Based on a survey held by Pettable, 32% of pet owners had their pet registered as an Emotional Service Animal (ESA). The vast majority of these ESA owners rated that their pets were very effective in improving their mental health. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not effective and 10 being extremely effective, 73% of the owners rated an 8 or better.

Owning a pet in general can help improve a person’s mental health, so one can only imagine how helpful a pet that is specifically trained to help people would be.

According to an article from the American Counseling Association, an emotional support animal “is an animal that works, provides assistance or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability”. It is stated that ESA’s are animals that help people that have disabilities and also give emotional support to their owners. Some of these pets can be trained to perform tasks for people who suffer from severe disabilities, making their lives much easier. There are also cases where the owner does not face any severe disabilities and simply needs the pet to help improve their mental health and give them emotional support.

The benefits of an emotional support animal are evident, but some still might have questions about them. As some may ask, what is the best and most common type of emotional support animal?

In an article written by Emily Wolfel from A-Z Animals, it is said that “Dogs are the most common type of emotional support animal because they are good at gauging human emotion and take well to special training”. Studies have made it clear that dogs are one of the best types of emotional support animals, and they are 100% the most common. Dogs can read human emotions and can also respond to a human’s needs and desires. They are very easy to train and by giving them training, they can provide the best support and do tasks for their owners.

Now that we’ve seen the most common type of emotional support animal, let’s take a look at some other pets that make good emotional support animals.

According to another article by Pettable, “Cats are the second-most common type of ESA” and “rabbits also make excellent ESAs”. Studies show that spending time with cats reduces stress levels and promotes mental and emotional well-being. Since cats are very low maintenance, it is easier for cat owners to see their pet as a companion and not a load of work. Rabbits also make good emotional support animals because they are very gentle, playful, and very cute. It has been proven that individuals who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder can benefit from owning a rabbit because of their calm behavior and joyful attitude. Rabbits also take up very little space and are easy to care for, making their owner’s life much easier when caring for their pet.

Owning an emotional support animal can significantly help a person who deals with mental health problems or has a severe disability.