Note: this is about emotional support animals, NOT medical service animals.
I love animals, but I will never have one unless I have a stable relationship and living situation.
I feel like an animal being solely cared for by someone who is admitting they can’t take care of themselves is a bad thing.
When I was in college, so many kids had emotional support animals that they left locked up in their small dorm rooms 90% of the day, and many abandoned the pets when they graduated or dropped out.
This led me to the opinion that if you are not stable yourself, why would I wamt you to be responsible for another living creature?
Also to those who have emotional support pets, this isn’t hate on you. If you take good care of your pet then great, I just have known a lot of people who don’t.
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most people with emotional support animals treat them well
Up vote for unpopular but I gotta agree
All you’re describing is bad pet ownership.
Someone needing an emotional support animal is them admitting they can’t take care of themselves? This is an extreme. Shouldn’t it also be noted that it’s better for an animal’s emotional well-being when they are given a job?
This is concurring with my own beliefs, I will not get any pet, at all, until I can afford the Daily upkeep and emergency visits that are a strong probability.
there is a charity that trains emotional support dogs in my town, and they go around to schools and old folks homes, people love it.
Seems like it’s a bad pet owner not a bad dog.
You shouldn’t base it off college students. I work on a college campus and I know that the only way for them to be allowed a pet in student housing is to register it as a emotional support animal. They’re not actually in need of an emotional support animal, they’re lying so they can have a pet.
I mean, we only declared our pets emotional support so we could keep them. Neighborhood rules.
Often times it’s so that person has something to take care of
You’re describing bad pet ownership from a specific demographic not known for making good choices. Have you considered that you are unfamiliar with what makes an actual emotional support animal?
The sheer number of veterans suffering from PTSD with emotional support animals likely dwarfs the students you’re referencing. Those animals and loved and deeply cared for.
I work at PetSmart. ESA owners and general owners are no different. Some treat their pets very well and others don’t. The point of an emotional support animal is not that the person can’t take care of themselves, it’s that they function better when they have a pet to focus on. They feel better knowing the animal is always there, loving them and depending on them.
College kids don’t get ESAs because they need help, they get them because that’s the only way they’re allowed to have a pet. They abandon them because they don’t realize how much care an animal needs until they’ve already had it a while.
I have an ESA, got him when I wanted to off myself. I’m doing better but I do struggle to take care of myself. Him? He gets fed on time everyday. Litter box always cleaned out. I play with him all the time. I even spend an hour outside with him everyday at work so he can run around. He’s very cuddly and loving and as much of a pain the ass as any orange cat. But having someone like that to take care pushes any thought of ending my life out of my head. If you asked him if it was animal abuse he’d say yes if his was bowl has been empty for more than 3 seconds. Any other time I think he’d be happy saying no
My daughter said so many kids at her college had dogs and cats. The cats would be terrified during fire alarms.
>When I was in college, so many kids had emotional support animals that they left locked up in their small dorm rooms 90% of the day, and many abandoned the pets when they graduated or dropped out.
From this sentence, I don’t think you have anything against emotional support animals, I think you don’t like animal neglect.
A lot of people with mental health struggles like depression and anxiety can properly care for their animals, and if they can’t then it is up to them to either get help for it and do better for the animal, or rehome the animal.
My dogs aren’t legally emotional support animals but they do help me on bad days. I have issues but I care for them which forces me to try. I love my pups so it is what it is. It sounds like these people need to fix their own shit before caring for animals.
For a period of time the only reason I got out of bed was to feed my cats, if I didn’t have them relying on me I would’ve killed myself or just laid in bed rotting 24/7.
Emotional support animals aren’t real. Those are just pets. All pets are emotional support animals.
My sister has paranoid schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and agoraphobia. Her life is extremely hard for her. Yet she lives in her own apartment, works hard to function and take care of herself, and she has an emotional support animal, her little dog. That dog is all that matters to her and she takes excellent care of her. That dog helps her get out of her apartment and do things. She gives her something to look forward to. My Dad set up a trust for my sister that helps fill the gaps that her disability income doesn’t cover. It has strict rules and limitations but it allows her to pay for vet bills and care for her dog. I am also a caretaker and power of attorney for healthcare for my sister. I work 45-50 hours per week and care for a husband with end stage metastatic cancer on top of being a double lung transplant recipient. I don’t have a lot of extra time to help my sister but I will say she works very very hard to do the best she can in her life and take care of that dog that is all she has. She has no car or house or children etc. She lives in a little apartment and volunteers on occasion when she is able. She rarely leaves her dog alone unless she has to go somewhere that dogs are not allowed. I also helped her legally plan for what happens to that dog if she becomes homeless or dies and we have a plan in place for her dog. I’d love anyone to live in her shoes for one day and then judge her for having an ESA who has given her more love and compassion than any shitty human ever has. Mental illness is such a stigma which is sad in this day and age. People have zero clue and they still think schizophrenics should be locked away and have no life.
Having an ESA really helped me. I struggle to get up on weekends when I have no one relying on me to do anything, and animal gives me a reason to get up that isn’t just for myself.
My depression is bad enough that I dont give a shit about myself. I would not get out of bed or take care of anything if it wernt for my cat. The fact she needs me is the only thing that keeps me here. I have went without food money to pay for her emergency vet bills, having to rely on foodbanks. Just because Im mentally ill does not mean I dont love or take care of my cat. Us strays got to take care of eachother in this shit world.
People unfortunately have used ESA’s as an excuse to have untrained, poorly disciplined animals go everywhere with them. They are not covered under the ADA, so it is not “against the law” to deny service based on someone’s need for an ESA. If you need an animal that serves a medical purpose than get a trained one from a private organization.
It’s literally hipster douchebags ruining it for everyone, again.
I work at a hotel and we constantly have the trashiest people coming in with ESA and I swear they are the most abusive animal owners I’ve ever seen.
I wanted to choke slam this one lady that was yanking her little terrier by the leash so hard it kept tripping and yelping. I’ve noticed these people use the animals as shields more than as support.
I’ve seen a lot of people with so called emotional support pets and I can say the animals weren’t taken well cared for and it was them being selfish and often smothering the poor animal while claiming it is an emotional support pet so they could gain attention by bringing it to work or wherever they wanted.
Like this one fat woman in a had an emotional support Chihuahua she brought to work everyday. They poor dog was matterd fur, bad teeth with tank breath, curled untrimmed nails and the only thing she ever seemed to need the dog for was so she could trample it and rub it over with her walker she needed from being so damn obese. I often wondered if that poor dog was getting trampled on and ra. Over by the walker on purpose hoping to end it’s miserable life this woman forced upon it. Sort of like the Dog the black gay dude had on Spin City.
I’m always kinda suspect of anyone who claims and emotional support animal because I’ve had the same experience as you where they usually aren’t taken care of well and the people just seem to have main character syndrome they act out through animals