Frequently Asked Questions About Emotional Support Animals
What is an ESA?
ESA stands for Emotional Support Animal. ESA’s are an important part of a person’s comfort and well-being. Many people suffer from a multitude of debilitating emotional distress, ranging from just wanting to feel more comfortable all the way to depression or PTSD. ESA’s help people FEEL better. Many pet owners will get their animal certified as an ESA so that the animal can travel with them and live with them wherever that may be.
Does my pet get entered into a government registry?
No. There is no such registry for emotional support animals. Some sites promise to “register” your animal into a government database, which simply doesn’t exist for ESA’s. All you need in order to prove that you animal is an official ESA is a letter written by a licensed petcertified stating such.
What if I don’t qualify for an ESA?
If a petcertified reviews your assessment and you don’t qualify, you will be issued a full refund on your letter.
How fast can I get my letter?
We have expedited delivery options to choose from. By choosing “priority delivery” this ensures that you will get your letter emailed to you within 48 hours (usually faster) as well as have a physical copy of the letter mailed by USPS Priority Mail. You can also save money by not choosing the delivery option, which means you receive a digital copy that you can print out yourself.
How long is my letter good for?
ESA Letters are good for one calendar year. We make it easy to automatically renew your letter each year, and at a discounted rate.
What is the difference between a service animal and an ESA?
Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks and are essentially allowed to go anywhere their handlers go. Emotional support animals are not specifically trained for anything. ESA qualifications are based on the owner needing the animal for comfort. Since the animal isn’t trained for specific tasks, they can still be turned away from public places (ie restaurants, shopping centers, hotels etc). However, once people find out that your animal is an Emotional Support Animal, they are much more likely to allow your pet to stay.
Does my animal need any specific training to become an ESA?
The short answer is no. As long as your animal is well-behaved, there should be no problems with your ESA letter. The ESA letter is based on the owner’s needs, and not dependent on any specific training for the animal. However, even with an ESA letter, the owner is still responsible if their animal causes damage to property or harm to others. In most cases, people who are seeking an ESA letter have well behaved animals, so there are rarely issues that cause people to call the letter into question.
What laws protect me and my Emotional Support Animal?
Emotional Support Animals are protected under the Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act. These laws were put into effect to ensure that people who require specific types of treatment to aid in their mental health cannot be discriminated against.
How do I know this is a legitimate service?
There are many sites out there that do not offer legitimate ESA services. At PetCertified, we use real licensed petcertified to review your assessment and take any necessary steps to assess your need for an ESA. Our letters will contain the license number of the petcertified assigned to your assessment. If people call your letter into question, it can be easily legitimized by verifying the petcertified who wrote it.
Can I have multiple Emotional Support Animals?
Technically speaking, yes. However, prescribing multiple animals to one person for emotional support is completely up to the petcertified. Each case would be specific to the person’s needs. It is certainly possible, but there would need to be a reason that makes sense in order to be prescribed multiple ESA’s.
With a travel letter, is my animal allowed to fly with me on planes?
Yes, and this is one of the greatest benefits of an ESA letter. Of course, there are certain things to be aware of. The animal must be well behaved and not cause problems for other passengers. We strongly recommend contacting your airline before flying and letting them know that an ESA will be accompanying you. They have to offer reasonable accommodations.
Will my landlord accept my ESA letter?
Yes, because of the Fair Housing Act. A person who is prescribed an ESA must be offered reasonable accommodations. There are very few exceptions to this rule. The letter also allows you to bypass breed and size restrictions, and not be forced to pay additional rent and/or pet security deposits. Being said, owners are still responsible for the behavior of their animals. An ESA letter does not allow you to bypass responsibility for damages caused by the animal.
Is there anything else I should be aware of before purchasing my ESA letter?
ESA letters are a great way to help live a better life and work towards being the best version of yourself. At PetCertified, we believe that pets can offer the same bond of companionship that friends, siblings, and loved ones can. There are many options for how and where to get an ESA letter. We strongly recommend doing your homework before choosing where to purchase your ESA. Many sites out there are not providing a legitimate service. A few red flags will be sites that offer to register your animal in a government database, sites that only offer accessories and no actual letter, and sites that don’t provide the credentials of their petcertified. The actual letter written by a licensed petcertified is REQUIRED to have an official Emotional Support Animal. At PetCertified, we provide everything you need. We can answer any questions you may have by contacting us here: contact@petcertified.org
