Emotional support animals in Canada: What you need to know
Owning a pet has many benefits, including emotional support. Some pets, however, can become officially designated emotional support animals (ESAs). How does a pet get that designation, and does it carry any legal weight in Canada? ESA rules here are different from the rules in the United States. Here’s what applies, and how an ESA compares to a service dog.
What is an emotional support animal?
While service animals perform tasks to aid people with physical disabilities, emotional support animals aid people with diagnosed psychological disabilities, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
In Canada, an ESA may be protected under provincial human rights law if the animal is part of your treatment. Protections vary from province to province. Air travel works differently. Federal accessibility rules require carriers to accommodate trained service dogs. ESAs fall outside that definition, so each airline sets its own policy.
How do you get your pet recognised as an ESA in Canada? Unlike service dogs, emotional support animals aren’t certified or registered through any federal or provincial scheme. What carries weight is a letter from a licensed health professional describing how the animal helps you. The Canadian Medical Protective Association advises physicians on what such a letter can and cannot say.
Emotional support animal vs service dog in Canada
ESAs and service animals are often confused, but they play different roles under Canadian law.
- Purpose: Service dogs are trained to do specific tasks for a person with a disability. That might mean guiding someone with a visual impairment, alerting to seizures, or interrupting an anxiety spiral. ESAs provide comfort and companionship, but they aren’t trained for a task.
- Legal rights: Legislation generally gives service dogs and guide dogs access to places open to the public. ESAs don’t get the same access automatically. Their use may still be protected under human rights law if the animal is part of a person’s treatment. Federal accessibility regulations define a service dog as one trained to do a task linked to a disability.
- Documentation: Service dog requirements are set provincially and vary across the country. For an ESA, you need a letter from a licensed health professional.
If you’re unsure whether an ESA or a service dog is right for your situation, speak with your healthcare provider or a licensed mental health professional.
What an ESA does and doesn’t cover in Canada
Here’s where an ESA makes a difference in Canada, and where it doesn’t:
- Costs associated with your pet generally aren’t deductible medical expenses in Canada. The Canada Revenue Agency limits the medical expense tax credit to animals specially trained to perform specific tasks. This excludes animals that only provide emotional support.
- Under federal accessibility regulations, carriers covered by those rules must accommodate trained service dogs. Emotional support animals fall outside that definition, so each airline sets its own policy. Many treat them as pets, with standard fees and carrier requirements. Check your carrier’s own rules before you book.
- When it comes to housing, ESA owners may be able to request accommodation from a landlord under provincial human rights legislation, though protections vary by province. The Ontario Human Rights Commission has said the duty to accommodate can require a landlord to waive a no-pets rule. Its published guidance addresses service animals rather than ESAs specifically. A landlord doesn’t have to accept an ESA, but they must consider each request on its own facts.
- Finally, if your ESA is a dog, you might be wondering whether they need to wear a vest identifying them as an ESA. The answer is no, although a vest can be a simple way to signal your dog’s role to the people around you.
These rules differ between provinces and can change. Check with your landlord, your airline or a qualified professional before you rely on them.
How to get an emotional support animal in Canada
To have an ESA recognised in Canada, you need a letter from a licensed mental health professional in your province. There’s no registry to join and no certificate to buy. Most ESAs here are dogs, though no rule limits an emotional support dog to any one breed or size.
Here’s how the process works:
- Talk to a licensed mental health professional in your province. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians and licensed clinical social workers. Tell them how your pet helps you manage your condition.
- Ask about a supporting letter. If your professional agrees that the animal helps you, they can write one. It should include their licence number and contact information.
- Skip the online registries. A landlord or airline doesn’t have to accept a paid certificate or ID card.
- Present the letter when you need accommodation. Give it to your landlord or property manager. Your request is then considered under your province’s human rights law. Coverage varies, and Ontario has among the strongest protections in the country.
We’re here to help with the cost of an ESA. Sharing a GoFundMe makes it easier to ask friends and family for support.
How crowdfunding can help
Of course, pets can be expensive. According to Badge of Life Canada, the cost of training a service dog starts at around $20,000. A service dog costs more than a typical ESA. But the costs of any animal add up quickly, from vet care to food and equipment.
This is where GoFundMe’s crowdfunding comes in. Sometimes the cost of caring for an animal is out of reach. We make it easy to raise funds from friends, family and your community.
Here are a few examples from across Canada:
- Ned’s Wish, a society for retired police service dogs, is raising funds for Tuukka’s vet care. Tuukka served with the RCMP before retiring.
- Averie in Ontario is raising funds for Delta’s brain tumour treatment. Delta joined Averie as an emotional support animal and later became a service dog.
- Karine in Quebec started a fundraiser for emergency vet care for Paco, her family’s emotional support animal, after a serious accident at home.
- Arif in British Columbia is raising funds for vet bills for his emotional support dog, Sunny, who was injured in a dog attack.
- Sammi in Alberta is raising funds to help her and her emotional support animal start over. Sammi plans to use the funds for room and board, furniture and other everyday costs.
- Emery’s family is raising funds for a seizure service dog for Emery. They say funded programs in Canada are closed to applications or have long waitlists, so they found a private training program.
- Arthur’s family in Victoria is raising funds for an autism guide dog for Arthur. They say publicly subsidized waitlists are closed, so they are paying for a trained service dog themselves.
Funding a service dog is a bigger undertaking. Read our guide to service dog fundraising in Canada, or find out how GoFundMe can help with medical bills.
Raise funds for your own emotional support animal
We’ve seen many Canadians raise funds for animal care. Creating a fundraiser is straightforward, and you can share it with friends and family across Canada and beyond.