What sort of prescription is required for an Emotional Support Dog?!
Question: What sort of prescription is required for an Emotional Support Dog!?
I'm looking into getting an emotional support dog (yes, I know about exercise and food requirements, I'm not just hopping into it ^^) and I'm curious to know about the prescription!. I was reading that the prescription had to be from one's therapist; but I just saw that a general physician would work as well!.!.!.
So I'm curious to know which is the requirement!?
Additionally, I have issues with hypoglycemia and Colitis - so I'm prone to dizzy spells, and sometimes my blood sugar drops so suddenly I can't get up to get food!.!.!. so if I train the dog to support me during dizzy spells and retrieve food for me when my sugar has dropped too low in addition to helping with my anxiety attacks would that qualify the dog as a service dog or would it still stay in the realm of ESD!?
Thanks for any help!Www@Answer-Health@Com
So I'm curious to know which is the requirement!?
Additionally, I have issues with hypoglycemia and Colitis - so I'm prone to dizzy spells, and sometimes my blood sugar drops so suddenly I can't get up to get food!.!.!. so if I train the dog to support me during dizzy spells and retrieve food for me when my sugar has dropped too low in addition to helping with my anxiety attacks would that qualify the dog as a service dog or would it still stay in the realm of ESD!?
Thanks for any help!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
There are two different laws pertaining to ESAs!. The Air Carrier Access Act does require the prescribing physician to be a mental health professional, while the Fair Housing Amendments Act does not!. So if you need a prescription to keep your dog in "no pets" housing, a regular physician's prescription is sufficient, but if you want to fly with your dog in the cabin of an airplane you must have one from a mental health professional!.
In either case the letter should:
1!. Be on the doctor's letterhead
2!. Be no more than one year old (ie renewed annually)
3!. State you are disabled by mental illness and are currently under the treatment of the prescribing physician for mental illness!.
4!. State that in the physician's professional opinion the presence of an emotional support animal is necessary for your mental health!.
A third law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, deals with public access to stores, theaters, restaurants, etc!. It does not cover the use of ESAs under any circumstances (including with a physician's prescription)!.
ESAs require minimal training; just that needed for a well-behaved pet!. However service dogs require extensive training, usually taking 18-24 months to complete for a public access ready service dog!.
Here's a listing of the core skills all service dogs share:
http://www!.deltasociety!.org/download/sd_!.!.!.
On top of those core skills, service dogs receive task training!. Those intended to work in public also receive public access training!. Public access training involves much more than getting a dog used to being in a store!. It means extensive training to ignore distractions!. A service dog must ignore people petting and calling to him, whistling and even barking at him!. He must ignore food on the floor, at eye level, on tables, and even offered to him by strangers when he is working!. And there's more!.
So would task training alone make a dog a public access service dog!? No!. He also needs that public access training!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
In either case the letter should:
1!. Be on the doctor's letterhead
2!. Be no more than one year old (ie renewed annually)
3!. State you are disabled by mental illness and are currently under the treatment of the prescribing physician for mental illness!.
4!. State that in the physician's professional opinion the presence of an emotional support animal is necessary for your mental health!.
A third law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, deals with public access to stores, theaters, restaurants, etc!. It does not cover the use of ESAs under any circumstances (including with a physician's prescription)!.
ESAs require minimal training; just that needed for a well-behaved pet!. However service dogs require extensive training, usually taking 18-24 months to complete for a public access ready service dog!.
Here's a listing of the core skills all service dogs share:
http://www!.deltasociety!.org/download/sd_!.!.!.
On top of those core skills, service dogs receive task training!. Those intended to work in public also receive public access training!. Public access training involves much more than getting a dog used to being in a store!. It means extensive training to ignore distractions!. A service dog must ignore people petting and calling to him, whistling and even barking at him!. He must ignore food on the floor, at eye level, on tables, and even offered to him by strangers when he is working!. And there's more!.
So would task training alone make a dog a public access service dog!? No!. He also needs that public access training!.Www@Answer-Health@Com