[alaskayorkie]

First of all, I think this thread is YT at its best. A possibly controversial topic has been discussed with respect, compassion and first-hand knowledge. I love it. I hope I don't screw it up with my honest question.

I'd never heard of emotional support animals until recently, and I find the idea intriguing. I absolutely believe animals can provide emotional support to people with mental disabilities and should be afforded rights to provide those services in public places.

My problem is more of a question. What's involved in the certification? As near as I can tell from Googling, all you need is a letter from a doctor or mental health therapist. I found some references that says the dog must have some social skills -- can't poop or pee in public places, can't be aggressive, etc. I found one site online that says if you can't get a letter from your doctor, you can pay $114 to be examined online by professionals and receive a letter from them. Not sure how they examine the dog.

But who determines that the dog has the necessary skills? The doctor? Doctors aren't necessarily dog experts. While they may see the calming effect the dog has on the patient in the office, will they put the dog through any testing to ensure it can behave in public?

While any dog can provide a therapeutic service to its owner, not every dog can behave in public. Some people are terrified of dogs of all sizes. Some people are allergic to dogs. Some people just don't like dogs. If emotional support animals are afforded the same privileges of highly trained task-specific service dogs, they should be held up to the same standards of training.

Just my opinion.