Animals have been faithful companions of a man for many centuries.At first, a dog helped to hunt and defended the person and his homefrom possible dangers. Soon the need for these functions for dogsdisappeared and they became loyal friends of people. Now, theseanimals are especially disciplined to help people with disabilitiesand people who suffer from emotional and mental disorders. Thesesignificantly trained animals are called assistance animals. Theybring comfort to a person with a disability, making her or his lifeeasier. Due to its purpose, a service animal has special privilegesin modern society.
Features of training of service animals
The training process of assistance animals takes up to 2 years.During this time the animal is taught to meet all possiblerequirements and needs that may arise in a human with an inability.First of all, it is helping humans who have problems with suchessential issues as vision, hearing, and independent mobility. Inaddition, service animals are taught to perform basic householdtasks. For example, dogs often know how to turn lights on and off,open and close windows and doors, upload and unload laundry. Also,animals are taught to provide first aid, bring the necessarymedicines to the owner and, if necessary, call an ambulance.
Another very important stage of training is learning behavior insociety. Naturally, the animal must defend its handler, but at thesame time, it shouldn’t be a threat to others. Mostly due to thisfactor, service animals are allowed into various public placeswhere pets are prohibited.
Medical indications to get an assistance animal
The most common medical indications for adopting a service animalcan be divided into physical and psychical. Physical issuesprimarily include visual, hearing, and mobility impairments. Dogs,for example, often become navigators for blind people, alarms forhumans with deafness, and extra assistance in getting around forindividuals with mobility issues. Dogs can also preclude heartattacks and seizures, such as epileptic ones. They are trained toprovide first aid or can call for help from other people.
Psychological endorsement is supplied by a special type of animal,namely the emotional support animals. They are attached toindividuals with durable depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.ESA also wonderfully fight against feelings of loneliness and helpsget rid of various social and anti-social disorders. What is notless important, dogs have a positive effect on the generalwell-being of the handler and his emotional state. They improve themood, make their owner more cheerful, sociable, and easy-going,help to make new friends. Therefore, doctors both therapists andmental health professionals recommend their patients to get ananimal, like a dog or a cat, in order to speed up the process ofrecovery and adaptation to new living conditions.
The protection of the rights of animals and their handlers
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hasestablished several laws to protect the freedoms of serviceanimals. In accordance with the law, pet policy doesn’t apply toservice animals, so their handlers don’t have to pay pet fees,including rental pet fees. The same is established in the federalFair Housing Act, according to which humans with inabilities canmake a request for a reasonable accommodation without any extrapayments. This requirement cannot be rejected.
Fair Housing Act
The FHA establishes equal opportunities for people to qualify for areasonable accommodation. Therefore, the landlord cannot denyrenting to a tenant who has a service animal. Furthermore, thetenants should pay any pet rent or another extra charge for animalaccommodation. Nevertheless, housing laws also protect the rightsof housing providers and their property. In order to get away withundue financial harm, landlords may ask renters about a securitydeposit for a service animal.
If a tenant wants to prevent the arising of any controversialissues with a landlord and lease the apartments legally, he or sheshould pay a pet deposit. These pet deposits are used only ifnecessary, for example in the case of damage to the property of ahousing provider or other inhabitants. When the tenants are movingout, the deposit is refunded.
The freedoms of emotional support animals
An registeredemotional support animal has a special right. This kind ofservice animal doesn’t have. official status, so different rules,and laws apply to them. In fact, the legal rights of ESA are notdefined. That’s why they may be denied access to public places onthe grounds of a pet ban. The owner of an emotional support animalwill have to collect a whole package of documents to prove that theanimal is necessary for him. However, in the field of housing, suchproblems often do not arise.
How to advocate the rights of an emotional support animal
The easiest way to avoid infringing on your rights and the rightsof your animal companion is to choose pet-friendly cafes andairlines. In case of disputes in housing, for example, when alandlord refuses to provide the accommodations to you and youremotional support animal, you may ask for help from the government.If you have all the documents, first of all, an ESA letter, the lawwill be on your side and the landlord will be fined.
