What are your views on Emotional support animals and do you agree with them? Do you have one yourself? I've been considering in registering my seven year old miniature dachshund as one to help me cope with the stresses I face on a day-to-day basis. There is a history of chronic depression and I have been experiencing anxiety for over a year or so now. Maggie generally sits with me through the phases. She also helps with my nervous driving. I just recently got back into driving again. I went a year without driving because of no car and previously, three years after an accident. She just helps me remain calm.

With my hefty schedule, and lack of sleep ( which at this time cannot be helped because I cannot afford to quit my job, and I really do not want to quit school ) my doctor offered a prescription and I'd rather -not- be medicated. I just don't think that would be a good idea.

Thoughts...?

Edit: Feel free to ping me c:

I think of my two cats as emotional support. I have anxiety and depression and am on meds for both. I didn't know about registering animals though? Is there some kind of financial support or tax break or something? What do I need to qualify? I'm going to have to find that out.

I'm not really sure in regards to a tax break and I think if its for emotional support, then yes, you should qualify for it. Especially if you are being medicated for it. From my understanding you would just need a doctors note or consulting with them about registering your cats. I think for my mini doxie it would run between $75-$175 USD But I am not 100% certain on the costs either.

So you have to pay to register them? I wonder if I could get it paid for through my MiHealth plan, like medicaid/care. I'll have to call my doc.

When it comes to certification, getting the vest, tags, ect -- it does include a costly requirement unfortunately :C Not really what I want to go through but I kind of need her lol.

But then I could bring my kitty to work...if the stress from the car ride didn't do us both in, lol.

Yeah thats one reason why I want Maggie registered. Having her with me in the Car really settles my nerves. I'm a nervous driver to begin with and I've just recently gotten back into driving and I just don't care for the overall concept of driving xD

I'm all for ESAs (I have Panic Disorder, so I fully understand how much just having a cat curled up in your lap can help,) but please, for the love of all that's small and furry, leave them at home. House pets =/= trained service animals, no matter how much you love them or how much they might help you, and trying to pass them off as service animals is not only illegal (and any service that claims to "register" them for a fee is a scam,) but it's harmful to people with genuine service animals, who inevitably have to deal with the public fallout when someone's "emotional support animal" pees on a floor, lunges on its leash, or barks at or bites someone.

(And cats should just not be toted around from place to place. It's very stressful to them and can make them very sick. Please consider your baby's health, and whether it's worth risking it just to feel a little less uncomfortable somewhere.)

Talk to your doctor about getting a fully trained and vetted service animal; if you really need one in order to function in day-to-day life, you will get one and your insurance will cover the cost, or at least most of it. Not only will you have a pet that you can legally take with you into any establishment, but they'll be 100% bomb-proof and will pay attention to no one but you.

Addendum, from the Americans With Disabilities Act:

So, to-wit...

• The ADA does not recognize "emotional support animals" as service animals
• There are potential criminal penalties for misrepresenting a house pet as a service animal (through "misusing the vests.")
• If you're buying a "certification" online, you're being scammed
• Just please talk to your doctor to determine if you need a service animal, instead of forking over hundreds of dollars for a fraudulent "certification" and kit that could get you in legal hot water.

I was reading an article about that here on bbc. :O

I'm definitely not qualified to say whether you need one or not, so I think you should talk to your doctor! n__n If you could use the support, you owe it to yourself to at least try! :) I had a dog who gave me a ton of emotional support at home, so I never had him registered for that sort of thing. Plus he'd probably never be able to handle being out and about in so many situations with people. If you and your pet can handle it and the doc says a-okay, it sounds like a great solution, good luck! :D

Maggie is a seven year old Miniature Dachshund who does not behave like most doxies do. If she is within her own element, i.e. home, then the most she will do is bark at someone for entering, other than myself and my boyfriend -- she will bark at anyone else but the two of us when entering the home. lol. She is pretty low maintenance, house broken and well behaved. She's about as bad as I am when someone leaves the house. I'm kind of the person who wants to be alone, but I don't want to be 'left' alone. Like I like my space. And I do turn the tv on from time to time if I am alone in my home, ect. She absolutely LOVES car rides and she is super comforting when I go driving. I've only recently gotten back into driving. I am a pretty nervous driving and I don't like it at all. Not only that, I live on a mountain so it is pretty nerve wracking to drive. I've had a few nervous breakdowns to where I have had to pull over and let it phase through because I don't have Maggie with me. Its not fun at all lol.

On another note, Maggie does not appreciate it when I am not around. Its not separation anxiety. It sounds like it is, but its not. She literally does not like to be left alone without me around. I'm totally not disregarding anything, I figured it was a little outrageous to find these things online, and I have considered them being faulty. I do need to consult to my doctor. Regardless of the law, I do not agree with it - emotional support animals should be able to go where ever a service dog is able to -- if the animal is behaviorally suitable to do so. Humans are responsible for the behavior of their pet overall.

There are situations going on in my life where I do not know how to mentally or physically approach and talking to someone about it just isn't cutting it. |D I am looking into it, but I still am not 100% sure just because I don't want getting like gross stares or scowls because Im carrying my dog around with me. Thanks so much!

Yeah, if you'll get more anxiety from carrying her around then I'd consider the whole thing. I get not wanting to get stares. I'd probably feel the same way. Totally hope it works out for you! ;O; /hugs

Pretty sure if you have a ESA and you register at an appropriate place, they will give you a certificate, tags and (finally the perks) paying to register them gives them a free ticket to fly every time you travel. If you have the go ahead from your doctor and plan on taking vacations or generally have a difficult time finding a place to live because of your pet, registering them definitely has benefits. Having an ESA helps you through some stressful situations like finding a home, cheaper living costs, and they are allowed where other pets are not, so if you are needing to drive to work or the store and taking Maggie would make it easier on you, DO IT!

Of course if you don't want to pay the money or go through the effort then just go ahead and use Maggie for support even without an official title because she is going to be there for you no matter what :)