Many low-income apartment buildings permit animals, what you need is proof your animal provides you emotional support.
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This guide is going to help you with the Emotional Support Animal Letter Template, we love our animals with all our hearts, but how many of us know how to write this type of document?
Emotional Support Animal Guide
We all love our animals, but is that enough to qualify to be emotional support? The answer is NO, so that everyone is clear if their animal is eligible the information below should help.
- The owner must be legally living with a mental health disability
- Therapists, Psychiatrists, and Psychologists must verify this in the letter
- No matter their age or breed they are eligible
- This does not make them a service animal
- Even though it started out for dogs, people now are even getting cats approved as emotional support animals.
- This also allows the potential tenant to get out of paying any pet deposits
- Many housing apartments have a restriction on size, but this does not apply to an emotional support animal.
- Learn More by Visiting the American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club is one of my favorite websites for information, I do own and live with an emotional support canine myself. My Miniature Australian Shepherd is larger than the required size, and without going through this process he would have had to go to a new home.
Emotional Support Animal Letter
What you need to do before anything else is consult your medical professional, basically they will be stating you need them for emotional support. This simply is a letter proving you are living with a mental health condition, and having them helps you cope with your problems.
- Emotional Support
- Companionship
- Mental Health or Psychiatric Disability
- Legally Not Considered a Pet
- Socially Well-Behaved
- Friendly
- Non-Threatening to Others
For us, our animal is more like family than anything else. Before you go out shopping for one consider if you are healthy enough to take care of them. Many people with social anxiety are in need of emotional support, and also many of these folks are living alone. Any mental health disabilities qualify you to take advantage of this opportunity, I for one would be super lonely and depressed without my Miniature Australian Shepherd.
Not Just Dogs
Even though the majority of animals in the past were canines, that is because they are still ranked as man’s best friend. Any domestic animal qualifies, so don’t be misled to believe only dogs are your only choice.
- Dogs
- Cats
- Mice
- Rabbits
- Hamster
- Birds
- Hedgehogs
- Mini Pigs
- Ferrets
- Rats
Now you have a better idea about this, we are going to find out where you can get templates if you desire to. Even though a simple letter from a mental health professional works in most cases, it never hurts to get some inspiration from a template. Many housing apartment managers will provide you with a letter or form that they require, so it is not a bad idea to check with them before going any further.
Emotional Support Animal Letter Template
The first thing you must realize this is a legal document, so that means you can’t just write the letter yourself. Again the majority of housing through programs such as HUD requires their own specific form, and the reason for this is to get specific answers to questions from your mental health professional about your condition. Mine even asked if my mental professional would testify in court, even though it rarely comes to this, it can cause a problem for some people.
- Free Download
- Fill PDF Online
- Print Page
- Preview Document Template
- Visit Template Roller
By the way, this document does not give you the right to take your support animal into stores and public buildings like a service animal. This is for getting them into housing for companionship and emotional support, I just want you to understand there are limitations even with this type of document.
Know Your Rights
Even though the majority of people are moving into a low-income apartment building, what if you are on Section 8 housing instead? That is what we are going to discuss below, so this is well worth your time reading.
- Landlords must make exceptions even if they don’t allow pets, you see an emotional support animal is not considered technically a pet once they are legally documented.
- No pet communities are also included, so knowing your rights is important when shopping for a place to live.
- Legally landlords are not able to contact your medical provider without your permission.
- Your medical history is protected since this is none of the landlord’s business.
- Important for those of you already renting to know you can bring an emotional support animal even with a signed lease, even if the lease states no pets are allowed.
- No restriction on size or breeds, and this includes their weight as well.
- Read the entire article by clicking here
Many landlords are not even aware this document exists, and even though they can take it to court, very few ever do. Now you know even more about this special document, if this information was helpful please feel free to leave a comment in my comments section.
Recommended Dog Breeds
Some breeds are better choices than others when it comes to canines, so for anyone considering shopping for one, this is extremely important for you to know. Even with this document you are responsible for the animal, we want to choose a gentle breed that will get along with other people.
- Labrador Retriever
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Beagle
- Corgi
- Pug
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Pomeranian
- Golden Retriever
- Poodle
- Chihuahua
That does not mean you are limited to these breeds, but Canine Styles recommends these as your best top ten to consider. You will experience Rottweilers and Pitt Bulls to be a problem often, even though I had a Rottweiler who was nothing but a big baby, these two have bad reputations due to bad owners.
Health Benefits
There are many benefits to going through the work of getting this document, we are going to focus on the most common health benefits the majority of people experience.
- A better quality of sleep
- Sense of security
- Reduced Anxiety
- Coping better with depression
- Deals with stress more effectively
- Increase socialization
- Sense of purpose
Next on my list for you is the best canines for people with anxiety and depression, even though my Miniature Australian Shepherd is not on these lists, I highly recommend them for the loving personality they have. Mine loves to cuddle and goes out of the way to make me feel loved, and they can’t receive enough attention.
Do You Experience Anxiety or Depression?
Anxiety and depression are growing more and more, so the best dog breeds for these two health problems are important enough to include. If my website interests you, I do provide auto-notification signup. This is for your convenience only, you will never receive any promotional marketing in your mail by signing up.
- Chihuahua
- Poodles
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Corgi
- Pug
- Dachshund
- Yorkshire Terriers
- Bichon Frise
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- Irish Wolfhound
- Border Collie
- German Shepherd
- Learn the Pros and the Cons of Each Breed
You might be offended that so far I have been focusing on dogs, with living in a low-income housing apartment building the majority of them are canine lovers. The remainder is cat lovers, so that is what is coming next.
Best Cat Breeds Guide
The only reason I have never owned a cat is due to allergies, just so you know that I love them just as much as dogs. In fact, being an animal lover is a part of my personality. Bonding with them for me is so much easier than with people, even though I am polite and friendly, animals just seem to be a better fit for me.
- Persian
- Exotic Shorthair
- Siamese
- Himalayan
- American Bobtail
- Sphynx
- British Shorthair
- Ragdoll
- Bengals
- Manx
- Bombay
- American Shorthair
- Devon Rex
- Maine Coon
- Russian Blue
- Abyssinian
- LaPerm
- Chartreux
- Balinese
- Turkish Angora
- Apply for an Emotional Support Animal Letter
One thing you need to consider before deciding on a cat breed, they are not going to motivate you nearly as much as a dog breed. If you are interested in a walking companion or a park pal, you might not be as likely to take your kitty cat along. Then maybe you would, just something for you to think about.
Who Benefits The Most?
We talked about people with anxiety and depression earlier benefitting, but there are way more than those two that could improve their life with an emotional support animal. That is what is included below, now this will give you even a better idea if this is right for you.
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Panic Attacks
- Personality Disorders
- Bipolar
- Sexual Disorders
- ADHD
- Substance Abuse
- OCD
- Phobias
- PTSD
- Acute Stress
- Eating Disorders
- Learning Disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Autism
The list goes on and on for those of you who can benefit, anyone with any type of mental health disabilities could possibly improve their life. One important thing to consider is whether are you stable enough to take care of them, if you struggle to care for yourself an animal might not be a good choice at this time.
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