How To Adopt an Emotional Support Dog: All the Steps You Need

If you feel like a cute pup would make a great mental health ally, you may wonder how to adopt an emotional support dog. After all, an ESA dog isn’t the same as a regular pet.

Sorting out what steps you need to take and how can get overwhelming, but don’t worry—we’re coming to the rescue. To help you bring a furry friend home more easily, we’ll fetch all of the most important information about the adoption process, dog breeds that might suit you best, and possible challenges along the way.

The ESA Dog Adoption Process

While adopting an emotional support dog isn’t overly complicated, it can be tough if you don’t know where to start. To avoid the kind of stress your new four-legged roommate should be helping you with, follow these steps for a smooth adoption process:

1. Establish if you qualify for an ESA
2. Get evaluated by a licensed mental health professional (LMHP)
3. Get your ESA letter
4. Inform your landlord

Establish if You Qualify for an ESA

Unfortunately, adopting an ESA dog isn’t as easy as showing up at the right place and demonstrating that you’re an animal lover. To qualify for one, you need to have one of the conditions mentioned in the newest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). 

The most common conditions that may qualify you for an ESA include:

• Chronic stress
• Anxiety disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Depression
• Phobias
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

This list isn’t exhaustive, and there are other conditions that can be helped by having a fluffy ball of joy around. If you think you have one of these conditions or something else that may get you qualified, the next step is talking to a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) to confirm it.

Get Evaluated by a Licensed Mental Health Professional (LMHP)

You need to find an LMHP who practices and has a license in your state and schedule an evaluation. It doesn’t have to be a psychiatrist, as any of these professionals is also qualified to evaluate you for an ESA:

• Psychologist
• Therapist
• Nurse practitioner
• Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)
• Primary care physician

During the evaluation, the professional will check your symptoms and determine whether they meet the criteria for a qualifying condition. Once they have a clear picture, they’ll assess how an ESA might help your emotional well-being. You can do this face-to-face or online, meaning you might not have to leave the comfort of your couch to get evaluated.

Get Your ESA Letter

If your LMHP decides that you’re a good candidate for an ESA, they’ll give you an official letter confirming your medical need for one. This letter is extremely important, as it protects you under the Fair Housing Act (FHA)—a federal law that gives you the right to live with your ESA dog even in housing that has a no-pets policy.

A legit ESA letter will come on the LMHP’s official letterhead, address you explicitly, and include this information:

1. The LMHP’s state license number, contact info, and National Provider Identification Number
2. A confirmation that you have an emotional or mental disability recognized by the DSM-5-TR
3. A statement that an emotional support dog is a necessary part of your treatment
4. A description of how your disability affects your daily life and how the ESA helps you

Inform Your Landlord

With your letter ready, all that’s left before the adoption is letting your landlord know you’re getting a furry friend. If you’re not sure how to go about it, just be direct.

If your landlord’s a grump or you’re concerned about the conversation getting awkward, do it through email. Aside from saving you from an uncomfortable interaction, emailing creates a paper trail, which can protect you if any disagreements arise.

Don’t worry about your landlord rejecting your dog; the FHA has your back. As long as you’ve got a legit ESA letter, the landlord’s bark is worse than their bite. They must try to provide you and your future puppy pal with reasonable accommodation or risk getting in hot water with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the main enforcer of the FHA.

Where To Adopt an Emotional Support Dog

Once you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to get to the most exciting part—finding the perfect fuzzy roommate. Unlike service dogs, emotional support dogs don’t need any special training beyond socialization and basic commands, so you don’t have to worry about finding a trained adoption candidate.

Shelters and animal rescues are great places to find and adopt an ESA dog. They’re full of puppies and older dogs who are just waiting for a second chance at a happy home.

Before you officially start the adoption process, make sure to talk to the people you’re getting your dog from and find out more about their personality. Every dog is different, and making sure your new best friend suits your lifestyle and energy levels will save you both a lot of trouble down the line.

Can a Foster Dog Be an ESA?

As long as you get a valid letter from an LMHP, your foster dog can absolutely be an ESA. Fostering is a great way to get a trial period with your new four-legged friend, letting you see whether you meet each other’s needs.

If you and the dog match, you can start the adoption process and welcome them into their furever home. It’s okay if your foster dog isn’t a good ESA fit, and it’s a good thing to find that out before making a lifelong commitment.

The Best ESA Dog Breeds

All dogs are good boys and girls, but some breeds are better suited for the role of an emotional support dog. If you haven’t locked down what you want your fluffy friend to be like yet, consider one of these:

Even if your favorite breed isn’t on this list, it doesn’t mean it can’t qualify. ESAs are prescribed based on your specific emotional and psychological needs, meaning you don’t have to worry about breed or size.

In fact, the FHA doesn’t specify that your ESA has to be a dog at all. It covers a wide range of animals, including unconventional ones like:

• Chickens 
• Snakes
• Pigs 

The Challenges of Emotional Support Dog Adoption

While every step of your ESA dog adoption journey comes with some setbacks, the one that people usually have most trouble with is finding the right LMHP.

Not every LMHP understands the exact requirements for getting an ESA, so depending on where you live, finding someone who can do it can be long and frustrating. Plus, you will most likely need to schedule your appointment weeks in advance due to long waiting lists.

Searching online makes the process easier, but it comes with additional risks. As the demand for ESA letters grows, many websites are popping up offering cheap and even free letters without a real evaluation. What you’re actually getting from these services is a fake letter that won’t just get you rejected; it can likely get you in trouble with the law.

Luckily, you can avoid all of these headaches by using a legit website that makes sure your ESA letter fully complies with all legal requirements. Reputable platforms like Your Service Animal offer a fast, reliable, and, most importantly, stress-free path to your ESA letter.

Get Your Legitimate ESA Letter With Your Service Animal

Your Service Animal is an online platform that provides you with a quick, easy, and convenient way to get your ESA letter and smoothly wrap up your ESA dog adoption.

The service connects you with an LMHP who practices in your state and can make sure your documentation matches all state and federal requirements. Here’s what makes Your Service Animal the top dog:

How It Works

Ready to adopt your new best friend? Follow these simple steps:

1. Find out if you’re a good fit for an ESA letter with our online quiz
2. Schedule an online appointment with a licensed mental health practitioner in your state
3. Attend the online call and receive your ESA letter if clinically appropriate
4. Receive a full refund if the therapist doesn’t issue an ESA letter or your landlord rejects your letter