Imagine that you board a plane and in the seat next to yours there is a parrot, in the front seat there is a ferret and in the row across the aisle, there is a rabbit, is this all a dream? Maybe, a badass dream though, but they may also all be emotional support animals.
You’ve probably heard of them before, and they aren’t just dogs that can fly alongside you. In the United States, they are already very common and other countries are slowly beginning to see their popularity grow. Now, what are Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)? They are just that, a pet that fulfils the function of support to a person with a condition.
“Oh, like those dogs that know how to react to the epileptic seizures of their owners!”
No, although an emotional support animal is just as cool, they are not therapeutic animals. Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks given the needs of the patient. There are dogs that know how to respond to panic attacks or acts of self-harm, those are therapy animals. Although an ESA may be trained, their role is to accompany, support and be hella cute.