ByVrbo Guidelines on Emotional Support Animals
Did you ever think that by 2019 there would be nearly 200,000 emotional support animals in the US? Emotional support animals (ESAs) are pets prescribed by mental health professionals (and are not service dogs). As of January 10, 2022, there are 222,314 ESAs and service animals in total.
A is meant to help you mentally during your stay in the hotel. However, the hotel's management may deny you entry with your ESA, an essential that you need to have everywhere you go for mental and emotional support.
If you are visiting Vrbo and want to stay with your ESA, DoNotPay can help by guiding you on the procedures you need to follow.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is a pet, not a service animal. These are pets that offer an emotional connection to their owner. For an animal to be legally referred to as an ESA, it should be prescribed by a mental health officer to a person with a disabling mental condition.
How Emotional Support Animals Help People:
| Improves Your Schedule | Schedules and routines may be very important, yet, schedules may seem tedious. A pet requires care and a certain routine. You must feed them; you have to walk them, bathe them, play with them, etc. Setting your schedule to be based on their needs can also impact your other day-to-day tasks. |
| Improve Memory and Focus | Pets are very good at keeping person-centered. If you forget to feed them, they will remind you. If you feel lost in thought, they can give you a nudge to remind you that they are there. |
| Improve Sleep | If you are someone who suffers from hyperactivity, you may feel unable to rest well at night. After running, walking, playing, and focusing on your pet throughout the day, you may be able to rest more at night. |
| Relieves Stress | Pets provide unconditional love to their owners. They are unable to yell or do things that may stress you. This can give you a sense of confidence and reduce your risk of depression or anxiety. |
The professional has to establish that the pet's presence helps alleviate the mental condition by, for example, easing stress and anxiety and allowing the individual to focus on life. The pet owner should provide an ESA letter where pets are restricted to prove that they need the pet around them.
What Is an ESA Letter?
An ESA letter is a letter of proof from a licensed mental health professional indicating that your pet is an ESA and not a service animal. For more information on ESA letters, visit our DoNotPay, and we will answer all your ESA-related concerns.
Note: DoNotPay does not help write an ESA letter since we are NOT licensed medical/mental health professionals. What we can do is write demand letters and ESA accommodation request letters.
Who Can Write an ESA Letter?
Not everyone is permitted to issue an ESA letter. Below are the personnel that has the mandate to carry out the task:
- Mental health professionals, PCP's
- Licensed Social Worker (LCSW)
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
- Psychiatrist
- Psychologist
- Registered Nurse
- Physician's Assistant
How to Get an Emotional Support Animal
The best way to acquire an ESA is through adoption. You need to look around for a local pet store once you have decided which animal you want and fill in adoption papers, after which you are good to go.
Which Are Some of the Pets You Can Keep as Emotional Support Animals?
Emotional support animals can be of any age and type. They include:
- Dogs: the dog breeds include Labrador Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier, Beagle, Corgi, Pug, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Pomeranian, Golden Retriever, Poodle, Chihuahua
- Cats
- Llamas, and Alpacas
- Sheep and Goats
- Chickens
- Pigs and Miniature Pigs
- Parrots
- Miniature Horses and Ponies
- Guinea Pigs (and Other Rodents)
- Rabbits
- Cats
- Dog
What Rights Do I Have as an ESA Owner?
Under the Fair Housing Act, all ESA owners can bring their ESAs into their home/rental even if the property is otherwise a "no pets allowed" property.
How to Appeal for an ESA at Vrbo by Yourself
- Visit your licensed medical professional and request an ESA letter.
- Request to speak to the hotel's management.
- Inform them that you have an ESA that you would like to keep on their premises.
- Present to the manager your approved ESA letter.
- Fill out any forms that the management might require you to.
Appealing to keep your can be tiring and challenging since they have a strict no pets policy. At times, the managers may deny you the privilege despite your rights. However, you should not worry, as DoNotPay can help simplify the process.
How Can DoNotPay Help?
Through our new Service and Emotional Support Animals product, DoNotPay can help you with all of your ESA-related concerns, including accommodation services and finding the most affordable online ESA letter service.
Here is how DoNotPay can help:
- Search "service animal" on DoNotPay.
- Select the type of issue you need help with, including contacting your landlord about your ESA/service animal, asking your airline about ESA options, or requesting ESA/service accommodations at other venues.
- Answer a series of questions about your current situation and the details of your ESA/service animal, so we can generate the best results for you.
And that's it. Depending on your issue, DoNotPay will generate a letter to the management and mail it on your behalf, contact the airline agency and get back to you with an answer, or send a letter to your mental health professional requesting an ESA letter.
More DoNotPay Products for Your Pets
- Lost and Found Pets
- Pet Custody Agreement
- Pet Licenses
- Report Animal Abuse
DoNotPay Works Across All Entities With the Click of a Button
You don't have to worry if you have pet-related concerns. At DoNotPay, we know that you may have other issues regarding your pets, which is why we have dedicated ourselves to resolving them. For more information, click on these links:
- ESA Letter
- ESA Dog
- Airlines emotional support animals
- An ESA letter for housing
- Fair housing act ESA
- United Airlines ESA
- Southwest ESA
- ESA letter example
- Emotional support animal
- American Airlines ESA