This topic comes up a lot with clients because it can be very confusing in knowing the difference.
According to the American with Disabilities Website:
Emotional Support Animal
“Not all animals that individuals with a disability rely on meet the definition of a service animal for purposes of ADA. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an emotional support animal is any animal that provides emotional support alleviating one or more symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. Emotional support animals provide companionship, relieve loneliness, and sometimes help with depression, anxiety, and certain phobias, but do not have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities. Emotional support animals are not limited to dogs.” Even if you have a letter from a medical professional, there are limitations to where you can take your emotional support animal.
It does not matter if a person has a note from a doctor that states that the person has a disability and needs to have the animal for emotional support. A doctor’s letter does not turn an animal into a service animal.
Service Animal
Under Title II and Title III of the ADA, a service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Read our Service Animal Basics page to learn more.
Animals in the workplace
Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by an individual with a disability. Title I of the ADA covers employment. Title I does not limit the type of animal that an individual with a disability can take to the workplace. With this in mind, allowing a service animal or an emotional support animal to accompany an individual with a disability to work may be considered an accommodation. Learn more about reasonable accommodations in the workplace.
You can also learn more about taking your service animal or emotional support animal to work by checking out our Taking a Service Animal to Work page.
Laws Regarding Emotional Support Animals in Texas
LifeWise Counseling and Wellness, LLC licensed counselors do provide emotional support animal letters for our clients. If you have further questions about emotional support animals, please contact us at lifewise@lifewisetx.com.
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