What’s on my mind today?
Emotional Support Animals (ESA)
I had dogs growing up, but when I moved away for college I was
unable to take them with me. My first
apartment didn’t allow pets at all. Looking
back, I remember struggling quite a bit being completely alone. A year later I moved into an apartment that
allowed me to have my cat at least. I’ve
had her with me since then. She’s
started getting old (almost 12), and while I know she likely has many years
left ahead of her, the idea of losing her pains me greatly. For years I have tried to deny my anxiety and
depression issues, thinking that I could simply deal with them on my own. Having anxiety and depression is still
considered rather taboo, and it’s more common than it isn’t. My cat has a very special meaning to me, as
she was given to me by my mother just days before she committed suicide. I never really realized just how important
having an animal in my life was until I started to worry about losing her. I realized that I look forward to going home
to her, cuddling with her on the couch, and knowing that she would be waiting
for me at the door (she does that just like a dog would). I literally cannot imagine going home at the
end of the day and not having that.
As I started researching training a dog as an ESA, I began
to realize how much my dogs did for me growing up, and how much my cat does for
me now. My cat Sniffles will climb into
my lap and lick me when I’m sad. She will
literally spoon me. It is more
comforting than I can describe in words.
My cat Sniffles and I
My dog Kovu would instinctively know when I was upset and he
would come up to me and hug me by getting as close to me as possible and
placing his head on my shoulder. He’d
lick away my tears, and even curl up with me.
His mere presence and affection would alleviate many of my
stressors. I struggle with going out
many places by myself because I will often feel too anxious to enjoy myself, so
I simply don’t go much of the time. When
I had my dogs, I’d take them out with me and I would be fine. My other dogs were very good at this, as
well, but my dog Kovu was my ultimate support and companion. He had a myriad of health issues in the
latter part of his life, but what ultimately led to him having to be put down
was an inoperable tumor. Word cannot
describe the devastation I felt when my dad informed me of having him
down. I still often cry thinking of him
being put down and not being there for him.
My dog Kovu on the left and my dog Luna on the right
This is the day that I got Sniffles. Simba was my other dog. They became fast friends.
I had always wanted another dog, and actually moved into my
current apartment with the intention of getting a dog once I wasn’t working
like 65 hours a week and had the time to devote to a dog. My apartment allowed dogs and cats, so it was
perfect. A friend of mine has a Support
Dog, and has told me I should get an ESA, but I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to explain myself to people, so
I made sure to find an apartment where I could have a dog. Fast forward to today (about a year and a
half later): I decided it was the right
time to get a dog. So I call my
apartment to inform them of my intention (so that I could pay whatever required
deposit and add the additional pet rent) and they inform me that dogs aren’t
allowed in my building, yet many people in my building have dogs. My neighbor directly across from me has a dog
and the person next to me has a dog. Strange. My best guess is that when they switched
ownership, they changed their rules. The
lease was written in such a way that they could get away with that too. I felt hopeless. Then I remembered my friend and reached out
to her about the ESA.
I’d also like to point out that I didn’t want to go the ESA
route because there are so many people who abuse it. Not everyone with an ESA necessarily needs
one. Many people do it so they don’t
have to pay pet rent or deposits. As attractive
as that is (on top of them flying free and apartments not being able to deny
them), I still didn’t want to go the ESA route. It wasn't because I didn't need one, but more because I didn't WANT to need one.
So, I did get an ESA
letter. I am actively searching for my
canine companion to join me and my Sniffles.
Animals are such amazing blessings in our lives whether they are simply
a pet to enjoy, an ESA or a support animal.
They are an integral part of the family and I consider my pets my
children. I simply cannot imagine my
life without them. I miss my departed pets constantly.
