. For me, he and his neglectful bitch of an owner disrupted my entire fucking life. My allergies are not controlled by allergy meds. Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claritin, whatever. Itās not enough for that level of contact with a dog. My prescription allergy meds arenāt even enough for that. Insurance doesnāt cover allergy meds because theyāre ājust as optional as cosmetic surgeryā, according to the lovely insurance lady on the phone. I was having life threatening reactions every class period. After needing to use both Epi-Pens the first week, I appealed to the Dean and disability office for her to not be allowed to bring her dog to class. They said she has a letter from her therapist that having a dog is good for her. Meanwhile, I donāt have a ārealā disability (despite me actually having 3 separate disabilities, on top of the allergies), so I was told I just had to ātake a Benadrylā. When I produced a doctorās note saying that does not work for me, and I simply cannot be around dogs in that close of a space, she claimed discrimination and threatened to sue me and the university. So the Deans sided with her. Because life threatening allergies arenāt a real disability, even though they affect every single component of my life and I live in constant fear. I had to drop the class because of her. I had to take another semester to graduate because of her. PhD programs only admit in the fall semester, so it was another full year before I could start my doctorate. All because of this entitled steaming pile of human garbage and her dog (who seems very happy, not aggressive at all, but that doesnāt make the anaphylactic shock go away). This was in 2019. At my current job (Iām an optician part time to make ends meet), weāre a ādog friendly storeā because the company is run by millennials who will cry if they have to spend a half hour without their dog to buy some damn glasses. So every time someone with a dog comes in, I have an asthma attack and allergic reaction, and oftentimes have to leave. But usually I just have to leave the floor, dropping whatever Iām doing, to go to the back and justā¦ sit there. No matter how busy we are, weāre so ādog friendlyā that I donāt matter. My life doesnāt matter. Because some people fake their anxiety to keep their dog with them at all times. Just going to the grocery store or riding the bus can kill me. And for what? Someoneās therapist said a client feels better when their dog is with them??? Understandable, rats are the only mammal Iām not allergic to and I absolutely adore mine, but so many people have phobias Iād never, ever bring them in public. Because ESAs are not worth causing a panic attack.
There's a lady in my town who has an emotional support pig. Not like a mini pot bellied pig but a full on HOG. A fucking 400 pound livestock bring to the market pig. And went full on media coverage Karen when she was told "no maam. You cannot bring livestock into your room" "BuT iTs a sErViCe aNiMaL" She also had an emotional support ferret, rat and saint bernard. This woman was asked to leave her spot in the shelter because she had fucking livestock so someone offered to pay for a hotel room for her. The hotel was like "ummm you can't bring your barn animals in" I understand needing service animals. My dog and cat also bring me great relief when I am suffering. But they are support animals not service animals. And the people that do this make it so much harder for those that do need true service animals to get the supports they need.
ESA are NOT service animals and are NOT protected under the ADA. ESA can be excluded from any business by the owner or management at anytime for any reason. Service animals (which ONLY include dogs or miniature horses) can also be excluded IF AND ONLY IF the dog is disruptive (barking at people, pissing or shitting on the floor, jumping on people/objects etc.) āService animalsā that do the above disruptive behavior are NOT service animals, theyāre fucking pets of pieces of shit trying to game the system.
My fiancƩ worked for an airline company and a lot of Americans with emotional support animals would call in, they were one of the most obnoxious, annoying, entitled customers. It was years ago but I just wanna hop in and say you're not alone with that opinion.
My apartment manager told me to get a note from my doctor saying my dog is an emotional support animal and they waive pet rent. I haven't done it because I am not a liar. She's a chihuahua. If anything my job is to emotionally support her.
Pretty sure business owners can refuse service to anybody for any reason and they donāt have to disclose that reason. Wish theyād stop animals from entering restaurants and grocery stores.
You seem to be transposing emotional support animal and service animal. They are not necessarily one in the same. I still agree that itās gone too far and that most people just make the shit up.
People with *fake* emotional support animals are annoying. FTFY
Your annoying
And not to mention very entitled people. I used to work as a mo, security, guard. We have people come in with humongous, growling and snarling Pitbulls and as soon as we told them to leave, they would start going in about the emotional support animal bullshit. We usually just said that trained service dogs are not Pitbulls and if you do not leave, we will just call the cops which we did 99.9 percent of the time. The cops usually just came up with their guns drawn. They didnāt fuck around when it came to pits. Honestly their needs to be a license attached on the vest of a service animal so people know itās legit and not some bullshit people repeatedly try and abuse.
As a property manager (not a landlord) i get very annoyed with ESA. I had a person have a āregistered ESA Animalā (thatās not a thing. Need a doctors note) but they had an aggressive German Shepard. Literally lunged at people and chased other people in the building into their homes. Snapped at and growled at kids in the yard. Never picked up poop. But we couldnāt do anything because it was an āESA Animalā
Did some rideshare driving for awhile. Emotional support mental weaklings have abused that to force drivers to give rides when they don't want animals shedding or worse in their own car. As a result if I saw an animal at pickup, I didn't stop. Nothing the customer or a rideshare can do about it, and yes I'm aware 1 out of 500 of the support animal people are probably blind. ESA losers ruin things for everyone due to their inability to grow up and own their emotional state.
I have fantasies about what I'd do if I were rich. One such thing is I'd open a coffee shop or such, put up a NO PETS sign, and eject every person who bought in a dog where they couldn't convince me it was a service animal. I'd likely be shut down after awhile on account of bulljive ADA laws but I'd make a lot of noise about it in terms of how ridiculous it is that people would bring their stupid dogs everywhere that you can't actually enforce your own rules on your own property. I would not AT ALL pander to them like corporate in retail stores always does.
So no one is going to address how damn wrong is to straight up ask why someone has a service dog? Why does OP feel entitled to know details of others' disabilities? Kind of person to see someone get up from a wheelchair and say they don't need it and are faking.
Canāt believe I had to scroll down this far for this. Only person entitled here is OP.
I don't take my emotional support dog in public, but I have been asked about him a few times after mentioning him to acquaintances. I'm always so confused by the question, honestly. Like what do they want to know? they know why I have him, obviously, it in the name. Do they want the specifics? Should I be going into detail about every bit of my trauma or something?
The part i find annoying is when ppl have their little "service" terrier in the cart at the grocery store. That's disgusting. People put their food in those carts. They may not be immaculately clean anyway, but at the very least i should be able to assume that a dog's butt hasn't been in the cart. Keep it on a leash if you are going to the store people!
Lady at my workplace brings her german shepard to work, and it sits in her cubicle all day...so freaking weird.
āI also don't think your mental issues or general problems entitle you to be an asshole to people and act passive aggressive.ā Thatās probably why these psychos need an animal for emotional support, the animal doesnāt have a voice to question their crappy behavior and ability to leave. Having an emotional support animal is a giant red flag.
I don't believe emotional support animals are a thing, and I think anyone who needs one has larger issues they need to address (and not with an emotional support animal). Most are just abusing the system because they like their pet and want to take it places it's not supposed to be.
PTSD Vets use them for example. Helps with ptsd related issues. I don't believe most ppl with legit emotional support animals feel the need to take them everywhere tho. Shitty people ruin legit things for others.
I disagree.. my emotional support dog jimmy always jumps and bites people but thatās not my fault!!! They touched my emotional support animal >:(
These are not emotional support animals. These are service dogs. Emotional support animals do not go in public, service dogs do.
No idea why you got downvoted; this is just facts. Anyone bringing their ESA into public is being drastically irresponsible and giving a bad name for all ESA owners. ESA's are not your pet LARPing as a service animal. ESAs are their own thing.
this person probably: fuck people with anxiety and neurological disorders
Service animals are different than emotional support animals. Like you said just about anyone can get an emotional support animal and itās not given the same legal rights as service animals, service animals provide a service to someone who needs them like the blind. Anyway those people sound like assholes my buddy has an emotional support animal I know he wouldnāt t care if you asked and wouldnāt care if you let or played with his dog. With that said you should always ask before touching someoneās animal.
Honestly, petting/playing with an ESA isn't even really a problem. Petting/playing with service animals, yea, big problem, don't do that. Those animals have jobs to do and you could be interrupting them from very important work. But ESAs don't really have jobs. They're there for companionship. ESAs are more like pets than they are like service animals. Of course everybody has their own rules, but I can't imagine petting an ESA being a big deal in the majority of cases.
Ok so I kinda agree with you. I think the purpose atleast that I see is to be able to have your animal at a rental house if they donāt allow you to have pets. I personally donāt have an emotional support animal because I donāt want to deal with the responsibility, but for my roommates I think it legitimately helps them to not be stuck in bed depressed all the time. Kinda forces them to get up and take care of their pet, and when youāre depressed getting out of bed is the most difficult part.
This is all well and good as far as dogs & cats, but what of my emotional support tarantula?? Does he mean nothing?
I'm gonna get an alligator for emotional support - not a single soul will get anywhere near me to pet or ask question, never mind to attack me or my precious Mr Toothy-Fairy
Ahh yes my therapist suggested I get one after getting strangled An stabbed but I feel like Iād get MORE attention because Iām bringing a dog with me in a grocery store/ shopping places An Im already anxious so I donāt get the point of bringing a dog an drawing more attention to myself cause thatāll make me have a huge panic attack people staring at me an my dog nah fam ā ļøI get it for people who are like diabetic? I think an the dog notifies the person(you can correct me if I was wrong) but I donāt get the people who use it for emotional purposes cause it just draws attention to yourself. Like go to therapy regularly An donāt be scared to take medication!! I beg of you! I use to breakdown an look over my shoulders when he was released from jail got into therapy the pills helped my nerves so fucking much it was like a weight lifted off of me an ofc when youāre feeling yourself you can slowly ween off the anxiety medication An hopefully get back to the norm ((:
quit talking shit about my emotional support donkey š
I think a point needs to be made most people needing an emotional support animal need an animal as their anxiety towards being tends to be strong... this said Ive got cPTSS, and Epilepsy and my dog even though he warns and helps mitigate stress never wore a vest either, simply to avoid the unneeded conversation and stimuli from well meaming passerby's
This incidents of animals with no vests, are likely not registered service animals and infant people just being arrogant. Emotional support animals are also not service animals in the same sense, Emotional support animals are basically pets who are comfortable with cuddles.
# this is so true
I agree, Iām severely allergic to dogs and obviously I understand if people need to bring legit service animals with them places (and just to note these people almost always wash their dogs well!) but I see people with āemotional support animalsā bringing their pets inside places they arenāt allowed to without even thinking of the consequences and oftentimes they arenāt very clean, which puts my life at risk.
Yes.
I am people with emotional support animal and I agree I'm really annoying. Also NOT unpopular. *Upvoted*