Dogs have been sharing their lives with us for more than 14,000 years. This is just an estimate. These pets have helped, protected, and entertained humans. According to the US Human Society, around 40% of the American households have one or two dogs. Even if we don’t count dogs, around 35% houses have cats as their pets. From this you can have a pretty good idea of the importance of pets, especially dogs for us.
Now, let’s get to the point and talk about the term emotional support animals. An ESA is a pet or dog that offers therapeutic support to a senior or disabled citizen through affection, non-judgmental regard, companionship and so on.
In America, if a doctor realizes that a patient with a certain disability can benefit from an ESA, they may request the patient to have an ESA or travel with a dog. This may help the patient get some relief and enjoy their time.
Here it is important to note that an emotional support dog is different from a service dog. As a matter of fact, you don’t need to spend much time training the dog as long as the dog behaves well, according to pet standards. In other words, if the dog is toilet trained and shows no objectionable habits, you don’t need to train it. For instance, if your pet doesn’t bark for hours and doesn’t disturb your neighbors, you are on the safe side. In the same way, the animal shouldn’t be a source of danger for your workmen or tenants.
Another great thing that differentiates ESAs from ordinary pets is that they can fly with you on a plane even if pets are not allowed on the plane. So, the ESA will be with you even when you are flying from one country to another.
If you have a mental disability, you may or may not qualify for an ESA. Actually, it depends upon the severity of your disability and the recommendation of your doctor. Moreover, it’s the judge who will determine if you qualify. As said earlier, your doctor can determine if you should be able to qualify for the ESA. If you want to find out if you can have an emotional support dog, we suggest that you check with your doctor whenever you have time.
Now, let’s talk about the health benefits of living with an ESA. The benefits can help you decide if you should have one or not.
- Reduced cholesterol level
- Reduced blood pressure
- Reduced triglyceride
- Reduced level of stress
- Lower level of stress
- Lower level of idleness
- Improved mental health
This list of benefits is not complete. Only a real user can tell you how much benefit he gained from an ESA. So, if you have been looking for a companion to get some relief from your mental disability, we highly suggest that you check out this option. For further information and discussion, we suggest that you get in touch with your doctor.