Emotional Support Animal Certification (Phoenix: to buy, casinos, legally)

[OregonianAtHeart]

I am looking for a psychologist/psychiatrist here in Phoenix that can certify my need for my dog to become an ‘Emotional Support Animal’. Does anyone know of one in the area that has had experience going through the certification process? I travel frequently and always take my 8lb Yorkie with me because I have high anxiety when I fly, I just can’t keep paying the $100-$200 fee for pets and a stewardess on my last flight suggested I get the Emotional Support Animal Certification. Any suggestions on how to obtain the certification would be very helpful.

[observer53]

There's information online about the letter you would need. If a treating psychologist/psychiatrist sees your need as valid, they won't have a problem giving you the letter. Make an appointment with a psychologist, and take it from there.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by OregonianAtHeart

I am looking for a psychologist/psychiatrist here in Phoenix that can certify my need for my dog to become an ‘Emotional Support Animal’. Does anyone know of one in the area that has had experience going through the certification process? I travel frequently and always take my 8lb Yorkie with me because I have high anxiety when I fly, I just can’t keep paying the $100-$200 fee for pets and a stewardess on my last flight suggested I get the Emotional Support Animal Certification. Any suggestions on how to obtain the certification would be very helpful.

It is actually very easy to certify your dog even as a service animal if you want, and you do not even need to go to a psychologist/psychiatrist. Check out this site here as they can do it for you, and they will answer all your questions.

Free My Paws - The Resource for Service Animal Owners

[sablebaby]

Does the airline just need a letter from your dr. to be able to travel with you? I did that for a friend of mine about 3 years ago. I just wrote it as his therapist that he needed to bring his dog for emotional reasons and it worked. The dog didn't need to be certified.

[observer53]

There isn't really a "certification", it's just an appropriate letter from a doctor.

LVD- It looks to me from a quick look at that site that to buy one of those "kits" for 200.00, you still have to provide doctor's documentation, and renew it at intervals as well. It shouldn't be something you can just go buy without any kind of proof.

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by observer53

There isn't really a "certification", it's just an appropriate letter from a doctor.

LVD- It looks to me from a quick look at that site that to buy one of those "kits" for 200.00, you still have to provide doctor's documentation, and renew it at intervals as well. It shouldn't be something you can just go buy without any kind of proof.

Actually, you do not have to provide doctor's documentation to buy the service dog kit. You can buy the whole kit, and no one can legally challenge it. I know this as I have a lot of experience with a (fake) service dog and taking her out. I now realize that she was not even a service dog. She had a card, a vest, and a leash saying service dog. The owner had two service dogs which made no sense at the time, but it does now. Not only that, she was not even disabled at all. I have done a lot of research on this, and I was surprised how easy it is to "certify" a service dog. The kit I listed is all that is needed.

I also recommend these to go with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Service-Dog-Ca...8324737&sr=8-1

[OregonianAtHeart]

I think I will just go to a doctor and get the letter, seems to be the easiest. Most airlines specify that they need a current letter stating the dog is for emotional support. Although a few referenced an actual certificate. Thanks for the help. Does anyone have a good psychologist/psychiatrist in the Phoenix area?

[PacificFlights]

U.S. operating airlines are under the Federal DOJ ADA Policy. As such, emotional support animals ARE NOT Service Animals under last years revisions to ADA. Airlines are no longer required to accept emotional support animals on a flight as they would a Service Animal under ADA. Some airlines have by their CoC still list emotional support animals as recognized Service Animals and until they change their CoC, they still allow them as they would a Sevice Animal.

Now, due to the catch all wording in the revisions that left open the possibility that a non-mobility/task function may qualify for protection under ADA, you will want to contact the specific airline your using and ask them exactly what documentation they require. Some require a doctor's letter stating the animal is necessary due to the disability, others will still want to see something that shows the animal will otherwise qualify under the ADA revisions.

This is a tough area because with last years revisons, they basically wrote out anything but an animal (even more specific only dogs with rare exception for miniture horses) trained specifically to perform a physical task. You will need the airline to recorgnize emetional support as a qualifying event and meet their documentation requirments.

Now even worst is the second round of issues on this has surfaced (as many suspected) and that is the airlines working with federal and state agencies, have identifesd many abuses where pets were claimed as Service Animals and the limitation as to what constitutes proof (basically the honor system) airlines have been unable to determione which are legitimate and which as fakers. So the new and improved revised ADA being discussed and debated, will include a requirement for a specific form of "licensing". However, rumor has it that "Licensed" emotional support animals will be included so long as they meet the new guidelines. In the meantime, airlines have been instructed to stick as close to the ADA guidelines as possible and not aloow animals who failed the "GateQ" test to board as a Service Animal. So familiarize yourself with the revisions and makes ure any doctor you contact is well aware of the revisions and issues related to it.

There is however a backdoor (if you will) so send me a DM if you would like to know what it is.

[las vegas drunk]

Ok, what I said worked for grocery stores, casinos, convenience stores, etc. It would probably not work for airlines though, as I have no experience in that department.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Ok, what I said worked for grocery stores, casinos, convenience stores, etc. It would probably not work for airlines though, as I have no experience in that department.

Precisely. There is a HUGE difference.