Emotional Support Animal?

Question

My daughter gets mini-panic attacks/anxiety attacks from stress, and a friend of the family recommended we get her a small animal to relieve stress. She chose to get a rat, and she takes it with her in public. Some places frown upon and/or prohibit this, but I understand that you can get some kind of documentation from a doctor allowing the animal in public places. How do we go about obtaining this? She's 18, by the way, if that makes a difference.

Answer 1

I am not completely sure but I believe 1) Your daughter must be legally classified as disabled and 2) The rat must have some training.  I would strongly suggest checking here:

http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm

Print that out and take it to your doctor.  He should be able to provide you with even more information.

Answer 2

try Australian Bush Flower Essences Emergency Essence for the panic attacks. Put 7 drops in water, shake and sip till the panic goes, not a drug and she does not have to carry the rat around for emotional support, it can then be just a pet.

"Australian Bush Flower Healing" by Ian White

ISBN-10: 073380

Yahoo email group discussing Australian Bush Flower Essences

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ABF...

Answer 3

Rats are delightful creatures once you get to know them, and I fully support keeping them as pets. However, they are not appropriate for public access in places where pets are not allowed. Rats, being very small animals, have small digestive systems and simply cannot be reasonably expected not to urinate or defecate for extended periods of time, like a dog can. It is possible to potty train a rat, but it's not healthy or safe to expect a rat to "hold it" for extended periods of time. Think also of how stressful being in public spaces can be for a rat, which is a prey animal that has built into it a sense that at all times, it is potential prey. A rat feels safe and comfortable in a familiar environment like your home, but out in public the rat may become just as stressed and fearful as your daughter.

In the U.S., the ADA permits access to teams of a disabled person partnered with a specially trained service animal. A service animal is an animal that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks that assist a person with a disability, for example, guiding a blind person around obstacles, picking up dropped objects for a person in a wheelchair, or keeping a person who is having a seizure from hurting him/herself. Simply providing comfort and relieving anxiety do not count as trained tasks. This isn't to say that there aren't legitimate service animals for people who have psychiatric disabilities--they do exist, but they do much the same sorts of things as animals trained for other kinds of disabilities. For example, some psychiatric conditions (or the drugs used to treat those conditions) impair a person's sensory perception, so a service animal for them may perform some of the same actions as an animal trained for a blind or deaf person. However, not all psychiatric conditions are severe enough to count as a disability under the eyes of the law.

Answer 4

Service Animals are individually trained to assist an individual with activities of daily living. Only service animals have public access rights. Generaly they are dogs. You cannot just get an animal and decide it makes you feel better and then take it in public places with you.

Be aware that the U.S. Department of Justice is changing the definition of "service animal" to exclude exotic species.

"Add that ‘‘service animal’’ does not

include wild animals (including

nonhuman primates born in captivity),

reptiles, rabbits, farm animals

(including horses, miniature horses,

ponies, pigs, and goats), ferrets,

amphibians, and rodents;"

http://www.ada.gov/NPRM2008/t3NPRM_feder...

In order to qualify for a service animal a person must first be disabled. Only about 6% of people with the most severe forms of mental illnesses are classified as disabled. The animal must then be trained to assist with activities of daily living. SImply making a person feel better is not a trained task and does not qualify it as a service animal

http://servicedogcentral.org/content/nod...

In many states it is illegal to take an animal into public non pet places, and you can not only be fined but even imprisioned for doing so. I would strongly suggest your daughter stops doing so.

There are such things as Emotional Support Animals. They do have the right to live in no pets housing on the advice of a doctor, but they do not have a right to enter public places without permission. At present they can fly in the cabbin of aircrafts, but this is currently being reviewed in conjucntion with the new service animal regulations.

There are places out there claiming to certify animals over the internet sight unseen. Government officials are currently investigating them with the aim to close them down. I would strongly discourage going down this route, as even with such things you can still be charged, for taking a non service animal into non pet places.  All businesses have the right to ask you if you are disabled, if the animal is a service animal and what tasks it has been trained to perform. If you do not answer these questions to the satisfaction of them they can refuse you access.

Answer 5

Treat Panic Attacks and Anxiety:

http://treatpanicattacksandanxiety.blogs...

:)