Emotional support animals have been in the news a lot lately. From peacocks to puppies - everyone seems to have some kind of ESA - myself included.
A lot of people have ESA's to be able to fly with their dog for free, avoid pet rent and deposits, and to be able to make it easier to take your pet with you anywhere you please. And for those of us who aren't simply trying to save money - Id like to send a resounding FU to the fakes.
I have anxiety. For the most part a lot of my issues are when I don't have control in a situation. That comes from having been through traumas in which I had absolutely no control. One of the biggest areas my anxiety presents itself is when I fly.
Thankfully, the more and more I fly, the more at ease I get about it - but I still get sweaty, anxious, heart racing fear every time I board a flight. I adopted my little boy Nashville almost 3 years ago. I had never intended to make him an ESA but a therapist suggested I look into it.
Now full transparency, ESAs don't have as many rights as service dogs, and I think that makes sense. I do hope one day we can allow for ESA's to be at the level of service dogs for mental health. For now, I hope that we will take the process more seriously than we do now.
Back to me. I eventually was able to get a note from my psychiatrist to have Nash fly with me and live with me free of charge. On the airplane, he is able to sit in my lap. For the most part, he sleeps. He has no real skill except he provides something for me to pet and cuddle, which in turn relaxes me.
Here's the thing - could I fly without my dog? Yes. Do I need him to survive my everyday life? I don't. But he does greatly ease some of the symptoms of my often severe anxiety. And that makes my quality of life better. And I deserve that.
Seeing people simply get a note from a doctor to make their pet an ESA because they're avoiding paying a fee - that makes me angry. It makes it harder for my situation to be taken seriously. It makes it harder for someone who is worse off than myself to be taken seriously. And it's bullshit.
Full transparency - you're an asshole if this is you and I absolutely believe that this should carry legal repercussions. Full transparency, mental illness - in its many forms - in people who truly suffer from it - is crippling. People who truly suffer from it, we don't think it's a cool trend. We don't think it's a fun label to carry. Most often, we don't even want to talk about it. We don't want to stand out because of it.
You wouldn't park in a handicap spot if you're not handicap would you? Don't get yourself a cute puppy you want to travel with if you can't afford to pay the cost. Mental health is a very serious issue that creates a lot of the problems in our world. For those of us working hard every second of every day to just "be normal," all we want is to exist with as little attention as possible. Don't make it harder because you'd like to make your life easier.
Full transparency, be a better person.