criteria in order to qualify for an ESA

[Alia3]

Hi,  I've been reading up on ESAs a bit, and what I've found implies that one must have a disabling mental illness to qualify.

What if one is legally disabled, but does not have a mental illness, or has a mental illness but one which is not disabling and is secondary to the disability.

If an ESA would help one deal with the disability, and the secondary mental illness, would one qualify for an ESA?

Thanks!

[state_of_nowhere]

As I just posted in your other thread. Canada doesn't recognize ESAs, so the point is moot.

[Roxie]

Cant compare international law between countries because it doesn't compare. Talk to the people in canada who make the sd's laws

Roxie

[Alia3]

Hi, Sorry.  I guess I should change my location.  I put Canada because I am currently in Canada but will be moving back to the US in less than a week now.

[FartherStars]

Yeah, that would make a big difference! Canada is different in that laws vary by province/territory up here, but I don't believe there is anything about ESAs. I know Alberta has a specific Service Dog Act, where most have SDs covered under the province's Human Rights Code/Act/Charter. (Info: http://www.psychdog.org/canada_legislation.html)

[Spectrum]

I do know that you have to be disabled, but I am unsure whether it has to be a mental illness. I have an autism spectrum disorder, and I have an ESA (and lived in no-pets housing with him). Now, that's not really a mental illness, but a lot of people still think it is (since it's in the DSM). It is brain/neuro based, yes, but not really mental illness.

I know I've read conflicting information about the nature of the disability, but I can't seem to find the wording of the actual law.

[Roxie]

It is my understanding is that one must be disabled by a mental condition, and a Dr. must certify that through an order for an ESA.
 http://www.animallaw.info/articles/qvuspetsandhousinglaws.htm

Welcome home to America!

Roxie

[Alia3]

ok.  I'm sorry for all my questions, I'm just really trying to get a handle on things and most of these concepts are new to me in terms of specifics.  In my head I've been wanting a dog for many years as a companion and friend, particularly for outdoor activities, but I've also wanted it to help me in other ways, and I thought I'd just train it to do so.  Now I'm realizing things are much more complicated than I thought and I can't necessarily just pick a shelter puppy and train it the way I'd like, if its temperament turned out to not be right.  I'd also never realized all the things service dogs can do, or the legal rights of an ESA (I know it's only housing and flights, but housing in particular seems like potentially a big thing).  I do not want to have more than one dog at a time and I had been planning on getting a puppy in the next few months, and now I'm all of a sudden realizing that could have gone badly.  Anyway,

I guess I'll give my situation in more detail, just to be clear.  Because of my learning disability, I don't "register" things on the floor (or the desk or whatever, but if I don't have table space other than the kitchen table, then that takes care of that problem).  I'm not an organized person so I will often just put stuff (i.e. books, papers, clothes) on the floor but then don't "see" them, so my house becomes pretty appalling pretty quickly.  If somebody gives me verbal cues, I can and will happily pick up whatever is making the place a mess.  However, having somebody verbally walk me through picking up every object is not only humiliating for a 24 year old, but also pretty impractical.  I had envisioned training my dog to nudge me if I put something on the floor, so that they don't end up there in the first place.  I don't think my problem would cause a hazard to the dog, because I would be able to keep the floor clean with help, and I'd get somebody to help me clean before I got the dog.   Because of the state of my apartment, I can't have people over spontaneously, which is awkward and makes it hard to get close to people.  Also, I've been told many times by my parents that my room can really become a safety hazard, and I've tried my whole life to come up with ways to keep it clean, for example, just picking up the paper, and then the books, but I don't "see" the paper.  (Actual visual ability isn't an issue, with glasses my vision is good enough to drive.)

 I panic and shut down in situations of conflict, even if they are little disagreements.  I hear a buzzing and can't think and can't speak and see a sort of pinky redish orange colour.  This has seriously hurt my relationship and almost lost me my partner.  As a child I just didn't really interact with people that much, and if a problem arose, left the situation (and the friendship).  I envisioned a dog that would help me with this, not exactly sure how.  If there is something else that would help me other than a dog, that would be fantastic also. 

Finally, as I've said in another thread, I have face blindness and don't recognize people, which means that making friends is hard and people think I'm rude and snobbish.  I have a long history of depression, and honestly I don't know if it's because of the things I mentioned above, along with a lot of other problems caused by my learning disability, and some relatively serious health problems, or what.  I don't know if I am mentally disabled, or even disabled according to the ADA because of my LD, face blindness, etc.  It's gotten to the point where I am having serious problems despite all my coping mechanisms, and I am trying to research other options while I'm waiting to speak with a therapist again, and get more neuropsych stuff done. 

I have no doubt that a dog would help me, even if it were a pet with no special training or legal rights, but I'm wondering what you think would be best for me, a skilled companion dog (do they get housing rights?) an ESA, an SD, a PSD, or nothing since I don't really seem to fit in any category? I'm sorry this is so long and if there are more appropriate people I could be asking, then please let me know.

[labs4ever]

I  an ESA question too.  A  lot of my friends at my ALF are planning to move to apartments and one of them  has an ESA cat.  He has a diagnosis of  disabling depression, is on  SSI and  his  phychiatrist, psychiologist and docotr have all  identified his  cat as an  ESA  through letters stating such.   My question is   do people with ESA's still need to pay pet deposits on apartments?   Or  is it like  SD's  where pet deposits are not   chargeable?  His cat is nine y ears old and her name is Darcy.   

[cowlypso]

As far as the problem of putting things on the floor and ending up with a mess...  You don't need a dog to help with that.  Set up a reminder for yourself at some interval (daily? weekly?), then when you get to that time, do a sweep of your apartment, pick everything up, and put it away. 

This is a problem that almost everybody has on occassion.  You walk into the house, set stuff down, and go about doing other stuff.  That happens over and over, and eventually you have this big pile up junk that needs to be put away.  The difference between people with neat houses and people with messy houses isn't that neat people never make messes, it's just that they clean them up more frequently. 

Anything that sits in one place for too long will cease to be noticed.  In familiar environments, you only tend to notice new things, or things that have changed.  So if you always have a pile of books on the floor next to your door, then you're not going to notice that it's there anymore when you walk by it.  If I broke into your clean apartment, though, and set a pile of books in the middle of the floor, you would probably notice because it's something new that you didn't put there.  Of course, if you left the pile there, then you would then stop to notice it.  By setting a schedule to clean, then you can take the time to pay attention to those areas that you gloss over on a daily basis, before it gets overwhelming.

[Alia3]

I know it sounds weird, but I probably wouldn't notice the books you'd put there, unless you stuck around to tell me about it or the pile was so big it took up half the floor.

[Angie]

HI there!!

What about just picking out a nice dog at the SPCA as your pet? I volunteered at one a long time ago and they will help to match dogs with adoptees. You wouldn't have to pick one right away and they could help you with the right match?

I've never really understood the difference between an ESA and a nice pet because as I understand it an ESA is not trained to do anything special. To me its the same as a regular pet.

If you make a decision to adopt a dog you can attend training classes, local dog groups and clubs and just walk your dog in the park to meet others and make friends. A family member of mine joined a dog group and they meet every week with their pets, go on outings together and train their dogs together, etc.

Many apartments and other housing accepts dogs, cats and other pets. You'll pay a pet deposit fee, but most places do not ban animals so I wouldn't worry to much about having a pet and an apartment. Just don't get a St. Bernard or something, lol! Ask your complex for their rules regarding animals.

I'm not sure how a SD could help in your circumstances as I don't have the same problems as you so would feel uncomfortable giving advice, but it sounds like you just want a friendly pet as your companion and I think it would be great!

[Magesteff]

The main thing with an ESA in the US is living in facilities/apartments that have a NO PET policy. Many places now allow small animals (gerbils, hampsters etc) and cats, as long as they stay inside your apartment, and are generally quiet. Dogs because they must be taken outside to eliminate and may bark, are generally the pet type that is banned.

If you have a mental disability and your doctor (usually a psychiatrist or psychologist) thinks a pet would improve your condition, you can request an accomodation be made based on the disability. That would require a letter from your doctor stating that they feel a pet would improve your condition and a letter from you to your landloard requesting the accomodation.

Since you are moving, and may not qualify based on the type of disability you have, might I suggest that you look for pet friendly living quarters? Much easier to get a pet if there is a pet friendly policy in place. Usually they may charge an additional deposit or tack on a small fee to your monthly rent if you have a pet. But if you don't qualify for an ESA it is better to find some place that allows pets than to try and force a false claim.

I live in an apartment complex that allows small animals, such as cats and dogs under 45 pounds. You are responsible for picking up any pet waste in the common areas (roads, green spaces, etc). I have a scooper and I carry doggie doo bags with me when I walk my dog. I am charged an additional $25 a month because I have pets.

[Samwich]

Hi Alia3

I'd suggest you discuss, very very honestly, with a psychiatric doctor (not a therapist or general practitioner), these symptoms. My house gets chaotic extremely quickly due to a variety of issues I have, but it's mostly an issue I have called, "Didn't pick it up disorder." !

In other words I have plenty of reasons for things getting out of place and not getting started recreating order, but it does come down to having motivation one way or another.

Maybe this will help. I have a variety of related anxiety symptoms. One reason I say, "Get thee to a doctor," is that I have physical symptoms (panic attack) that no amount of willpower can overcome.

One trigger is a big mess that I don't know how to begin to tackle. I can find something like this around my house any day of the week. It's not the floor here and it's not just me. Any horizontal surface is a candidate to catch any random object. From literally anywhere.

This is a farm. So when I say anywhere, I'm saying it might be from the barn 200 yards away. And outside. Outside is very scary. Heck, there are days when across the house is scary.

Now, Sam, my dog, can help with going to the barn. Between him and pilates, I'm hoping to decrease my spatial confusion.

In the house I still have a tendency to get "lost." This is where my anxiety starts to rise. I know a big pile of stuff from everywhere is going to cause me to get lost. I have to remember where each thing goes. Sometimes there are things that literally never had a belonging place. That's another decision that has to be made.

So a couple years ago I changed the game in a couple ways:

First, if I'm alone, I "declare war" on a certain type of item. Stuff That Goes in The Bathroom. Stuff That Goes In The Dog Cabinet. Dirty Dishes. Unopened Mail. I give myself a vacation from everything else! Sometimes that motivates me to do a couple other things as long as I'm at it, maybe clear a whole small space.

Second, I draft help. This is easy for me, because my husband and I made help, though it took a few years to grow them and train them. I stand by the space, pick up a number of items going to the same place, hand them to a child, and say, "Bathroom."

This method is adaptable. I did it this way before the help grew up. It takes a little more resolve though. I got a box, pictured a location, and started sifting through the pile, trying VERY HARD not to lose sight of the picture in my head of the bathroom (yes, I'm autistic). When I had a reasonable amount of stuff collected, I walked though the house saying, "bathroom, bathroom, bathroom." I did this until my head felt close to exploding, or I was done.

Again, I never try to do more than one surface at a time. My mom cleans the entire house in a couple hours. Two or three times a week. Whatever. Maybe I'll pass those genetics on to my sons' daughters.

It's the floor in your case. If I were you, I'd break it down, by sitting on the floor. Now you are eye level with your "nemesis." If you watch TV, just clear out what's between you and the TV and enjoy your new space.

If you get a dog, you'll need plenty of floor space to romp on the floor with the dog. A lot of my friends who live alone with their dogs, actually save money by having very little furniture, and simply living Asian style.

If you took up something like yoga or pilates to help with spatial relations you'll need more room for that, too. Do you see where this is going? 

I really, really understand where you are with this! I hope you can work it out. I truly do live this misery also, but I can tell you it's possible to overcome - for me it was breaking out of the box just a teeny bit at a time.  <--- I think that's a hug smiley but possibly the girl is making a rude gesture?  I'm assuming not though since this is a PG board. 

[SandyG]

"I'm not an organized person so I will often just put stuff (i.e. books, papers, clothes) on the floor but then don't "see" them, so my house becomes pretty appalling pretty quickly."


Just FYI - when my SD agency came to do my home visit, one of the things they looked for was whether or not my apt. was "cluttered", as this could be a health risk to the dog. I don't know if this applies to ESAs or not, but it is something to think about...