Is that support animal really necessary?

Posted by Mords1944 on December 18th, 2020

With all the wonderful things these animals can do, it's no wonder we've learned to accept them in places we normally wouldn't, like a restaurant or the office. But there is a growing cynicism towards service and support animals in general, and mainly due to misunderstandings, and I must admit that I used to be one of these people.

I did not grow up in a household with pets and could never understand the "emotional support animal". You might understand a guide dog or a dog that helps the hearing impaired, but these are obvious needs that a dog could help with. When I saw articles about a pig or bunny for emotional support, I would roll my eyes.

Then my husband was sent to a war zone and less than 2 years later we were navigating our lives with our latest addition who has special needs. My eyes went wide. My son's special needs are not obvious. He looks like a healthy little boy and physically he is. But he suffers from what we call an invisible disease. His brain and his senses don't connect properly, causing all sorts of problems, one of which is a total collapse that is almost uncontrollable unless we can find something that grabs his attention, usually a fan or a strobe light. .

My friend, however, has a dog that acts as an esa registration support dog for hers, her autistic son, and I saw how my son immediately became attached to her. She calmed around her. I also saw that dog do the same to anyone emotional, including my husband, who tried to hide the ongoing internal battle from him. This dog was never trained, but actually he was chosen from the shelter after making a connection with his family.

I remember thinking that anything that could bring comfort and help to my two boys would be amazing, even if he was a gecko. I started looking for sites and reading and was surprised to find out how many people felt like I used to, that they weren't necessary, that emotional support animals are ridiculous or ridiculous. But they are not.

Every day, people suffer from invisible diseases that these amazing animals help with. They are not always trained, but they are a loving companion who can alleviate the suffering of their owners and these people and animals are often treated with prejudice. It seems silly that a turkey can comfort a man on an airplane, but we just don't know and we must refrain from thinking that he does.