Emotional Support Animals

ESAs provide support through companionship to alleviate symptoms or effects of a diagnosed emotional or psychiatric disability. Unlike Service Animals, they ARE NOT trained to do work or perform specific tasks for people with disabilities.

ESAs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the ADA.

See more regarding ADA Requirements

Animals that qualify as an ESA do not receive certification, but instead are recognized in a letter document by a licensed physician to relieve symptoms or effects of a disability.

This documentation may be presented to a landlord or similar housing facilities with the purpose of allowing an animal to live with an owner in designated non-pet housing (with a few exceptions) without requiring a pet deposit fee under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development .

ESA documentations does not excuse any damage caused by improper handling of recognized ESAs, and the owner is still liable for any damages in relation to the animal.

Initial 3 Steps:

• A diagnostic psyc interview (this can be done online/virtually and takes approximately 1 hour).

• An online objective test you, the owner, take at home.

• Gathering of prior mental psychiatric health documents (bills/records with your diagnosis code on them or evidence of prior prescriptions for mental health difficulties). 

The entire assessment costs $350. A $50 discount is available for actively enrolled college students and for animals adopted through recognized animal shelters or rescue organizations. Documentation required.

Traditional health insurance does not normally cover the cost of an ESA assessment. However, clients may use their Flex Spending or Health Saving cards to pay for the service.

Dr. Knowles will provide a specialized receipt, called a Superbill, that clients can submit this to their insurance and request out-of-network service reimbursement.

Based on scheduling, the entire process can be completed in approximately one week.

• Animal must have a valid veterinary contact and up to date vaccination records.

• Owner must be able to pass an assessment to determine if they are able to maintain proper medical, physical, and overall care for the animal so that any impairments would not cause neglect or harm.

• Animal must be surgically fixed as a requirement of TBFT showing responsible ownership.

• Dogs must be able to demonstrate proper controlled behavior in a public setting (defined by being actively enrolled/passed a training class or demonstrated in a recording of proper leash manners, recall, and nonaggresive temperament towards other humans or animals) .

The most common animal specis to serve in the role of ESAs are dogs, but other animals can be considered as well. This may include, but is not limited to, cats, rabbits, ferrets, and snakes.

Dr. Laura Knowles is formally trained to assess dog behavior and is certified as an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and dog trainer.

Beyond certification, Dr. Laura is a long term animal foster with animal rescues with multiple decades of experience with a variety of breeds and sizes of dogs.