[NAGDU] Need a dictionary

[Tami Jarvis]

Nancy,

An ESA is an animal that gives emotional comfort simply by existing. The 
designation is mostly relevant when it comes to housing or 
transportation. Generally, a doctor's or therapist's prescription is 
required for an emotional support animal. Also, the species limitation 
on service animal does not apply to ESAs. Another commonly used term for 
ESA is "comfort animal." ESAs are no part of the ADA.

A psychiatric support service dog is trained to perform specific tasks 
related to the handler's disability, just like any other service dog. 
Such tasks might include taking a handler with PTSD out of a triggering 
situation, then using pressure or other methods to help the handler 
return to calm. And so forth. They're service dogs in the same sense our 
guide dogs are service dogs and meet the ADA definition.

Veterans don't all have the same disability. Many have PTSD, so a dog 
trained for that would be a psychiatric support service dog. If the dog 
is for retrieval for a paralyzed vet, that would be a different 
designation of service dog. And so forth. I'm not sure which 
disability/task combinations Southeastern trains for. If it's just that 
they're training guide  dogs for vets, then they're still guide dogs.

Tami

On 02/01/2018 04:26 PM, Nancy VanderBrink via NAGDU wrote:
> If someone doesn’t mind can you define:
> ESA
> Psychiatric Support Animal
> 
> I’m overwhelmed with terms here, seems like they’re used interchangeably.
> Btw, Southeastern trains dogs for vets what are those dogs considered?
> Thanks,
> Nancy
> 
> 
> Please forgive the typos as this message was most likely generated using voice dictation
> Nancy Irwin
> 
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