ESA Certification in Alabama

Reviewed By Kim •  Updated: 04/29/22 •  3 min read
ESA
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ESA Certification in Alabama

What is an Emotional Support Animal?

An Emotional Support Animal is a companion animal, such as a cat or dog, who provides support and comfort to people with psychiatric disabilities by providing therapeutic benefits such as therapeutic companionship and emotional support.

The ADA recognizes that animals provide comfort and support to people with mental disabilities. Therefore, it is acceptable under the ADA for individuals with mental disabilities to use their pets in place of human therapy or service animals when needed because of their emotional support benefits.

ESA Certificate
Do You Qualify For An Emotional Support Animal?

We help people get the proper documentation to make their pet an official Emotional Support Animal. Online approval in minutes - Housing & Travel letters.

A person does not need a certification confirming their disability in order to use their pet instead of a service animal or therapy dog. It is only necessary to have an Emotional Support Animal letter from their doctor in Alabama for their pet.

Emotional Support Animals are animals that provide emotional support to people with mental disabilities. These animals are neither service animals nor therapy animals. However, Alabama, following the federal law, recognizes Emotional Support Animals as legitimate and necessary for their owner.

However, there are several things that a person must know about having an emotional support animal in Alabama.

Emotional Support Animals Vs. Therapy Dogs

There are several benefits of having an emotional support animal. In addition to companionship, these animals can also help with the symptoms of various mental disorders. They can help calm people with autism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression.

ESA Certificate
Do You Qualify For An Emotional Support Animal?

We help people get the proper documentation to make their pet an official Emotional Support Animal. Online approval in minutes - Housing & Travel letters.

While this sounds like a great idea on the surface, it is important to understand the differences between therapy dogs and emotional support animals so that you can make an informed decision.

An emotional support animal is any dog or other pet that provides therapeutic benefits for their owner. They are not trained to perform specific tasks, but they do have a soothing effect on their owner’s anxiety or other mental health problems by providing comfort and companionship.

Emotional support animals do not have any specific training or certification; they simply have an instinctual drive to provide comfort to those around them who suffer from anxiety or depression, which gives them a unique benefit over therapy dogs who are specifically trained to perform a task.

Therapy dogs are specially trained animals that provide assistance to those with disabilities or other health conditions. They are usually dogs, but can also be horses, cats, and rabbits. The tasks that they perform include guiding the blind, alerting hearing-impaired individuals to sounds, retrieving items for those with physical disabilities, calming the sick or dying, and providing assistance during medical procedures.

Therapy dogs are required to pass a variety of tests in order to become certified as service animals. These tests include passing a written exam on their training as well as passing an interview and behavioral test that is performed by representatives from various disability rights organizations.

They also undergo a training period of several months in order to ensure that they are capable of performing their task. In addition to the initial training period, therapy dogs must be re-certified every year in order to remain certified as service animals.

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Kim

Kim is a talented author, who loves animals especially dogs. She engaged in writing books and articles relating to animals a decade ago. Kim resides in Chicago with her husband and son. The family is the proud owner of a dog and a parrot (Jack and Lily). Kim wanted more than these two pets, but her husband put his foot down... She often visits elementary schools to talk to the kids about what she learned about pets and how they could learn from them.

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