Treat therapeutic pets same as guide dogs, demand owners
Petition calls for Britain to follow US, where emotional support animals can even be taken on planes
THERAPEUTIC animals that give owners emotional support should be granted the same legal rights as guide dogs, campaigners have said.
The idea of therapeutic animals has taken off after celebrities, including James Middleton, the brother of the Duchess of Cambridge, praised pets for aiding their recovery from bouts of anxiety and depression.
In the US, any creature can qualify as an “emotional support animal” if a doctor says it is vital for their human companion’s wellbeing.
Dogs including French bulldogs and pit bulls, pigs, hamsters and peacocks have been granted the special status, which means they can be taken on flights and stay in housing where animals are not usually allowed.
Now, ministers have been urged to give support animals the same rights in Britain, with nearly 13,000 signing a petition in support of the move. The organisers of the Change.org campaign wrote: “Sadly, unlike in America, emotional support animals are still not recognised as certified assistance animals in the UK.
“This means that the rules that apply to other assistance animals, such as guide dogs, do not apply to emotional support pets.
“At the end of the day, they could be separated from their pet, which would severely impact on their quality of life and emotional wellbeing.”
In the UK, assistance animals “trained to perform specific tasks” to improve their owners’ quality of life are given rights under the Equality Act 2010. This means a certified assistance animal, such as a guide dog, is allowed to accompany its client or owner at all times and in all places.
For a dog to qualify for these benefits in the UK, it must be trained and certified through Assistance Dogs International or the International Guide Dog Foundation.
Emotional support animals (ESAS) are not considered assistance animals in the UK because they are not trained to perform specific tasks.
Supporters of the petition said their
‘They could be separated from their pet, which would severely impact on their quality of life and emotional wellbeing’
pets had helped them to survive through struggles with mental illnesses including agoraphobia, severe anxiety, depression and PTSD.
A recent study in BMC Psychiatry suggested that owning an animal can help relieve stress and boost positive emotions.
Mr Middleton, 32, said the “unconditional love” he received from his nine dogs – a golden retriever, a black labrador, two cocker spaniels and five black spaniels – “played a vital role in my recovery from clinical depression”.
Carrie Fisher, the late actress, registered her French bulldog Gary as an ESA, and Ariana Grande says Piggie Smallz, her pig, helps with her anxiety.
The Emotional Support Animal Registry group is campaigning for ESAS to have legal recognition in Britain, which would mean flights from the UK would have to allow them on board.
Critics have said the US system has been abused, with America’s United Airlines receiving 76,000 requests for support pets to board flights last year.
The firm has since cracked down on ESAS, saying only “clean and well-behaved” cats, dogs and trained miniature horses are allowed on flights if their owners have a doctor’s note.