Emotional support animals

I'm having trouble getting a primary doctor to sign a simple form from my apartment complex saying that I need an emotional sport ammo yet my doctor has me on and I depressants transit tone for sleeping and they know I have various other issues. A why is it so hard for me to get a doctor to sign this form

Hello afrost: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to Psych Central. You didn't mention whether or not you've actually gone in to see your doctor with the form in hand. If not, I would think that would be the thing to do. Doctors are always busy. And if you're not sitting right there in front of them, this sort of thing can easily slip through the cracks, so to speak.

Of course it is also possible your doctor has some objection to signing the form. And if that's the case, sitting there in front of her / him would be the most efficient way of ferreting that out. If that should turn out to be the case, you may simply need to find another doctor.

I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

I think a lot of docs are wary of signing forms like that because many people use it as a way to just have pets wherever they want.

I'm going to get a kitten this spring/summer (maybe today!), and I was interested in registering her as an ESA. I did a bunch of research, as did my therapist (who was willing to do the letter for me). It turns out that Emotional Support Animals don't truly grant you much in the way of rights and/or exceptions (having your pet in a hotel room, taking it on a plane with you, getting an exception if your renter doesn't allow animals, etc.) Hotels, airlines, and other businesses reserve the right to deny you from bringing your animal onto their property.

Service animals are the only ones that can provide those type of rights and/or exceptions. As of now, only two types of animals can be registered as Service animals - dogs and miniature horses. You have to be able to prove that your Service animal provides a very specific purpose for you (i.e. alert to sounds if you're deaf, bring certain items that you aren't able to access, alert to the onset of a seizure, etc.) If you have a dog or miniature horse as a certified Service animal, there is a law that requires property owners to allow you to have your animal in your abode without discrimination or extra pet deposits.

There are websites out there where, for a fee, you can get certificates and even kits (include vests, leashes, carriers, and so forth that visually ID your pet as an ESA or Service animal). But, if your pet is not officially recognized and verified as a Service animal, and you get asked for proof, your animal may be turned away.

I hope this helps. I spent a ton of time checking into this.

Thank you all for your input. I probably should have gone into more detail. I have Hashimotos, depression and anxiety. Oh and insomnia as well. Anyway my primary doctor is the one that wanted me on Zoloft. I resisted for a few weeks. It was a punch in the gut to hear a doctor tell me I needed medication for depression.

So mind you this doctor has diagnosed me with anxiety and depression. And has treated my Hashimotos since I was diagnosed 4 years ago.

My neighbor mentioned to me about an emotional support pet. I asked my doctor about it and he wrote a letter for me. Unfortunately my apartment management needed their own form filled out. I signed the release and they mailed him the form. His nurse called me and said I needed to come in to get the form filled out. I'm figuring that he wanted to make it an office visit so he would get paid but whatever. I made the appointment, took time off work and paid the copay.

The first thing he said when he walked in the door is he wouldn't fill out the form because he didn't agree with the way it was worded, even though he completely agreed that the dog would help me.

So that tells me that he reviewed the paperwork before my appointment and knew that he wasn't going to sign it before I came in. I was more pissed about him wasting my time and money than anything.

I guess I'll have to go online or to a therapist.

I'm hoping the dog will help in 2 ways. One, with my depression. Secondly with the Hashimotos I have zero motivation to exercise. I'm exhausted. This way I'll be forced to get out and walk the dog.

Again, thanks for your input everyone

not true. if your animal is a LEGIT service animal..then it can not be turned away. but having a vest, card etc does not make it a service animal. that just makes you a person who bought crap on line. your dog, lets say, must be well trained to be a service dog & perform as such. it should not react with others when it is working, must be well behaved, think guide dog for the blind behavior.

as an esa your dog has no real rights in the public. the law was originally written to provide rights for housing. anything that has come after is gravy. basically it is your pet offering support. your pet should not be allowed the same privileges as a service animal.

vests, id,s leashes..those really mean nothing for the most part. anyone can buy those on line ..they don't prove that the animal is trained or qualified to wear them.

there is no formal "id" card for service dogs, esa's or therapy dogs. service dogs may have an id from the agency that trained them, same is true for therapy dogs if they are trained and certified by an ageny. esa's have none except for the dr notes.

therapy dogs get NO special privileges except when they are considered working. then they can have access to libraries, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

To determine if an animal is a service animal, you may ask two questions:
Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

you may ask nothing else. period.

if a facility denies access because of a legit service dog, they can & should be reported. it is a violation of federal law.

Kindly pointing out that we said pretty much the same thing, resurgam.

Service animals have legal support behind them in several situations. Emotional support animals might be accepted by some businesses, but are not required to. Therapy animals are trained and often certified to provide support for others (i.e. nursing homes, hospitals), but have about the same privileges as an ESA.

These links might be helpful:

Difference Between a Therapy Dog vs a Service Dog

Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals | ADA National Network

My apartment manager said as long as there is a signature on the form I'm good to go. Does not have to be registered as a service animal. I'm sure different places have different rilea though