I love dogs. I mean, who doesn’t? I love cats, and bunnies and hedgehogs. I just love animals. I miss having my own dog sleep with me every night or having an animal to support me when times are rough. So, when I heard about being able to qualify your animals as “emotional support animals” or ESA’s with a certificate so you could take them into restaurants, buildings or even have them live on campus with you, my interest was certainly piqued. The first time I heard about them, I was wishing I could bring my dog to college with me and someone responding with “Oh, you should go online and get those fake emotional support animal certificates. It’s easy!” It sounded slightly suspicious, but I was only thinking about my dog. It sounded awesome. Just a few bucks and I could take my dog with me everywhere? Great!
Recently, however, a story popped up on the news about how someone’s ESA bit a child, and it wasn’t just any dog, it was a Pitbull. That’s when I realized the danger of these easy-to-get ESA certifications. If my dog, who isn’t trained like service animals, is approached by a person or child who expects it to behave like a well-trained service animal, it will not. This will inevitably reflect badly on animals as a whole, as well as people who actually need service animals. I was furious. This person has now put Pitbulls back in the public’s eye as something bad or something to be feared. This person has also put people who actually need both service animals and ESA’s in a negative light. All because the owner just wanted their dog to be out of a crate with them at the airport. That’s what I’d call selfish. I was all for condemning ESA certifications as a whole.
At this point, I was ready to scorn anyone who had an ESA by their side. However, right then was when I learned my friend was trying to get an ESA and had one in the past and for actual reasons. Through her, I saw that some people really do need them. She has panic and anxiety attacks, something I have seen my friends go through and have experienced firsthand and those are nothing to be ridiculed. Panic attacks can be nerve-wracking and terrifying, leaving you in a dark and unstable mental state. But, an ESA that is actually trained could help her calm down, slow her breathing, get her through her attacks and snap her back to reality. I was humbled. These animals are no joke. Through her as well, I was able to learn that here, it is rightfully difficult to get an ESA on campus.
All in all, my feelings on emotional support animals have changed quite a bit recently, but I think my final opinion is a good one. Emotional support animals are helpful when used by people who went through the proper process to ensure that they actually need one since their benefits to the affected person are significant.
