An Emotional Support Animal (also called ESA) is a companion animal which has been prescribed by a medical personnel (such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or a therapist) for an individual with a disability. Most airlines will accept a dog or cat as an emotional support animal.
Although all pets offer some sort of an emotional connection with their owner, in order to be considered an emotional support animal, a health professional needs to determine that the pet is needed for the owner’s mental health.
At Pets2Fly we understand that each pet could have different values to their owners. Some owners might rely on their pet for their emotional support, while others for medical reasons.
ESAs provide support by just being with the owner. They can alleviate stress and anxiety, but they haven’t been trained to perform a detailed job or task that is related to the owner’s special needs.
On the other hand, service dogs can be trained. For example, to alert a hearing-impaired person or even to assist a blind person around an obstacle.
In recent years, many online businesses started selling vests, harnesses and certificates for emotional support animals. These businesses “helped” increase the number of emotional support animals on flights around the world.
Since there isn’t an “official” organization that can certify a pet as an emotional pet, many pet owners purchased a fake ESA certificate online and by doing so, they “abused” the system by misrepresenting their pet as an ESA.
Pet owners that lie are “poisoning” the attitude towards real support animals. In addition, these people are breaking the law and causing problems to individuals with legitimate need.
In the last couple of months, many airlines around the world flew hundreds of emotional support animals. Unfortunately, a vast majority of these pets haven’t really been for emotional support. In most cases, the pet owners did so to avoid paying for their pets’ tickets and to avoid flying their pets in the belly of the plane.
There have also been many reports of “strange” support animals, such as: peacocks, alligators, pigs and more.
As a result, most airlines around the world changed and hardened their ESA policies. Here are some examples of changes that have occurred:
Nowadays, most airline companies request more and more documents in order to approve someone’s emotional support animal. It has become a “trend” and because of this, it is becoming more complicated to get the airline’s approval.
It seems like the days of pet owners bringing their pets onboard airplanes as emotional support animals could be coming to an end.
Pets2Fly is an experienced pet transport company. We therefore, can provide you with legal guidance and help you with the necessary documents needed to transport your pet.
Please note that we can’t assist you with issuing ESA documents!
Nice to meet you, I’m Mattan Gal, the founder of Pets2Fly For over a decade, I have lived and breathed the world of pet relocation. Over the past 10 years, I have successfully guided thousands of families to every possible destination, even during the most challenging global times - including the COVID-19 pandemic and periods of war. For me, Pets2Fly is more than just a business; it's a mission. I know that your pet is an inseparable part of your family. That is why I am here to lead you hand-in-hand - handling everything from complex bureaucracy to the smallest logistical details. My goal is to give you total peace of mind and ensure your loved ones arrive at their new home safely and comfortably.About Mattan Gal
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