Fear, trauma, anxiety, and depression. It’s no lie that the rates of mental illness have been rising, especially when looking at current events like growing rates of divorce, political environments, natural disasters, and economic hardships — it seems the list never ends. A report by the American Psychological Association (APA) has indicated an increase in chronic mental illnesses from 18 to 44 years of age.
Perhaps when seeing the increase in these numbers we can make an inference as to why service, emotional support, and therapy animal numbers have also been increasing. As an article by New York Times stated, the National Service Animal Registry in 2011 had 2,400 registered service and emotional support animals, and now the number has jumped to over 200,000. Let’s discuss what the difference between service, emotional support, and therapy animals and look into why the usage of emotional support animals has risen.
Service Animals
A history of service animals has been recorded in various places throughout time. From guide dogs depicted in paintings in Pompeii recorded in 1516 in China, as well as in 1785 in France for a school for the blind, service animals have seemingly been present throughout history. Despite the presence of service dogs throughout time, it seems that the mass training of service animals began after World War I. This training started with one doctor, Gerhard Stalling, working with soldiers who were blinded by gas on the front lines. The doctor happened to leave his dog with an injured patient and was able to see the immediate effects on the patient seeing them interact with each other. Service animal training centers continued to spread from Europe to the U.S. and even further, each center dedicated to providing the best service animals.
The definition of a service animal by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in the 1990s. It is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Service animals are not required to be certified on a specific program, do not need an ID that identifies the dog as a service animal, and are not an emotional support animal as emotional support is not related to a disability. Though some service animals are not required to wear special gear, programs train animals with vests to alert the dog that it is “work time.” Even if you see a cute dog out in public with a service vest, respect their workspace and allow them to do their job. They are an important facet of an individual’s life that needs full concentration on their assigned tasks.
Service animals are protected under a variety of areas with the ADA. From being allowed accommodations and entrance into public facilities to being with their handler at their workplace, service animals cannot be deferred from any type of housing, can be with their handler in K–12 educational settings, and cannot be denied access to transportation, including air travel. It is important to remember that though service animals provide companionship, they are more than just a dog; they are workers who further provide freedom even life-saving interventions to those who need it.
Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and Therapy Animals
Emotional Support Animal
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an emotional support animal (ESA) is any animal that provides emotional support, alleviating one or more symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. Unlike service animals who preform specific tasks, there is no required training for ESAs. Psychiatric service animals are specifically trained to pick up on signals from anxiety attacks before they start. While ESAs are helpful, they ultimately do the tasks dogs were instinctively born to do: be a companion, show loyalty to their owners, or perhaps, even cuddle on demand.
ESAs are prescribed with an official document called an emotional support letter by a mental health professional as part of a treatment plan for an individual to support emotional, mental, and physical parts of everyday life. This prescription is recognized by federal law and gives the individual’s ESA official recognition as a need for their particular condition. ESAs are also protected under some laws like service animals that require employers or landlords to accept ESAs and make some other accommodations for individuals.
Therapy Animals
The definition according to the ADA is animals who provide people with healing contact, typically in an institutional or clinical setting, to improve their physical, social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. According to Medical News Today, doctors use animals in treatment plans of certain individuals to help provide comfort or increase movement and motor skills, develop social and behavior skills, and increase motivation. Some major examples of therapy animals in action include
- Therapy dogs visiting hospital, nursing homes, schools, detention centers and other public places.
- Therapy horses are great for individuals with psychological issues. Horses teach individuals work ethic and can help individuals deal with emotions.
- Therapy cats can visit assisted living facilities or schools for children. Often times, cats are easier to bring indoors and can also be a great replacement for those who are afraid of dogs.
Public Perception of Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals
Service Animals
A study done by the National Library of Medicine revealed both positive and negative opinions regarding the necessity of service animals with results overall being in acceptance of service animals and their use for individuals if it is a legitimate need. However, some negative results stated that though there is an increase in the use of service animals in society, there is also an increase in doubt with the people using service animals and “taking advantage of the system.” Some even answering that landlords “should be able to refuse service dogs” despite being medically necessary.
There is even some negative perception online regarding service animals with videos being posted on TikTok, which has further been taken to Reddit, with titles being “The service dog community is toxic,” “I am annoyed with the service dog tiktok community,” or “What’s up with all the tiktok’s about “not real” service dogs?” These videos in question highlight both negative public perceptions and even the discord between others in the “service dog community,” where people call out “unethical” handlers, service dog owners being asked for proof for the necessity of the service dog when entering any facility, or handlers criticizing other handlers for supposed malpractice and bad treatment of service animals.
Emotional Support Animal
Due to current events, there has been an increase in mental health problems and mental health awareness. A variety of organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) provided a variety of mental health awareness campaigns, which led to people being more aware of their problems. A report by ESA Pet stated that “ESA registrations increased by 50 percent in the past five years. 66 percent of ESA owners acquired their animals after March 2020.” With higher requests, there is higher awareness of what ESAs can do as a coping method for helping combat mental illness.
Conclusion
It is vital to note the importance of service animals for individuals to navigate life. However, one of the caveats of service animals is the upfront costs it takes to afford one — the cost of a service dog can range from $15,000 to $50,000. Furthermore, after the upfront costs, veterinary visits, food and other expenses can range from $500 to $10,000 a year. Sadly, many individuals who need a service animal simply cannot afford it. Even with programs to help individuals with financial assistance, it is easy to say that service dogs are precious.
Though, despite their legitimate use for individuals, it seems there is still some doubt regarding the legitimacy of the animal. Though there is no “one” registration of a service animal that is legally required by the ADA, perhaps having a sort of ID for service animals that can be provided either at a low cost or printed online for free, can help combat some of the doubt of those who are unfamiliar with service animals.
As to emotional support animals and therapy animals, there are also options for individuals who are being pounded by stressful emotions such as depression, anxiety, or intense stress. The ability to have your trusted partner by your side with you in places that may otherwise cause stress seems to be such a great way to cope.
Regardless of the status that label service animals, animals do a lot for humans. Make sure to give your pet a loving hug today.
Gerhart is a guest blogger at UITAC Publishing. UITAC’s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable, and socially responsible online course materials.
Images used in this blog:
- “Medical Service Alert Dog” by Alexandra Mazzola is licensed on Pexels. This image has not been altered.
- “Dog” by David Hou is licensed on Pexels. This image has not been altered.
- “Service Dog in Autumnal Forest Setting” by Janusz Walczak is licensed on Pexels. This image has not been altered.
