Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
- ESA Eligibility and other FAQs - Answers to questions such as: "what is an ESA?", "who is eligible for an ESA?", "how do people get ESAs?", and much more. Specifically locates sections of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2020 memo Assessing a Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation as a source for answers.
- ESA Letter Guidance for Professionals - View sample ESA letters and guidance from legal and clinical experts
- Free 3-Part Training on ESAs for Health and Human Service Providers: On-demand webinars available for free at Open Door Veterinary Collective's Online Learning Center.
Research & Resources
- Exploring Benefits of Emotional Support Animals (ESAs): A Longitudinal Pilot Study with Adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/hai.2022.0016
- Paws for Patrick
A non-profit connecting young people to Emotional Support Animals and Therapy Dogs to aid them as they live with mental illness.
pawsforpatrick.org - Guidance for Veterinarians - The Role of Veterinarians in Assisting Clients Identify and Care for Emotional Support Animals avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/254/2/javma.254.2.199.xml
- Hoy-Gerlach, J., Volin, A., Rauktis, M. E., Vincent, A., & Landis, K. (2024). Supporting Rights to Emotional Support Animals as an Accommodation: A Scoping Review of Professional Guidelines for Verifying Eligibility. Anthrozoös, 1–29.
- 211 Helpline
We partner with 211, a human service-focused database accessible by phone or online. 211 links people with needed resources such as food, housing, utility assistance, health and mental healthcare, and more.