What Is an Emotional Support Dog?

An Emotional Support Dog is a pet that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual living with a mental or psychiatric disability. Emotional support animals are typically dogs, but in some cases, cats or other animals can be Emotional Support Animals.

What Is the Difference Between an Emotional Support Dog and a Service Dog?

There is a difference between an Emotional Support Dog and a Service Dog. ESAs provide specific benefits to their owners through companionship, non-judgmental positive regard, and affection to help cope with a person’s disability symptoms.

Service dogs are trained to perform tasks that mitigate their handlers’ disabilities. For example, a seeing-eye dog helps a blind person; a seizure alert dog helps someone living with epilepsy; and PTSD service dogs help veterans struggling with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not provide any rights for emotional support animals. The Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act also do not apply to emotional support dogs because they are not considered service animals under the ADA.

However, some laws and landlords include emotional support or comfort pets as a reasonable accommodation. Emotional Support Dogs Improve their owners:

  • Emotional well-being
  • Cognitive functioning
  • Social Skills
  • Physical Condition

How to Get an Emotional Support Dog

If a person qualifies for an emotional support animal, how do they get one?

In order to get an ESA (Emotional Support Animal), you must have an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional or doctor. In the letter, the professional will detail your need for an ESA. Before

Rolling Meadows Academy of Dog Training can start training your perfect trained dog for sale, we’ll need to receive an ESA letter.

Unfortunately, most airlines require documentation from a mental health professional to allow a dog or other pet on the plane. In this case, the owner must send the airline a letter from their mental health provider supporting this request. The letter typically needs to state that the passenger has a mental health-related disability listed in the DSM-V.

Some landlords are amenable to allowing an Emotional Support Animal for housing, while others require documentation from a mental health professional.

What Are the Benefits of Emotional Support Dogs?

Emotional Support Animals help people live well and thrive. The presence of an emotional support dog can prevent a person from avoiding social situations, give them the courage to leave their house when they otherwise may not have been able to, and provide a sense of safety and a feeling that the world is less threatening.

An Emotional Support Animal provides unconditional love and acceptance, which often results in lower blood pressure. 

People living with mental health conditions may also benefit from how to get an Emotional Support Dog since there is scientific evidence that the physical contact associated with Emotional Support Dogs can promote health. Physical contact with a trained adult dog can boost serotonin levels (a chemical in the body that helps regulate mood) and reduce cortisol (a stress hormone), boosting immunity and lowering blood pressure.

Trained Dogs for Sale: Are Emotional Support Dogs Right for You?

If you’re looking for a loyal companion that won’t leave your side, provide comfort, and increase your health, Emotional Support Dogs are a fantastic option.

Above all else, how to get an emotional support dog depends on your personal needs and what you hope the animal will do for you—whether it’s providing calming company when alone or making public outings less stressful.

The team at Rolling Meadows is always willing to talk with you to find out exactly what kind of trained dogs for sale will meet your needs.

What Breeds Make Great Emotional Support Dogs?

There are many breeds of dogs that are used as Emotional Support Animals. Rolling Meadows Academy of Dog Training only uses the best dog selections for their ESA program, so it’s important to us to know how you want your dog to help you and how the breed should be matched.

The most common breeds used as Emotional Support Dogs are:

  • Labrador Retriever
  • Havanese
  • Bichon Frise
  • Golden Retriever
  • Italian Greyhound
  • Bulldog
  • Pug
  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  • Maltese
  • Boston Terrier
  • Shih Tzu
  • Dachshund 
  • Poodle
  • And more!

The most important trait of an Emotional Support Dog is a calm disposition. Many different breeds fit this description. The right breed for you may depend on your preference or the individual dog being assessed. 

Rolling Meadows has a thorough selection process to match the perfect dog with the right owner. This process may take weeks or months, depending on the available dogs, but one thing’s for sure, you won’t regret the final choice when you buy a trained dog.

Rolling Meadows Academy of Dog Training Process: How to Get an Emotional Support Dog

At Rolling Meadows, our trained dogs for sale are carefully selected and trained to fulfill their owner’s requirements. When figuring out how to get an Emotional Support Dog, Rolling Meadows can help you through the process.

Our trained dogs for sale are ready to be tested for their AKC Urban CGC. The official AKC Urban CGC title is awarded after a 10-step test of abilities that dogs must complete to earn it. The dog must demonstrate CGC abilities and beyond in a city or town while navigating traffic, crowds, noises, scents, and other distractions.

The AKC Urban CGC is a public access test that proves that dogs are well-mannered and trained in public settings. The Urban CGC certificate may be used in dog-friendly businesses (e.g., lodging, retail, transportation, public facilities) that recognize and accept trained adult dogs with excellent manners.

Emotional Support Dogs are well-behaved and obedient in any public environment, including: 

  • Movie theaters
  • Stores
  • Public transportation
  • Airports
  • Bus stations
  • Different living circumstances, such as flats and condominiums, are used to guarantee that the dog will be a fantastic addition to any housing community.

At Rolling Meadows, we have the highest standards to ensure that our trained adult dogs for sale are well-behaved in any situation. When you buy a trained dog from us, you’ll never regret adding one of our dogs to your family.

If you’re interested in how to get an Emotional Support Dog, then we can help. Our team of experts at Rolling Meadows Academy of Dog Training provides the highest quality dogs and training for sale. We offer a wide range of options so that you’ll be able to find the perfect match for your family and lifestyle needs.

There are many benefits associated with owning an Emotional Support Dog, including:

  • Increased self-esteem
  • Decreased anxiety
  • Lowered depression rates
  • Improved socialization skills among children (and adults)
  • Reduction in loneliness and isolation levels

If this array of benefits sound like just what you need for physical or mental health challenges, contact us today! We can help educate you on how to get an Emotional Support Dog.

Rolling Meadows is an experienced dog training business that specializes in trained adult dogs. Fill out an application today to buy a trained dog and start looking for your new companion!