Few things are more relaxing than getting home from a long day and unwinding with your pet. For individuals with certain mental health conditions and disabilities, having a companion animal at home can provide significant relief from symptoms and a sense of routine.
Emotional support animals (ESA) are different from regular pets due to their ability to provide therapeutic relief to their owners. Federal and state laws protect ESAs due to the benefits they bring their owners, and it’s important to understand emotional support animal laws in Idaho if you wish to add an ESA to your treatment plan.
Below, we discuss Idaho’s emotional support animal laws in more detail and provide you with an overview of how to obtain an ESA letter to show that your companion animal is a valid and legally protected ESA.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal in Idaho?
An emotional support animal is any dog, cat, bird, or other animal legal to own in Idaho that brings comfort to their owner. Your ESA can be any animal, though dogs and cats are top choices, and your ESA is not a service animal, though they are not exactly a pet. They provide relief from symptoms with their presence and with the routine that caring for them provides.
When choosing an emotional support animal, consider what you are looking for in a companion animal. For example, a friendly dog that always makes you laugh and gets you outside of the home may be your preference. On the other hand, a quiet pet that provides an easy care routine, like a hamster, may be better suited for your needs. may help.
Another thing to consider is whether or not you wish to take advantage of pet-friendly policies in public. For example, a pet anaconda is undoubtedly a wonderful listener, but getting a business owner to allow a fifteen-foot snake into their establishment is unlikely.
If you plan to bring your emotional support animal when leaving the house, it may need to fit into the confines of what society is agreeable to – though note that ESAs do not have automatic public access.
Idaho Emotional Support Animal Benefits: How Do ESAs Help?
Animals that fall under the emotional support umbrella have been proven to lessen the intensity of mental illness for their owners. While some service dogs specialize in psychiatric help for those who have PTSD and other mental afflictions, emotional support animals have also given comfort to those suffering. The benefits of an emotional support animal in your treatment plan include the following:
1. Improvement in Daily Productivity
The inclusion of an animal in one’s life gives a person quite a few tasks to add to their routine. While this might feel counterproductive to improving mental health, getting up and moving around can be a massive asset to those who feel as if they are stuck. An emotional support animal may help renew productivity by offering new, meaningful tasks.
2. Reduction in Stress, Anxiety and Depression
The ugly truth of mental illness is that no matter what you are afflicted by, it will be presented in a package deal that comes with a concerning amount of stress. Studies have corroborated what pet lovers have known for a long time: interacting with animals can measurably reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels.
3. Simple Socialization Without Judgment
Around fifteen million people are diagnosed with social anxiety in America, which can make talking to others deeply unpleasant and challenging.
An animal offers a chance for socialization without the feeling that we are being judged, assessed, or quietly criticized. This easy introduction can help break the ice when trying to get back into the swings of socialization.
4. Reduces Loneliness
Having an animal around can increase a person’s ability to socialize, and it can also decrease feelings of unwanted isolation. The presence of an ESA can lessen the weight of extended solitude if you live in a remote area or have been stuck inside due to social anxiety.
We are social creatures by nature; having someone or something to spend our days with is essential to our physical and mental health.
Emotional Support Animal Vs. Service Dog: How Are They Different?
An emotional support animal has several similarities to a service animal, though these two companions are distinctly different. Both are not exclusively considered pets; both have rights that pets do not possess, and both can measurably improve a person’s life. That said, a service dog will require more training and have more wide-reaching access rights.
Below, we discuss the main differences between emotional support animals and service animals.
Service Dogs Have More Training
While an emotional support animal can be trained by the owner, and many are, it is not a requirement for the pet to be trained before they are eligible to become an emotional support animal.
On the other hand, service dogs must receive unique training that fits the job they are requested to fill. For instance, a dog helping the visually impaired will receive training for that specific role.
These differences can be seen in the way each animal approaches an owner with a mental health condition like anxiety. An emotional support animal will give affection and comfort to a person who is experiencing anxiety, while a psychiatric service dog will apply pressure and distract from an anxiety attack.
The ESA is beneficial through its presence, while the service dog is specially trained to minimize the severity of a mental ailment.
Service Dogs are Given More Rights
As we discuss the Idaho emotional support animal laws, it will become evident that service dogs are allowed in several places that an ESA may not be. For instance, a service dog is permitted into most public areas, while an emotional support animal is not granted this same public access.
Idaho Emotional Support Animal Laws
While Idaho has no state-specific laws surrounding emotional support animals, the state still adheres to federal rules and guidelines for ESAs. We give you an overview of the most important ESA laws in Idaho below.
Idaho ESA Air Travel Laws
If you are planning to take your emotional support animal on a flight, you must ensure the airline approves animals on flights. The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) was updated in 2020, giving airlines the final say on whether emotional service animals can come onto airplanes, if your ESA is treated as a regular pet, or if your ESA is granted the same rights as a service dog would be.
Airlines have the final say on whether or not you will need to pay pet fees and if your ESA can travel in the airplane cabin with you (service animals are permitted to travel in the cabin for free). Before booking a flight, contact the airline to learn more about the airline’s specific policies surrounding ESAs and be prepared to adhere to basic pet rules and regulations for your companion animal.
Idaho ESA Public Access Laws
Service animals are given access to many places, such as restaurants, retail stores, entertainment venues, gyms, recreation centers, government buildings, and more. Regrettably, the same is not offered to emotional support animals, which will have to either be kept at home or taken to places that are more lenient on their pet policies.
The guidelines for where a service dog or emotional support animal can enter are documented in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This act states that service animals are defined as dogs of any weight, height, or breed that have been educated to perform roles to aid their owner’s disability.
Unfortunately, emotional support animals are explicitly stated not to be service dogs according to the ADA, and they do not have public access rights.
If you feel your emotional support animal is an invaluable asset to your everyday well-being, consider training it as a psychiatric service dog.
Similarly, many restaurants and other establishments offer outdoor seating and pet-friendly accommodations. Always check ahead when trying to bring your ESA into public with you, and keep in mind that traditional ESAs, like a dog or cat, may have better luck with lenient public access rules than a hamster, snake, or bird ESA.
Idaho ESA Housing Laws
Emotional support animal housing rights are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA). This regulation protects against discrimination based on religious beliefs, race, gender, and disability status.
The law makes it so that landlords cannot deny people a home due to their need for an emotional support animal or service animal, and they must allow ESAs and service animals to live in housing areas even if pet restrictions or breed restrictions are in place.
Additionally, landlords cannot charge pet fees, pet rent, or pet security deposits to ESA and service animal owners. However, ESAs can be denied in some circumstances, such as the following:
- Excessive monetary or administrative strain on the landlord
- Massive changes to the overall nature of the landlord’s complex or company
- Health concerns for tenants or employees
- Unavoidable property damage, regardless of tenant placement
- The ESA is not valid or does not have valid documentation in the form of an ESA letter
A valid ESA letter from an Idaho-licensed mental health professional is vital to obtaining your protected ESA housing accommodations.
Make sure that you are diligent when looking online for a service to get an ESA letter, as several scams exist nowadays – an ESA letter not provided by a mental healthcare professional is not valid in Idaho.
Idaho ESA Workplace Laws
We all understand how certain jobs can be the main culprit for increased stress, depression, and anxiety. Because of the heavy toll some careers take on a person, it is understandable that an individual would want to bring their emotional support animal to work. Regrettably, besides service dogs, this is entirely up to the employer and business.
If you work in a place that can handle the inclusion of an ESA, it is worth reaching out to your employer to see if bringing your animal in is possible. Show your ESA letter and explain how it benefits your day and productivity. If this does not work, or if introducing an ESA to the workplace is unsafe or unhygienic, it may be worthwhile to find a similar job that is more accommodating.
How Do I Get an Idaho ESA Letter?
Obtaining an Idaho ESA letter isn’t as difficult as you might think. You will first need to think about your needs and whether or not an emotional support animal might be the right step in your treatment plan – you know yourself best, and it’s up to you to make the first decision in determining if you can care for an ESA.
Your next step after you’ve decided you would like an ESA is to contact a mental healthcare provider in Idaho. You can make an appointment in person or through telehealth, and you should be prepared to discuss your symptoms, any existing diagnoses, and your desire for an ESA during this appointment.
If you don’t have a mental healthcare provider in Idaho, we can help. Just fill out our ESA consultation form and we’ll connect you with an Idaho-licensed mental healthcare professional, who will give you an evaluation.
Your provider – in person or over the phone – will evaluate your condition and listen to your concerns. If they agree that you could benefit from an ESA and that you can properly care for your chosen ESA physically, mentally, and financially, they will approve you for your companion animal.
After being approved for your ESA, your provider will write you an ESA letter stating your need and including their professional details. You can then show this letter to your landlord or any other individual needed as proof of your need for housing accommodations.
Will My Idaho ESA Letter Expire?
Your ESA letter will generally have an expiration date of one to two years after your provider writes the letter. If there is an expiration date, it will be listed clearly, and you will need to meet with your provider again around this time to renew your letter.
It’s important to keep your ESA letter up to date so you can ensure your emotional support animal remains valid and you can continue to receive legal housing protections for your ESA.
Who Qualifies For an ESA?
Any individual with a mental health condition or another disability that impacts their life daily, and who doesn’t need tasks completed by a service animal, can qualify for an ESA. The most common conditions that emotional support animals are prescribed to help with include anxiety, depression, stress disorders, phobias, and PTSD.
Your mental healthcare provider is the only person who can evaluate if your condition qualifies for an ESA; self-diagnoses will not grant you a valid ESA letter. 
Keeping Idaho Emotional Support Animal Laws in Mind
The upsides to having an emotional support animal in your life are well-documented, and federal guidelines protect your ESA rights in Idaho. You can live with your ESA in any area of housing where your accommodations request is reasonable, as long as you have a valid Idaho ESA letter.
Reach out to your mental healthcare provider to discuss your needs if you feel like an emotional support animal would benefit your treatment plan or if you wish to transition an existing pet into a valid Idaho ESA.