ESAs vs. Service Animals: Are Emotional Support Animals Devaluing the Work of Certified Service Animals?

By: Austin Price, Staff Writer

I am sure all of us animal-lovers wished our pets could be with us 24/7 at some point in our lives. Perhaps it was because we were lonely or were feeling homesick. Maybe it was due to undiagnosed anxiety, and symptoms of depression. Or maybe we simply loved our pets as if they were our children and wanted them to be with us. But, in the back of our minds, we begrudgingly accepted that this was an unrealistic expectation of our pets, and a misinterpretation of the comfort of those around us. We understood that keeping an animal with us was inconvenient and a lot of work. However, we still secretly wished we could keep our pets with us, no questions asked. Well now, we can. 

The National Service Animal Registry is a for-profit organization that allows pet owners to register their pets, no matter the animal, as certified Emotional Support Animals. Due to the crippling stigma around mental health, Emotional Support Animals were originally undermined if not dismissed entirely. In generations past, physical illnesses were seen as more severe and debilitating than mental illnesses. However, Generation Z has challenged this theory using social media platforms to recognize their own mental illnesses, and advocate for accessible mental health services. 

In 2011, the National Service Animal Registry reported 2,400 emotional support animals in its registry. As of 2019, it reports over 200,000 animals registered. In the fight for mental health awareness, Generation Z has brought the validity of emotional support animals and their benefits to the forefront of discussion. However, critics argue that emotional support animals devalue the status of certified service animals and believe that such easy access to ESA certification leads to pet owners taking advantage of this process and using certification as an excuse to keep their animals with them in all situations. 

Officially, an emotional support animal is defined as an animal that provides relief to individuals with psychiatric disability through companionship. ESAs can be an animal of any kind, and do not require any specific training or receive an official certification that verifies their abilities. Qualifying for an emotional support animal requires a person to have a diagnosed emotional, mental, or psychological condition, such as anxiety, depression, panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, mood disorder, or other paranoias. ESA owners are typically asked to possess a doctor-provided ESA letter as documentation. Only a licensed professional can provide you with an official “prescription” for an emotional support animal, but the process is easily accessible and reasonably inexpensive with most ESA letters priced at around $100 to $200. 

In comparison, certified service animals are defined as a dog that is individually trained to perform tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a physical or mental disability. In some circumstances, a miniature horse who is individually trained also qualifies as a service animal. A service animal may be paired with a person with visual impairment, seizure disorder, hearing loss, mobility challenges, diabetes, and other conditions. Service dogs participate in strict training that enables them to help their owners function daily, including completing tasks and alerting them to potential oncoming emotional or physical episodes. To be considered a service animal, training and certification must be achieved. This training ensures that they can serve the medical needs of their owner on a consistent basis. 

The main difference between ESAs and certified service animals is their level of recognition in the Americans with Disabilities Act or, the ADA. The ADA is a law that prevents any form of discrimination against disabled persons in various aspects of public life, including education, transportation, employment, and housing. The ADA makes provisions for certified service dogs, allowing them in public places, but because emotional support animals are categorized separately from service animals, they are not granted the same level of coverage. However, ESAs are covered by The Fair Housing Act which requires property owners and landlords to make a fair attempt to allow ESAs, regardless of “no pet” policies, as well as possible protection from pet rent and other additional housing charges because the law makes a clear distinction from regular “pets” and ESAs.  

Due to the surge in registered ESAs, certified service animals are often discredited and underappreciated. For example, the Air Carrier Access Act is a law that gives airlines wide latitude over how various creatures are handled in the aircraft, and until January of 2021, it allowed ESAs to accompany their owners in the aircraft cabin. However, due to public incidents involving ESAs bothering fellow passengers, airlines such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have banned ESAs from traveling in the aircraft cabin and instead requiring them to travel in the cargo hold, where luggage and freight is packed.

 In the United States, service dogs were not legally recognized until the ADA was passed in 1990. The ADA defines a service dog as any guide dog, signal dog or other animals individually trained to aid a person with a disability. Because of the long overdue passing of this law, service dogs have earned the right to be considered mandatory companions for their owners with their specific disabilities correlating with their dogs specific training. Service dogs require more funding and support than ESAs because of the varying needs their owners have. To a lot of service dog owners, ESAs are a way to cheat the system. However, ESA supporters advocate for their rights and their desire to keep their animals with them whenever they deem necessary.

This is a complex argument. When a person suffers a seizure, they need immediate medical attention, which in some cases, can be provided by a trained service dog. However, the same could be said for someone suffering a crippling anxiety attack or a manic episode due to a mental health crisis. They may need immediate attention and support from their ESA as well. Many questions are raised in the debate over ESA rights and service animal requirements. Why should those with personal ailments be discredited based on an internal, mental illness? How are physical illnesses recognized as more important, or more deadly? Why has the stigma of mental illness carried on into the justification of the need for ESAs and why are they not given the same rights that certified service animals are? Should ESAs be required to receive the same level of training as certified service animals in order to be covered by law and protected by the ADA? 

Personally, I believe in the validity of ESAs. As someone who struggles with mental illnesses myself, I understand how powerful the presence of a trusted and beloved companion can be. I recognize that both mental illnesses and physical illnesses are their own entity, and should be valued equally, despite what part of the person they impact. I see the need for support from animals and how emotionally impactful they can be on humans. 

However, I also see why advocates for certified service animals are against ESAs. I think that the bias of ESAs and the belief that they are cheating the system is due to the easy access to ESA certification. As a result of the magic of the internet, ESAs can be certified by a pet owner without ever showing the company the animal. I do not think ESAs should be granted certification with such little restrictions and with little to no actual connection between the pet owners and the companies providing ESA certification. I also think that ESAs should be required to complete a small amount of basic training, making them behaved, pleasant creatures to be around. ESAs should have enough manners and discipline that they do not negatively impact those around them, giving them more access to more public places and improving the situation for the owner, the animal, and the audience around them.