Few things are more relaxing than getting home from a long day and unwinding with your favorite pets. In fact, the positive feelings associated with quality pet time have brought forth a unique idea: emotional support animals. Animal assistance has gotten a lot of positive press from both satisfied owners and academic studies alike.
The buzz around beneficial buddies has been notable enough that there are now federal laws that protect ESA owners in certain aspects of their lives.
These laws aren’t as abundant as those surrounding service dogs, though they are helpful enough that anyone considering an emotional support animal should know about them. Settle in with some hot tea and your fuzziest friend as we discuss the Idaho laws surrounding emotional support animals.
What Makes an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal is any dog, cat, canary, or other domesticated species that brings comfort to their primary caregiver. It is an emotionally uplifting middle-ground between a pet and a service dog, though they are not explicitly considered either. While any animal can technically be an emotional support animal, certain four-legged friends are better than others.
A potential emotional support animal should be attentive, empathic, and intuitive. A friendly dog that always makes you laugh may help. Still, if it is often destructive or excitable, it is not helpful when you are experiencing an anxiety attack or mounting depression. Finding a calm animal is also important because it can improve its ability to be accepted into places.
Another thing to consider is the type of animal. Your anaconda is undoubtedly a wonderful listener. However, getting a business owner to allow a fifteen-foot snake into their establishment will take serious charisma. 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.
Emotional Support Animal Benefits
Animals that fall under the emotional support umbrella have been proven to lessen the intensity of mental illness in the lives of caretakers. 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.
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 in the mud. 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.
Naturally, people will then wonder how reducing stress will matter if their anxiety simply brings up their cortisol levels in an hour or two. Well, science is on the side of your four-legged friend yet again; lowered levels of anxiety and depression were found in older people who interacted with animals regularly. An ESA isn’t a panacea, but it is a worthy choice for anyone suffering.
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
Piggybacking on the idea that having an animal around can increase a person’s ability to socialize, it can also decrease feelings of unwanted isolation. Having an animal around 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 dog and some of the privileges of a service dog, though they 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 typically require more training and demand a certain temperament.
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 instructed before getting an ESA letter. Service dogs are a different story altogether. 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.
For those growing frustrated wondering why mental illnesses do not have specialized options, rest assured, they exist. There are psychiatric service dogs who specialize in minimizing the symptoms and effects of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and much more.
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. One is beneficial through its presence, while the other is specialized to minimize the severity of a mental ailment.
Service Dogs are Given More Freedoms
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 must be allowed into just about any public area, while an emotional support animal is not required to be given access.
Federal law never recognizes Service dogs as pets (though limitations still apply), whereas an emotional support animal will depend on the situation and scenario. Several variables will change what an ESA is considered, which is why researching laws surrounding emotional support animals is so important.
Idaho Emotional Support Animal Laws
Emotional support animals have quite a few privileges compared to regular pets, though they are still far behind service dogs. Because of this, people with sincere mental illnesses should look into having their dog trained as a psychiatric service dog. If that is not possible, shop around for businesses, travel options, and jobs more accommodating to an ESA.
Idaho has no state laws surrounding emotional support animals, though there are still federal rules and guidelines that people must adhere to. Some of these, like the Fair Housing Act, are firmly on the side of emotional service animals. Other laws, however, leave it up to businesses to decide whether they will accept an ESA.
Idaho ESA Travel Laws
If you are planning to take your emotional support animal on a flight, you will need to research and make a few calls to ensure the airline approves of it. The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) was updated in 2020, giving airlines the final say on whether emotional service animals can come onto airplanes.
Most United States airlines no longer allow emotional service dogs in passenger seating, and they will likely have to be stowed next to other pets.
Even service dog owners – who are legally allowed to bring their canines on planes – will usually be required to present a Department of Transportation (DOT) transportation form to fly. These DOT forms will attest to the dog’s temperament, level of training, and overall health to ensure it will be calm and not obstruct passengers or delay the flight.
Emotional support animals are not forbidden from flying on planes, though it is unlikely at the time of this article. However, getting your ESA trained well enough to sit through a takeoff and landing without barking, growling, or relieving itself is crucial if they are let on.
A good rule of thumb for people attempting to bring on their emotional support animal is to ensure it is in line with the rules and regulations for service dogs.
Service Dog ACAA Guidelines are the following:
- An individual is allowed two service dogs per person, and the animals must be small enough to avoid getting in the way of foot traffic through the aisle.
- They must not be a threat or health concern to other passengers.
- The dog cannot be disruptive or cause delays in the airport or airplane.
- If a person does not provide a DOT service animal form to an airline that requires it, the animal may be denied entry.
All airports within the boundaries of the United States are legally required to have an area where service animals can relieve themselves. If you need to give your pet a chance to use the bathroom, ask an employee for the location of that airport’s service animal relief area. Even if your ESA is stowed with other pets, it must still be well-behaved in airports.
Idaho ESA Business 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 ESA 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.
The service dog title does not mean that a dog has to go to a professional trainer or wear a harness with the words “SERVICE DOG” along the side. These additions are brilliantly thoughtful for owners who do not want to have a giant sign on their service dog. Unfortunately, emotional support animals are explicitly stated to not be service dogs according to the ADA.
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 dog-friendly accommodations.
The Western world has a deep love for dogs, and businesses have wisely capitalized on this by making accommodations for canine fanatics. Because of this timeless love for pooches, an emotional support dog may have more freedom in public than other animals. This isn’t to say your rabbit can’t perform the task, though it may unfortunately not be taken as seriously.
Idaho ESA Housing Laws
For those who have diligently read from top to bottom, it may seem like the world completely ignores emotional support animals as a therapy tool. This is not the case for your living situation, which is well protected under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Emotional support animals and service dogs can legally live with owners outside of specific outliers.
The Fair Housing Act protects against discrimination based on religious beliefs, race, mental or physical ailments, etc. The law makes it so that landlords cannot deny people a home because of intrinsic qualities and gives those with mental illnesses the tools needed to improve. They cannot charge a pet fee for an animal not qualified as a pet under the FHA either.
The landlord can reject an ESA if the potential acceptance causes:
- 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
It is important to note that you cannot claim any random animal as an ESA when trying to rent. You will need an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional speaking to your need for a support animal. You will also need to be diagnosed with a mental illness (anxiety, depression, phobias, etc) before requesting an ESA letter.
Be wary and diligent when looking online for service to get an ESA letter, as several scams exist nowadays.
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, it may be worthwhile to find a similar job that is more accommodating.
We all have had bad jobs and are aware of the incredible toll it takes on our mental state. If your job is causing you undue stress and you can’t handle it without your ESA, then find a job where you can go through a shift without needing a therapeutic companion. Unfortunately, most jobs may not accept the idea of bringing an animal to work, mainly if it is a health code concern.
Quick Review of Idaho Emotional Support Animal Laws
The upsides to having an emotional support animal alongside you throughout the day are well-documented, though they will have trouble getting through certain parts of society. Airlines, several businesses, and most employers will not be open to people bringing on their emotional support animals.
Idaho has no state laws for emotional support animals, so we must rely on federal guidelines.
If you find that your emotional support animal is invaluable to your well-being, try training it as a psychiatric service dog if it is eligible. Similarly, you can look for alternative travel plans, business options, and employment opportunities. It may require patience, but there are usually alternatives to places that do not allow emotional support animals.