6 Best Emotional Support Dogs

There are an estimated 200,000 emotional support animals in the United States. The majority of them are dogs. But it’s not unheard of for cats, ferrets, and even miniature horses to be certified as emotional support animals.

Emotional support animals are used for companionship and comfort for mental health issues. The animals can help with all kinds of issues, including depression and PTSD. But with so many dog breeds around, which are best for emotional support?

Service Dog Vs. Emotional Support Dog: What’s The Difference?

Emotional support animals are essential for many people. However, there is major confusion among the general population about the differences between emotional support animals and service animals. The confusion is especially prevalent when it comes to emotional support dogs. The misunderstanding is unfortunately starting to affect the disabled community, as some businesses and airlines crack down on animals on planes.

The main difference between emotional support dogs and service dogs is their purpose. As mentioned, emotional support dogs are for mental health issues. On the other hand, service dogs are trained to perform essential tasks for disabled people. The most common are Seeing Eye dogs. However, service dogs can also perform life-saving tasks such as alerting their handler to an oncoming seizure or low blood sugar.

Another difference between the two is where they are and aren’t allowed. Legally, there are very few places that service dogs can’t go. They can go to restaurants, grocery stores, airplanes, and apartments that ban pets. A big misconception about service animals is that they require paperwork or a vest. Neither of those is legally required, but many handlers use a vest to alert the public.

Emotional animals do require paperwork from a licensed therapist. There are sites online where people can register any animal as an emotional support animal. This has unfortunately put a huge strain on people with legit service animals.

The majority of emotional support dogs are necessary. Here are six of the best breeds for the job.