ESA stands for emotional support animal. If you didn’t know what that means, then odds are you probably don’t need one.

The first time I heard the term ESA was while I was talking to my therapist. She suggested that it might be the next step in treating my anxiety and PTSD. I grew up with animals all my life, so I was very optimistic that having a dog to be my companion would be very helpful. I didn’t realize how much it would change my life.

Having a dog through anxiety attacks helped alleviate the pain and gave me a feeling that I was going to get through them. It was by far the best decision of my entire life. The sense of peace that owning my dog brought into my life was unlike any feeling I have ever had before; however, I did develop a new pet peeve through this journey; people claiming they need an ESA, just so they could have a pet in the dorms or other housing facilities so that they’ll be allowed pets.

This is wrong for so many reasons. In a community where pets are not typically allowed unless they are ESA, owners of these pets should be able to identify somebody that may be sharing their experiences. It builds a connection and says, “You are not alone”

However, this is not the case anymore. Nobody knows who actually was “prescribed” an ESA by a doctor or therapist anymore. This is partially because of how easy it is to obtain the doctors note necessary to allow your cat or dog to be an emotional support animal. I feel like housing offices and doctors need to regulate this action, and make sure that the people with an ESA actually need that animal.

When I was an undergrad, I had somebody asked me how I got my ESA to live in the dorms with me. She then went on to explain that she doesn’t have any condition that would qualify her for an ESA. She claimed her dog has anxiety and misses her and she thinks it would be cool to have a dog on campus. For somebody who has personally witnessed the power of a dog comforting her during a massive anxiety attack, I take great offense to somebody trying to cheat the system. Apartment complexes that are not pet friendly have these rules for a reason. Society needs to understand that ESA is just not a hoop you have to jump through in order to get a dog or cat, but an accommodation for people who actually need them. These are people whose quality of live changes for the better with these animals.

We need to start viewing ESAs differently. There is already such a negative stigma surrounding them, and it doesn’t help that stigma everyone and their mom has one that they don't need.

I am shocked at the amount of people I have met who have told me how easy it was to get a note to make their pet an ESA, even though they did not even need an emotional support animal. Rather they just wanted a pet and didn’t feel like finding different lease that allowed pets. I hope people start to realize the importance of an ESA and start to understand that when they fake and emotional or psychological problem in order to get an ESA, it is offensive.