A Snake cannot be registered as a service animal. However, you can register your snake to act as an emotional support animal.
In this article, we will explain the differences in the rules for service animals and emotional support animals, and tell you how to register your snake as an emotional support animal.
Its Perfectly Acceptable To Be Comforted By Having A Pet Snake
Tens of millions of people find emotional comfort and support from their pets. They use their pets as part of their repertoire of coping mechanisms in good times and bad.
However, not all landlords, apartment supervisors, and homeowner associations permit pets on residential premises.
And some property owners permit dogs, cats, birds, and fish but not more exotic pets like snakes.
Each American has the legal right to own a service dog. Service animals do work and perform tasks for people with medically diagnosed disabilities.
For instance, a service animal might guide a blind person. Service animals can pull wheelchairs and help their owners with PTSD or when they have seizures.
However, since 2010,federal regulationshave stated that only dogs can be service animals.
The Fair Housing Act only guarantees that a landlord or a tenant association or a homeowners association must accept your service animal if your service animal is a dog.
The Air Carrier Access Act only guarantees permission to board a plane with a service animal that is a dog. Other animals are not recognized by federal law as service animals.
There is however a category that covers other types of animals. Animals are sometimes recognized as emotional support animals.
These are animals that a doctor or a psychologist has designated as supportive of a patients emotional health.
Emotional support animals are most often dogs or cats, but it is also possible to have an emotional support snake.
Heres What You Need To Know Before You Get Started
You will avoid many problems in the future if you have a clear understanding of the differences in the legal definitions of service animals and emotional support animals.
Are You Looking For A Service Animal Or An Emotional Support Animal?
Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks for people who have been diagnosed with medical disabilities.
Emotional support animals help people who have been diagnosed with emotional disabilities but under a different set of criteria.
Emotional support animals dont perform specific tasks. They assist their owners with certain disabilities.
Your snake doesn’t have to be trained to become your emotional support animal.
However, to register your snake as an emotional support animal, your therapist will need to identify specific issues with which having your snake helps.
There Is Not One National Registry For Emotional Support Dogs
There isnt a single place to go that will guarantee your snake will be certified as an emotional support animal in all 50 states.
Law does not require landlords or apartment owners to acknowledge any type of registration for an animal that is emotional support animal.
But, apartment managers and landlords must recognize any letter from a doctor, licensed counselor, or psychotherapist stating that the snake is helping with a specific issue related to the owner’s mental or physical health.
Let’s now take a look at how to register your snake as an emotional support animal.
Registering Your Snake As An Emotional Support Animal
If you do not complete the formal registration process, there is no guarantee your snake will be accepted as an emotional support animal.
Although the process can be tedious, it is not difficult.
Establish A Relationship With Your Doctor Or Therapist
It is important to know that certification of your snake as an emotional support animal does not require professional evaluation.
It is not like training a dog as a guide dog.
Your doctors’ or therapists’ professional evaluation is what counts when you get your snake certified to be an emotional support animal.
For a professionally diagnosed issue, you will need to see a doctor or therapist.
You will need to be receiving ongoing therapy for your snake to be considered an emotional support animal.
You may be able to find therapists or companies that will give you a letter of certification for your snake without taking you as a patient.
You may not be able to obtain certain legal protections if your snake causes an issue later.
Your ESA (Emotional Support Animals) Letter Is Available
Its not automatic that a doctor or therapist will agree that an emotional support snake is what you need to help you with a specific psychological issue.
However, when they do, then it is time to request your ESA letter.
Your ESA letter explains how your psychological health is supported by your snake.
It explains your condition in general, and it tells how your snake supports your mental health.
The letter may disclose your diagnosis and the consequences of not allowing you to keep your snake.
Your healthcare provider must sign your ESA letter using their letterhead. The letter is valid for one-year from the date it was sent.
Your ESA letter must document:
- Your complete legal name.
- Your psychological or psychiatric disability, as defined in the DSM 5, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
- You are unable to perform at most one of the essential activities of daily living because of your disability, as defined in the DSM
- This is the specific recommendation for a snake to be your service animal.
- These federal regulations protect you.
Most states will not have laws protecting your access to housing if you own an otherwise prohibited pet.
When you show your ESA letter to your future landlord, you need to be able to document your legal right to your snake.
Register Your Emotional Service Snake (Optional).
It is a good idea after you have received your ESA letter to register it at an ESA registration site like ESA Registrationor the US Service Animal and Support Animal Registry.
If there is a question of whether you had your letter before you leased an apartment or a house, registering your letter may help you in a dispute with your landlord.
It may also be helpful in certain types of discussions with animal control officers.
There is a fee to use any of the ESA registration sites. It is not necessary if you have limited funds.
But be advised that housing providers are not obligated to honor your request for an emotional support snake without documentation of your ESA letter.
Keep Your Communications Polite Once You Have Received Your ESA Letter
To get an ESA letter to support your emotional support snake, you must use it to obtain the housing that will allow you to keep the snake.
You can also sabotage your efforts by not asserting your rights to a landlord.
Even if your needs for emotional support animals have been documented, there are still other factors that must be taken into account before you can approve you for a lease.
Courtesy helps your case. Even if a landlord did not reject your application for a lease on the basis of your emotional support animal, they could find other reasons to reject it if you are rude.
If you have presented your ESA letter, and the housing provider doesnt have other reasons to reject your application, but you arent able to rent the property, there are things you can do.
Contact your local tenants rights association for further directions.
An ESA doesnt give you the right to take your snake on a plane, train, bus, or public transportation. You can always ask.
Is Getting An Emotional Support Snake Really A Good Idea?
People with bipolar disorder or autistic spectrum disorders often find support in the form of snakes.
People with depression can find them helpful. Although snakes may not be for everyone, there are many reasons why they make great emotional support animals.
- Snakes are easy pets to keep. They live in glass enclosures most of the time. They don’t eat much and can be found in pet supply shops.
- Snakes dont cause allergies. An allergic person who is unable to have an animal support pet or dog can usually have an emotional support snake.
- Snakes arent demanding pets. Most (although not all) snakes like being held, once they get to know you. But they dont demand attention several hours a day or become anxious when you go to work.
People who are easily startled will find snakes a great emotional support animal.
A person on the autism spectrum may be disturbed by a cat or dog jumping up to grab their attention. However, a snake’s slow and predictable movements can help them to cope.
People with psychological problems may find it helpful to use their emotional support snakes for comfort and security.
