When I first got my dog, I was told by an acquaintance that I should register him as an ESA. I told her that he wasn’t, and she said it didn’t matter. That I could just go online and find one of the sites that will “register” him for a small payment. I never looked into it. I was appalled.
I was appalled because I know of stories where ESAs have made dramatic differences in people’s lives. I don’t want to see that immense benefit be lost because some people think it’s a convenient way to get around rules.
Thanks for the info on the ADA thing, AYKM. I guess the acquaintance I talked to didn’t know as much as she pretended to. She definitely made it sound like a legally equivalent sort of license.
Personally, even if someone can get the same benefit from a medication as they can an ESA, I think they should have the right to choose their own treatment. Don’t people usually get a choice when they have multiple options available to them? But like has been said above, it should be through a legitimate, mental-health-professional-approved process, and the dog should be trained for the role.