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I just argued with someone for 20 minutes about how ESAs can be legitimate disability accommodations and then at the end of it they said that they didn't even know that you needed a doctor's note to have an ESA...
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Anonymous 1d

They literally thought that anyone could say their dog is an ESA with no proof and then decided that they needed to yell at me for 20 minutes about how all ESAs are fake and they're just pets. Meanwhile I literally can't get out of bed in the morning without my dog getting me up

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Anonymous 21h

Tbf most of the time people have ESAs bc they wanted to bring their dog or cat to college but I understand how it can be frustrating when you genuinely have an emotional disorder and need your ESA for therapeutic support

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Anonymous 22h

that person is an ultracrepidarian and i love a good excuse for using that word lmao.

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Anonymous 20h

Yeah I have an esa too for my cat she helps me establish routine which is something I struggle heavily with. And for a person who really needed the esa it was almost impossible to get without a doctor

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Anonymous 20h

Like just because esa's are not the same as services dogs doesn't mean they're not important or "just pets"! There's this massive stigma just because a few people have abused that term but true esa's can be life changing for those that need one

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Anonymous 15h

My ESA cat helps me manage my stress and by extension my migraines. I used to get migraines weekly if not every few days. He keeps them down to maybe once a month. There are studies that show petting cats / animals helps lower your cortisol and stress overall.

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Anonymous 4h

I have guinea pig ESAs that came to school with me, I have to have meetings and letters about them. I get freaked out and sad when I’m alone for too long, especially if it’s silent, so their companionship is so important for me. They also convince me to get out of bed on days I really don’t want to, because they’ll scream until they’re fed lol

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Anonymous replying to -> #2 21h

Very true! That was actually part of the larger context of the conversation, because I was trying to explain to the person that people faking ESAs is really harmful because there are some people who have genuine ESAs, and all the people abusing the system fuck it up for the few people who really need them

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Anonymous replying to -> OP 21h

I was actually super hesitant on getting a letter for a while bc it felt like I was just doing it to have my dog in non dog friendly apartments (which was still for disability reasons bc apartment options are limited in my area and the only ones that met my needs didn't allow dogs), but then I realized he really is essential for adding structure and companionship to my life

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Anonymous replying to -> #6 4h

They came to school with you? I thought ESAs don't get public access but maybe school is a special scenario

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