Emotional Support Animal

[Cinnamon Bun]

Hello!

Has anyone on here registered their rabbit as an emotional support animal? I would like to do this with my rabbit but I’m a bit confused on how to do this.

I have two reasons for wanting to do so: first, I am a student and go home sometimes for a month at a time, and I would like to be able to bring my rabbit with me. Second, I am moving apartments soon, and a lot of apartments don’t allow you to have rabbits.

I have depression and am seeing a therapist and psychiatrist, so Cinnamon is a legitimate emotional support animal for me! 

I’ve been looking at various websites that say that you can take certain steps and pay money to get them registered, but I’m confused about what I actually need, so if anyone has experience with this please let me know!

[RabbitPam]

I had researched it once recently for a friend’s dog, and though I can’t answer your question, I would suggest that you email via the Contact section of several of those websites to ask them directly. I emailed one site with another question on behalf of my friend (she can’t use a computer) and I received a complete answer very soon from that site. So I would shoot off some emails and request that if there’s a form to fill out, would they please attach a pdf, and let you know costs.

You probably need a confirmation statement of some kind from your psychiatrist, but again, they should tell you, or you can ask them first.

Btw, I always had very good luck renting apartments. I found that unless it specifically said “no pets”, that even apartments that had a “no cats or dogs” policy would rent to me, and didn’t charge me any fee. The secret is to say your bunny is housed in an enclosed habitat, or say cage, is litter box trained, and makes no noise. The issue for landlords is really damage to their property and noise that bothers neighbors. Bunnies don’t need to be walked, either. So if you don’t mention that you let your bunny out to play, and that they have a taste for carpets, you should be fine. I’ve had 3 apt. landlords write my bunny into the lease before I signed, and was all set. I even got my security deposits back. Don’t limit yourself.

[LBJ10]

This was a long time ago, but when I lived in an apartment “small caged animals” did not count as pets under the pet clause. So you could easily tell the landlord that you had a “caged” rabbit. Of course, most of us here on BB do not really have caged rabbits (at least not 24/7), but landlords don’t know that unless they are looking through your windows. LOL

This isn’t the first time emotional support animals have been brought up here on the forum. I’m curious about how this works because I thought you had to be legally disabled in order to be protected under the Fair Housing Act where emotional support animals are concerned. I’m sure it varies from state to state though.

I’m only asking because depression is usually not classified as a legal disability unless it is so severe that the person cannot function. Forgive me if I have offended you. And maybe you do qualify and, in that case, ignore what I just asked.

[LBJ10]

This is from Service Dog Central’s FAQ.

I’m a landlord. What are my rights concerning emotional support animals?

As always, it is best to discuss your rights with a qualified attorney. Some of the information may apply to and some may not, depending largely on your state’s own laws concerning emotional support animals. This article is meant as a general guide to some of the rights of landlords and as a starting point for your research on your own rights as a landlord, not as legal advice.

In order to avoid abuse of the system, landlords are generally permitted to require a letter from the tenant’s doctor explaining the tenant is disabled by mental illness and how the emotional support animal is expected to mitigate this disability.

Under federal law, you do not have to permit emotional support animals for anyone with a mental illness, only those who are disabled. This might vary with state laws, so check with your attorney. According to the NIMH, 26.2% of adults in the U.S. suffer from a mental illness in any given year, but only 6% are severely mentally ill. So more than three quarters of those with a diagnosed mental illness are not disabled by that illness and would not qualify to use a service animal even if they would benefit from one.

If the tenant has not yet gotten an emotional support animal, the landlord may be entitled to place restrictions on the size and breed of the animal. The landlord may be entitled to require the animal be spayed or neutered. Check with your state’s Human Rights Commission or Attorney General for information on your state’s laws concerning this. There are links to websites for every AG in the US in the service dog laws section of this site.

[LongEaredLions]

I have considered this too, but I feel like if you are just doing it for the perks it’s not worth it. I think it should be saved for those who really really need it.
Like LBJ, I don’t mean any offense, but I think it would be best to try other methods before you go this route.

[Krystal]

I realize this was three years ago…but please do not use the websites that allow you to May money for a certificate. These businesses are trying to make money and even though they may be well intentioned, they make it harder for those of us who really need service/emotional support animal certification to get it.

[jerseygirl]

I’m locking this topic now as it was started 3 years ago.

[Author]

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