So you want to get an emotional support dog? Who doesn’t? Emotional support dogs makes great companions especially for those who suffer from mental and emotional hardship. Dogs in general make great companions but there is something special when your dog is more than a dog, meaning a legally certified emotional support dog.

We live in a crazy world today. And people are suffering because of it. Take a look around and you will see that people are suffering from various physical, mental, and emotional ailments now more than ever. Stress. Anxiety. Depression. Loneliness. All studies indicate that these ailments are all on the rise.

These are major issues that have become all too common for regular people to deal with on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the general public is still very much at a loss on how to combat these debilitating ailments. Typically, people tend to deal with these ailments in one of two ways and they represent two extreme ends of the spectrum.

One way people attempt to deal with mental and emotional ailments is to just ignore them. They do everything they can to just bury these issues deep down and hope that they magically go away. When people go the “ignore” route, it’s not uncommon for them to fall into some sort of self-medication with either drugs or alcohol.

The other solution people resort to is to go to the doctor and get prescribed some sort of pill for their ailment. It seems simple but it really is not. Unfortunately, what tends to happen is that people take their prescribed medication and this only compounds their problems. Not only does this not cure their ailment but it often leads to a dependence or even addiction to that prescribed medication. This leads to even more problems in life.

Now you may be reading this and wonder if these two extremes are the only answers. Thankfully, they are not. There exists a happy “medium” and emotional support dogs are right smack in the middle of it.

What is an emotional support dog?

An emotional support dog is a dog that provides emotional support and comfort to those who suffer from mental and emotional ailments. Above all else, they bring unconditional love and joy to those in contact with them. They are not to be confused with service dogs. A service dog is a dog that is trained to perform a function or specific task that his or her owner cannot perform due to a clinically diagnosed physical, mental, or emotional disability (source).

So the big difference is that emotional support dogs are not trained to complete any specific task. Their only “job” is to provide companionship for a person with diagnosed mental health issues. In this day and age, one could argue that is has become a very important job!

How to Get An Emotional Support Dog

Now you may be wondering: “How exactly do I get an emotional support dog?” You may be even thinking: “Great! My dog provides love and comfort to me. I have an emotional support dog!”

It’s not that simple. But it almost is. To be clear, getting an emotional support dog is not as simple as recognizing the fact that you have a dog and he or she provides emotional support to you.

There is process that you must go through in order to legally certify your dog as an emotional support dog. And lucky for you, Instant ESA is here to guide you through that process should you choose to certify your dog with us.

HINT: Our certification process is the EASIEST and FASTEST around!

Here are the steps you must take to certify your dog as an emotional support dog:

1. Make sure you have a dog! If you don’t have one, get one!

2. If you have a mental or emotional ailment that you suffer from, you need to be legally diagnosed by a licensed physician. Furthermore, let them know that you would like to make your dog an emotional support dog.

3. Once the physician determines that you are suffering from some sort of mental or emotional hardship, they will sign off on your request. This typically comes in the form of a emotional support animal.

Why You Should Make Your Dog An Emotional Support Dog With Instant ESA

We already explained the process above. To conclude this article, we are simply going to go over the benefits of choosing us to certify your dog!

First, our ordering process is very simple and streamlined. It literally takes about three minutes from start to finish! You simply start here and follow the prompts.

Second, you do not have to go the doctor’s office when you work with us. There’s nothing wrong with physically going to the doctor’s office to begin this process. We just know that a trip to the doctor’s office often entails a long wait in the waiting room. Furthermore, because this is such an emerging form of alternative treatment, this may not be covered under your current health insurance. That means hidden fees that you only learn about later on! When you work with us, you do not have to deal with any of that. All you have to do is complete the ordering process.

Once you do that you will automatically be sent a brief questionnaire via email. Your completed answers will then automatically be sent to one of our licensed therapists (for your state).

Finally, we’re not called Instant ESA for nothing. This process is close to being instantaneous as possible. From start (you beginning the order form) to finish (you having an emotional support animal letter that legally certifies your dog) our ordering process takes minutes to complete!

So what are you waiting for? Start now and make your dog and emotional support dog!