Emotional Support Animal

If you are an animal lover and fortunate to have a pet, you truly appreciate the wonderful unconditional love you receive when your furry friend meets you at the door after a long day.  Experiencing your devoted dog’s friendly bark and wagging tail or the welcoming meow of your prudent and independent kitty as it rubs up against your leg, show their true happiness to see you.

Whether you have a dog, cat, horse, rabbit, bird, hamster, fish or snake, there is developing research supporting that pets have a positive effect on our emotional, psychological, and physical health, along with benefits of helping children with their emotional health and social skills, and with ADHD.

Pets can decrease our stress level by lowering cortisol levels, heart health and blood pressure. They can improve our moods, decrease loneliness, and provide social support, especially for the elderly and homebound. When owning a dog, it forces us to get out to walk them, opening the opportunity to meet and socialize with other dog owners.

Within society, we can appreciate the intelligence and training that dogs can offer to us humans, whether it be police dogs, search & rescue dogs, service dogs to assist those in wheelchairs or the visually impaired. Psychiatric support animals help individuals with psychiatric and psychological illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, PTS, in which these dogs are trained to warn their owners of an approaching panic attack and to retrieve their medication.

Most recently, is the development of the Emotional Support Animal (ESA), now recognized by the Federal Government and most Canadian Provinces, (including British Columbia), and the Territories, acknowledging that the ESA provides comfort, support, and calming companionship to individuals with emotional and mental disabilities.

Benefits of having an Emotional Support Animal

The benefit of having an ESA, whether a dog or cat, is that the animal doesn’t need training. So, your beloved pet can become an ESA, accompanying you to most public areas, (stores, restaurants, and public transportation, etc), but only if you have an ESA document on hand, provided by a qualified mental health professional or doctor. This document stipulates that your accompanying pet is an integral part of your treatment plan, allowing you and your pet the joy of having a day on the town.

Whether an ESA, a service animal or simply a pet, animals can be a wonderful companion and emotional support, as are the trained service animals to those with specific needs. All to say, that these furry pets, (especially dogs), are very present and mindful to the needs of their owners, as they are gifted with their innate sense of awareness, attention, compassion, and intention, as they constantly want to please us, providing us with the best friendship ever!

Get an Emotional Support Animal

If you feel you could benefit from having an ESA, click here to find out how!