Shreya Jaisingh

Many know what an emotional support pet is, and many know what a service animal is – but very few people know the real difference between the two. They both support their owner in different ways; however, they actually have several defined distinctions. The two animals have their similarities in species, capabilities, training, and more, but their certifications vary. No matter how similar they may seem, emotional support pets do not qualify as service animals.

The Americans with Disabilities Act describes a service animal as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” Thus, a service animal provides a specific service for their owner. Junior Cameron Mitchell says, “I know they have to go through training to be able to complete their jobs, and they’re often very mellow and calm dogs.” Regarding the purpose of service animals, Mitchell continues, “Guiding their owner and fulfilling something for the owner that the owner wouldn’t be able to do by themselves.” Service animals can also assist a person with hearing issues, seizures, memory loss, and mobility difficulties.

The ADA would define an emotional support pet as “any animal that provides emotional support alleviating one or more symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. Emotional support animals provide companionship, relieve loneliness, and sometimes help with depression, anxiety, and certain phobias, but do not have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities.” Concerning emotional support pets (or ESAs), freshman Ella Miller says, “They’re there to support people. They help comfort people. I feel like a lot of the time when people are lonely, they’re good supports.” Support animals can help with more than just diagnosed issues – they help with general anxiety, reoccurring depression, and daily stress. The ADA says, “Emotional support animals are animals that eliminate or lessen the symptoms of an individual’s disability simply by being in their owner’s presence. Emotional support animals are not limited to dogs and these animals have not been trained to perform a specific task for their owner.” Miller defines an emotional support animal as a “well-trained and sweet animal that’s there for people.” Mitchell describes them as “very calm and used for people who need a companion, so they use their dogs as a companion.” Overall, emotional support pets are trained to support one through mental trials and comfort any stressed or disturbed person.

There are quite a few differences between service animals and emotional support animals, but the ADA can identify the most impactive distinctions: “Only dogs who have received specialized training to perform a specific task or tasks for an individual with a disability are considered service animals. This is the key difference between a service animal and all other types of working animals, including therapy, comfort animals, and emotional support animals.” However, there are many more minor differences between the two. According to senior Sarah Silbermann, “I feel like the big difference is the type of condition it’s used for, like the severity of it.” Both physical and mental difficulties can be severe, so both are equally necessary, depending on the owner’s needs. Additionally, Mitchell says, “Usually, service animals are more for physical disabilities, like for example being blind or something like that, and emotional support pet are more for comfort.” These are only a few of the examples of the factors that distinguish service animals from emotional support animals.

Aside from the above differences, there are several laws regarding service animals that emotional support animals simply do not have. According to the ADA, “Generally, a service animal is allowed to go wherever the person with the disability can go, meaning that they can go wherever the public is allowed to go.” This includes restaurants, stores, and hospitals. However, these advantages do not always apply to emotional support pets. According to CertaPet, “ESAs can only go into public establishments that have a pet-friendly policy.” This is because although they might help control anxiety and calm a person down, they do not grant physical treatment, as service animals do.

All service animals require training, but emotional support pets do not require any training whatsoever. According to OneHealth, “Unlike service dogs, emotional support animals do not require any training or licensing. That doesn’t mean they’re not helping, of course. People who struggle with mental illness often report that petting or holding their animals helps them feel less anxious and lonely.” However, a person can train their emotional support animal by themselves. Miller says, “I have a dog, a cat, and three horses. They help me when I’m stressed. They’re good comfort animals, supportive, huggable.” Therefore, they can qualify as emotional support pets. All she has to do is get a license.

Getting your adorable untrained pet a license is much easier than one would think. A bit too easy. You could take an online survey at any time, at any place, with a few simple questions regarding your animal, and a few days later, you will have a licensed emotional support pet. However, be warned, because these websites will often send you a completely worthless, fake license for your pet. If the license is not doctor approved, your pet is not approved. American Service Pets says, “There’s a lot of mixed information and scams out there. Unfortunately, many websites claim to register your pet as a support animal but you’re left with the hassle, stress, and embarrassment of being interrogated because not everyone knows how to check these registers. Some websites make you dig up proof of a disability or doctors notes. Others provide a fake cheap unrefundable $30 letter that can’t be used because it’s not doctor-approved or from an official organization.” Therefore, finding a reliable sight can be extremely difficult.

Service animals, contrary to popular opinion, are not required to wear any vests to identify themselves. The ADA says, “Some individuals with a disability with service animals may have their animals wear vests as a way of communication with the public, but it isn’t required. In fact, there is no requirement for service animals to wear any form of identification or for the owner to carry any identification proving the animal is indeed a service animal.” Sophomore Aaron Bell thinks it is necessary for them to wear a vest “to like prevent people from touching the dog or touching the animal.” Mitchell agrees, saying, “This is because a lot of people often can mistake service animals for regular pets so it’s good to have that distinction. Silbermann adds, “I guess it’s better just so you can tell the difference in a public area, but I feel like at school everyone knows.” So, although it is not required for a service animal to wear a vest, some believe it makes it easier for others to identify one.

Although service animals and emotional support animals are two very different support animals with very different laws, capabilities, and training, they are both used to help their owner in the ways they need. Both physical and mental disabilities can be lessened or treated with the animals that surround us daily.