Emotional support animals have been all the rage recently, and with the recent popularity of the idea of an emotional support animal, we sat down with expert Pat Sherman from the ASPCA to discuss the specifics about emotional support animals.

Q: Pat, can you tell me a bit about why one would want an emotional support animal?
A: I’d be glad to. One of the most common reasons individuals get emotional support animals are for their care and compassion provided to the pet caretaker. Often times, after losing a loved one, individuals are left with emotional stress, sometimes going so far as to develop PTSD. Animals that provide emotional support are often used to fill the place of a loved one, with an emotional support dog being the post popular.

Q: Is it difficult getting approval for an ESA?
A: Firstly, I’d like to clarify that an ESA is an emotional support animal (if it isn’t obvious already). Going on to answer your question, it really depends on the situation. Easy is a relative term, but with the adoption of the idea of ESAs in the past few years alone, doctors are more prepared to write allowances for animals, namely dogs as they are the most popular. In Dallas especially, where most Pegasus News readers are based, there has been a wide adoption and normalization of the support dog ideology, so readers with legitimate conditions should have an easier time than they would in the past.

We would like to thank Pat for coming for a quick guest interview, the very first of many on Pegasus News!