To humans, their pets are like their own children. They groom them, train them, take care of them, make sure they are well looked after. Humans have a complex relationship with their pets. It is all about giving and taking. They give a lot of their love to their pets and receive the same love back from them as well. Emotional Support Animals are growing popular day by day. These specific animals help some people with mental or emotional conditions to carry out regular tasks normally. The pet gives emotional support and comfort, assisting them in dealing with problems that would otherwise damage their quality of life. They are characterized by their capability to provide comfort to others by affection and friendship. Despite the fact that they do not get official training, they are a great aid to individuals who are suffering from mental or emotional difficulties.

"At realesaletter, we understand the importance of choosing the right animal as your emotional support animal (ESA). While any animal can provide companionship, not all animals are suitable to be ESAs. It's essential to choose an animal that is well-behaved, reliable, and can meet your emotional needs. Our licensed mental health professionals can help you determine which animals are best suited to be your ESA.

We also understand the animals that you should not consider as emotional support animals, such as reptiles, rodents, and birds. While these animals can be loving and affectionate, they do not possess the same calming effect and social intelligence as dogs and cats. We're here to help you make the right decision and choose the perfect ESA for your emotional well-being. Let realesaletter.com be your trusted partner in finding the right animal to support you on your journey towards a happier and healthier life."

To be legally classified as an emotional support animal (ESA), a pet must be prescribed by a qualified mental health practitioner, to a person suffering from a serious mental disease. A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist must evaluate if the presence of the animal is necessary for the patient's mental health. AnESA Letter is then given for these animals, allowing the owner to take them anywhere with them. Some apartment complexes, buildings, shops, and university campuses do not allow pets in their buildings.

ESAs fall under the protection of FHA or Fair Housing Act, which provides the owners with an ESA letter for housing so that they can legally have their emotional support animals live with them. No one will be allowed to tell them to take their emotional support animals out of the building once they have this letter.

The animals that can be classified as Emotional Support Animals are all domesticated. Domesticated animals are animals that have been carefully bred and genetically suited to coexist with humans across generations. These animals include:

•     Dogs
•     Cats
•     Birds
•     Rabbits
•     Mice
•     Pigs
•     Ferrets
•     Rats
•     Hedgehogs
•     Ducks
  

While these animals can be Emotional Support Animals, there are some which cannot and should not be considered as Emotional Support Animals. Usually, a landlord, airline, store, or restaurant cannot be expected to keep an animal that is too large to properly occupy the property. As a result, anything larger than a dog is rarely granted ESA protection. This implies that horses, cows, and other mega pets cannot become ESAs since they cannot safely inhabit the places that your ESA certification would ordinarily enable them to enter. Furthermore, landlords cannot be expected to accept a really large animal that may cause harm to their property. The mega pets and animals that should not be ESAs are:

•     Horses
•     Cows
•     Giraffes
•     Hippopotamus
•     Rhinoceroses
•     Kangaroos
•     Deers
•     Ox
•     Mammoths
•     Bears
•     Lions
•     Bovine
  

These animals cannot be certified as ESAs due to several reasons. First and foremost being that these animals listed above are really huge. Therefore, they cannot fit into homes, shops, planes, etc. Not only that but, it can affect the owner's health and mental health as well. The owner cannot take their ESA for any walks or in any building. It will really be bad for their health if they do not physically exert themselves at least once a day. They become lazy and lethargic, which affects their physical health and can even make them sick. This can even make them antisocial and harm their social skills and make them lose their self-confidence when they do not interact with other people.

The owner's mental health will be affected by this as well. By not going out of the house with their ESA, they will be confined to only a house or a room which can affect their mental health a lot. Apart from this, they require large amounts of food, which can be financially hard to support and can be financially burdening to people, which can in return affect their mental health and can cause stress. These animals can even be a nuisance to other people and your neighbors and can be annoying to them because of their loud voices.

As they are larger in size, they cannot fit into the apartments. Not only that but also an individual who is in the need of assistance of ESAs requires either physical touch or hugs for them to calm down. Being so huge they can offer physical touch but not the warmth of a hug or the assurance they get that they are not alone by holding ESAs. These animals also produce a large amount of waste which can be hard and tiring to clean all day long. The smell of their waste can also be a nuisance to the owners as well as their roommates, family members, and neighbors.

As Emotional Support Animals are not professionally trained and are given their status if a patient is comfortable around them and these animals make their stress and anxiety go away or help them with emotional problems, there is no surety that these animals might not be harmful to other people. They can be a harm to the people who are maybe trying to help their owners or are family members and partners of the owner, and these animals do not feel that their owner is safe with them.

Now that you know what kinds of animals can and cannot be considered as your emotional support animals, you can get one for yourself. All you need to do is get the emotional support animal letter and you will be able to keep your ESA with you wherever you want. However, it is essential to consider, practically, while selecting an emotional support animal. Fortunately, most ESAs fall within the boundaries of categorization, and obtaining a pet certified is rarely a problem.

Useful Resources:

Train your dog to walk on the leash - tips, and guidelines

5 best ESA dog breeds in 2023

Best Tips for Keeping Your ESA Pet Happy and Healthy

Taking Care of Your ESA Pet: The Ultimate Guide to Follow

Important Vaccinations for Your ESA Dog