Emotional support animal

I travel a lot because my husband is up north but my Mom down south and I help my Mom out most of the year. I was just wondering if anyone has gotten a letter from your Dr for an emotional support animal. My dog is only 3 pounds but is my constant she helps me get through some days of pain and keeps me company in the restroom. I had a few times that I had to switch around my flying because of animal limits on the plane but I know emotional support are allowed regardless of the limit. So I was just wondering if anyone has approached their dr and gotten a letter for flying andif so how did you do it. Thank you for any help.

I dug around a little and found this podcast about invisible illness support dogs.....may be worth a listen? good luck !

https://www.dogtrainersconnection.com/podcast/podcast-1/

Coral, this subject has been discussed a few times in the chronic pain forum. One of our members suggests these two sites that give excellent information for emotional support & service dogs. Not every state has the same laws for emotional support animals & you should be able to find this info on these sites.

usdogregistry.org & registryservicedogs.com.

Good luck.

Michelejc said...
I had my doctor write a letter right after the 9/11 terror attacks. I have a dog that I got right after the attacks. My landlord wanted to evict me so my doctor wrote a letter, as did the lawyers where I work.

Thank you Michelejc, if you don't mind me asking what did your Dr. write and do you have to get a new letter every year? I'm NYS upstate NY. Thank you so much for your help the anxiety I'm having is too much I fly back and forth at least 6 times a year so trying to see if she will be able to go or change my flight is too much.

Coral said...

Michelejc said...
I had my doctor write a letter right after the 9/11 terror attacks. I have a dog that I got right after the attacks. My landlord wanted to evict me so my doctor wrote a letter, as did the lawyers where I work.

Thank you Michelejc, if you don't mind me asking what did your Dr. write and do you have to get a new letter every year? I'm NYS upstate NY. Thank you so much for your help the anxiety I'm having is too much I fly back and forth at least 6 times a year so trying to see if she will be able to go or change my flight is too much.

My doctor basically wrote that I needed the dog due to high stress and anxiety from the 9/11 terror attacks. Since I work in Manhattan, a few blocks from where it happened, I had to go to work every day and see that horrific sight and smell the dead bodies for months after.

I don't have to get a letter every year. I got my dog when he was 2 1/1 months old. He's now 16 years old.

You can pay online services where DRs write recommendations. I saw a news story on the practice - I guess people want to do away with it, to some extent, because it's abused. I am sure some are more legit than others, but I was considering doing it when I was moving to a building that charged "pet rent". If you had the emotional service paperwork, you didn't have to pay... It seemed like a bit of a racket. My pets are definitely a necessity for my emotional state... who wouldn't say that though I wonder?

Coral said...

Michelejc said...

Coral said...

Michelejc said...
I had my doctor write a letter right after the 9/11 terror attacks. I have a dog that I got right after the attacks. My landlord wanted to evict me so my doctor wrote a letter, as did the lawyers where I work.

Thank you Michelejc, if you don't mind me asking what did your Dr. write and do you have to get a new letter every year? I'm NYS upstate NY. Thank you so much for your help the anxiety I'm having is too much I fly back and forth at least 6 times a year so trying to see if she will be able to go or change my flight is too much.

My doctor basically wrote that I needed the dog due to high stress and anxiety from the 9/11 terror attacks. Since I work in Manhattan, a few blocks from where it happened, I had to go to work every day and see that horrific sight and smell the dead bodies for months after.

I don't have to get a letter every year. I got my dog when he was 2 1/1 months old. He's now 16 years old.

Thank you so much. One more question, do you fly with your dog and if so have you ever been asked to show proof from your Dr.

I would think a Drs note isn't enough. There are some strict training and certifications for service dogs of any kind and you can't just claim your dog to be a service dog that would fit the criteria from airlines as far as I understand. You'd need a certification that your dog qualifies as a service dog since airline restrictions are a little more stringent than an apartment. That's as far as I know, however you'd have to look into it more I think and confirm that.

straydog said...
Bull, there is a difference with a service dog, versus emotional support dog. The training is different for a service dog & yes they do have to be certified. I hope that the OP will check out the websites I listed above. It gives specifics for both type & tells a person how to obtain. There is not as much leeway with an emotional support animal as with a service dog. Each state has their own laws on what is allowed with an emotional support animal.

Thank you I did check out the web sites along with the airlines I might use and the airlines just require a Dr's letter or rx from Dr. I'll ask my Dr. when I see them in September. One airline I use I can add my dog as I make my flight arrangements the other ones I have to wait and see when I get to the airport and that is too much stress for me and if I was just going for a day or 2 I could handle being without her but I go for 6 - 8 weeks at a time. The one airline that allows me to do the dog as I make the flight doesn't go to my hometown airport the closest airport is 2 hours away and getting a ride from there is hard. I feel under what the emotional support animal guidelines goes I do qualify for one so we'll see. I didn't even realize how much anxiety I had until I had trouble getting her on with me.