How to Get Your Emotional Support Animal in Oregon Certified
An Emotional Support Animal offers comfort to individuals grappling with emotional or psychological challenges. These animals elevate mood-boosting hormones, alleviate feelings of loneliness, and serve as a potent form of natural healthcare, helping their owners effectively manage symptoms associated with emotional issues like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Recognizing the extensive range of health benefits the animals provide is crucial.
In Oregon, finding rental housing or public spaces that accommodate pets can prove to be a daunting task. Landlords may strictly enforce pet policies, subjecting tenants to time-consuming legal proceedings and substantial fees if they lack proper documentation for their support animal.
Legal provisions empower tenants with an Emotional Support Animal in Oregon to reside with the animal in their rental unit, provided they have a doctor’s approval. American Service Pets helps tenants secure this authorization for their animals. Discover if you qualify for an ESA letter in Oregon today.
The Top Benefits of Emotional Support Animals
Designated Emotional Support Animals can be a broad range of creatures that offer comfort during periods of emotional strain. Dogs are most common, but comfort animals can be a variety of species, including cats, hamsters, birds, and even fish. These animals prove beneficial for individuals who may struggle to navigate their daily lives due to overwhelming emotions. Additionally, they also provide benefits that include:
Genuine Love & Care
Emotional Support Animals provide a great deal of love an loyalty to help owners through periods of emotional troubles. Simply spending time with your ESA can help alleviate those everyday stressors.
Relief from Loneliness
Social relationships have been shown to have a positive impact on our mental health. Support animals work hard to be the loyal companions we need, and sharing your life with one can reduce feelings of loneliness and help you feel more connected to your environment.
Natural Healthcare
An ESA can have a calming effect and help keep emotions in check when you’re facing high stress situations. It serves as a good choice for individuals who would like to address issues like stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional challenges without turning to prescription drugs.
We understand how stressful life can be. That’s why American Service Pets is here to help you secure the necessary paperwork for your Emotional Support Animal in Oregon. Find out if you qualify today.
Oregon Emotional Support Animal Laws
Emotional Support Animals vary in type and size and offer a range of health benefits. However, they are not equipped to save lives, administer medication, or anticipate panic attacks. Only Psychiatric Service Animals undergo the training to carry out these tasks.
The distinctions between ESAs and PSAs grant their owners different legal privileges. Here are some relevant laws in Oregon:
Housing Laws
Landlords are prohibited by the federal Fair Housing Act from evicting individuals solely for owning an approved Emotional Support Animal in Oregon. The are also not allowed to impose a pet deposit or additional fees on any tenant with an ESA.
Landlords are entitled to review the authorized ESA letter to better understand the nature of the disability and the requirement for a comfort animal. However, landlords also retain the right to reject tenants if their ESA is excessively large, untrained, destructive, or not housebroken.
Public Access
Due to their lack of training, Emotional Support Animals are not granted the same access rights as Psychiatric Service Animals under the law, though there may be some venues that allow ESAs as well. It’s always a good idea to call ahead if you are unsure whether your animal will be allowed. Learning the rules beforehand can help avoid embarrassing situations.
Workplace Laws
Oregon legislation does not mandate employers to permit Emotional Support Animals in their establishments. However, state laws outline the fact that employers are prohibited from discrimination and must provide accommodations for employees with disabilities. Having an official Oregon ESA letter could influence a compassionate employer to grant access to an ESA.
Travel Laws
Emotional Support Animals are no longer allowed in the cabin during air travel. Public transportation services such as buses, trains, and railways are under no legal obligation to board ESAs. Some rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft have less stringent policies, but you have to check ahead of time.
American Service Pets proudly provides an easy three-step process to getting ESA letters in Oregon for owners needing the support of their pets.
FAQ
The Basics
Yes, in addition to following the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
Service animals are animals trained to take a specific action to assist a person with a disability. There are a variety of types of service animals, including guide dogs, hearing dogs, psychiatric service animals, and seizure and allergen alert animals.
Oregon defers to the ADA when it comes to the definition of disability, which is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such an individual; record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment.”
Service animals are mainly dogs, but the ADA also provides coverage for miniature horses in some cases.
Oregon does not currently have a law on the books criminalizing service animal fraud.
Yes, under Oregon state law, service animals in training are also protected.
Emotional Support Animals do not have the same protection under the law as service animals because they are not required to be trained the way service animals are.
FAQ
Public Accommodations & Travel with a Service Animal
The Oregon definition of public accommodations is “a private business or organization that offers goods or services to the public. This includes any place that offers the public something, whether it is good, services, loding, amusements, or otherwise.” The ADA’s definition of public accommodations is very broad, with a long list of establishment types that count as qualified public accommodations.
Businesses may only ask two questions if the need for the service animal is not apparent: 1) Is the animal required because of a disability? 2) What task(s) is it trained to perform?
Under the ADA, establishments can exclude a service animal from a public accommodation if it is not housebroken, is out of control, or is posing a risk to the health and safety of other patrons. If a service animal is removed or barred from entry, its handler is still permitted to enter without the animal.
Public transportation falls under the umbrella of public accommodations. As a result, individuals with service animals are protected while using it.
Employees are able to request the use of a service animal in the workplace as a reasonable accommodation from their employer. Employers should consider the request the same way they would any reasonable accommodation request. They have the right under the ADA to request documentation that an accommodation is needed because of an employee’s disability during this time.
Yes. Service animals are allowed in all areas where members of the public are allowed to go, such as outpatient rooms and clinics. However, they may be excluded from facilities that require a protected environment, such as operating rooms, holding and recovery areas, intensive care, and other sterile environments.
Interfering with a service animal is considered a Class A misdemeanor in Oregon. Additionally, the individual(s) impacted by this refusal can file legal complaints against the establishment.
Oregon follows the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which defines a service animal as a dog (regardless of breed or size) trained to do work or perform tasks to assist a qualified individual with a diability, and may include psychiatric service dogs. Minature horses are excluded in this definition.
Airlines can require a passenger to provide a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) form attesting to the animal’s health, behavior, and training and a U.S. DOT form attesting that the animal can either not relieve itself or can relieve itself in a sanitary manner (if the animal will be on a flight that is 8 or more hours).
The ACAA does not address service animals in-training, so airlines are not required to carry them as they do not meet the requirements of an ACAA-defined service animal. However, airlines can make their own individual policies.
FAQ
Housing Law
The federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) requires housing providers to allow reasonable modifications so that disabled individuals can have equal access to and enjoyment of housing. Modifying a no-pet policy to allow service and support animals falls under this umbrella. If the need for a service animal is not apparent, landlords have the right to ask for documentation from a healthcare professional stating that the animal is required because of a disability.
Yes. Though you cannot be required to pay additional fees or rent for a service animal, you can be held liable for any damage the animal causes to the property beyond what is considered normal wear and tear.
Yes, ESAs are protected in housing under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA).
FAQ
Discrimination Complaints
If you face discrimination in a public accommodation or workplace, you can contact the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) by calling 971-673-0761 or emailing help@boli.state.or.us. You can also fill out BOLI’s online questionnaire to begin the process of filing a formal complaint, bu you must do so within one year of the date of the unlawful act.
If you believe you have been discriminated against when it comes to housing, you can contact the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) by calling 971-245-3844 or emailing boli_help@boli.oregon.gov. You can also fill out BOLI’s online housing discrimination complaint form to start the process of filing a formal complaint. For additional assistance, you can also contact the Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO) or email them at inquiries@fhco.org.
How to Get Certified for an Emotional Support Animal in Oregon
American Service Pets understands how important Emotional Support Animals are to the lives of their owners. That’s why we’ve simplified the process to obtaining the proper ESA paperwork:
See if You Qualify
It takes just a few minutes to fill out the American Service Pets questionnaire to determine whether you qualify.
Get Approved by a Doctor
American Service Pets allows you to submit your file to your own doctor or to one in our network for authorization. Our doctors are always available, and they approve most requests within a few minutes. Letters are then immediately emailed for easy access.
Add Your Pet to the National Directory
Following certification, your pet will get an online pet profile on the national directory of ESAs that shows its status and ESA letter for public view.
95% of our applicants qualify for an ESA letter. You can get yours with American Service Pets today.
The American Service Pets Advantage
American Service Pets is proud to have helped over 45,000 applicants secure the paperwork necessary to keep their support system in place. Here are some factors that make us the best choice for you:
- All-in-one approval process
- You get a chance to confer with a licensed healthcare professional
- No prescription required
Don’t miss the opportunity to affirm your rights to the physical and psychological benefits your ESA provides. An Oregon ESA letter will officially validate your special relationship.
Nationwide Experts in Emotional Support Animal Certification
Getting legal approval for your Emotional Support Animals shouldn’t have to be a hassle. Convince hesitant landlords and others out there of the crucial bond you share with your ESA by getting your official letter. Simply fill out our questionnaire today, and you’ll be on your way to getting qualified for an Emotional Support Animal in Oregon.
Disclaimer: We would like to emphasize that while the terms “certification” or “registration” may be used in relation to Emotional Support Animals, there is no official certification process for ESAs or any form of ESA registry as of this date. As such, the use of these terms should not be interpreted as legally recognized designations by government or regulatory authorities. Remember, ESAs can provide a valuable source of comfort and support, but their recognition relies on proper documentation from a healthcare professional and adherence to relevant laws and guidelines.
