7 Qualities That Would Make Your Pet a Good Emotional Support Animal

Any creature can be registered as an emotional support animal (ESA). Pigs, chickens, llamas, alpacas, sheep, goats, parrots, small horses, rodents, and rabbits are some good examples aside from cats and dogs.

However, not all animals can become an emotional supporter. Because if people were to register any creature as an emotional support animal if they desired, it would cause a lot of inconveniences — especially if these animals misbehave in public.

So which traits should your pet have to make them qualify as a good emotional support animal? Read on to find out.

1. House-trained

Your pet should at least be trained on where and when to poop. This will help you avoid problems during your travels when your pet becomes a legitimate ESA. Many rail and air transportation passengers complain about ESAs defecating in the cabin. Don’t be this kind of owner.

2. Friendly to everyone

It’s given that your ESA is friendly with you. But they should also be friendly with other animals and people. An ESA is not a guard dog and shouldn’t act with hostility towards others they don’t know. This quality would also guarantee safe travels.

3. Obedient and easy to train

Although your ESA is far from being a service animal, they should at least still have the ability to learn and obey simple orders. You don’t want to have an unruly and destructive ESA that would add to your stress at home and wherever you go.

4. Focused

As an ESA owner, you can expect your companion to be with you at all times even when you travel. It’s important that your ESA should have the quality of staying focused under any circumstance. That means not being easily distracted when they see another human or animal.

5. Gentle and affectionate

Good ESAs know when their owners are sad, anxious, or stressed, and it’s their job to be near when that happens to provide emotional support. However, some animals may have undesirable reactions even if they have good intentions.

Some examples would be lunging, playful biting, and scratching. These actions can harm you physically. If your pet does this, there’s no need to worry as you can still train them or change their character to act more gently and lovingly.

6. Relaxed temperament

Pair up your pet’s gentle actions with an easy-going character. It would be a problem if your pet is gentle when they approach you but is easily frightened when you approach and touch them.

7. Gives your life purpose, stability, and happiness

Lastly, your pet should be one of the reasons you wake up and do your daily tasks. They should be the reason for you seeing the world in a positive light. And finally, their presence should actually calm you when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, sad, scared, or angry.

Does your pet have all of these qualities and do you need them to be your Emotional Support Animal? Talk to your therapist as soon as possible so they can be registered right away.

Read more about assistance animals here!

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet today.

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

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