Emotional Support Animals 

The key differences between a service animal and an emotional support animal (ESA) relate to their training, legal protections, and the roles they play. Here's a breakdown:

Purpose and Role

• Service Animals:

  • Trained to perform specific tasks directly related to a person’s disability (e.g., guiding a person who is blind, alerting someone with a seizure disorder, or calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack).

  • Provide essential support that mitigates a disability.

• Emotional Support Animals:

  • Provide comfort, companionship, or emotional support.

  • They are not trained to perform specific tasks related to a disability.

Training

• Service Animals:

  • Undergo extensive training to perform their tasks reliably and behave well in public settings.

  • Must meet behavioral and task-related standards.

• Emotional Support Animals:

  • No specific training is required.

  • Their role is to offer emotional comfort simply through their presence.

Legal Protections

• Service Animals:

  • Protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S.

  • Allowed in public places (e.g., restaurants, stores, hospitals).

  • Limited to dogs and, in some cases, miniature horses.

• Emotional Support Animals:

  • Protected under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) for housing accommodations.

  • Not covered under the ADA; they do not have public access rights (e.g., cannot enter restaurants or stores where pets are prohibited).

  • Can include a wider variety of animals, not just dogs.

Documentation

• Service Animals:

  • No specific documentation is required, but handlers may be asked if the animal is a service animal and what tasks it performs.

• Emotional Support Animals:

  • Require a letter from a licensed mental health professional stating the need for the ESA due to a mental health condition.

Settings Where They Are Allowed

• Service Animals:

  • Broad access to almost all public areas.

• Emotional Support Animals:

  • Permitted in housing (under FHA) and on certain airlines (subject to airline policy), but not in public places like stores or restaurants.