Ever since ESA therapy has started to gain attention in psychiatry and other mental health fields, the debate on which animals are worthy of the title of “ESA” has surged. Many individuals believe that emotional support animals are limited to conventional pets but that is not the case. As more and more people are getting acquitted with this therapeutic treatment, examples of people acquiring unconventional animals as ESA pets are coming forward.
If you are also someone who believes that emotional support can only be taken from typical pets then I am happy to tell you, that is not the case. Many certified mental health experts are now seen to be prescribing unusual pets as ESAs which includes birds, reptiles, and even fishes. This form of therapy has opted for an unorthodox approach which goes beyond ESA dogs and cats. You can now keep a fish for emotional support. However, different variants of fish are prescribed for different psychological conditions.
This article will focus explicitly on a certain type of fish i.e., Goldfish as an ESA pet. Unless you live under a rock, you will know about this extremely popular type of fish. It belongs to the Cyprinidae family and is commonly kept in an indoor aquarium. Their average life is ten to fifteen years, but their different variants and breeds could survive up to 30 years which is a great lifespan for an ESA pet.
Can a goldfish Be an ESA pet?
Many people keep Goldfish as a pet so it is logical to think that it can be kept as an ESA pet as well. However, this reason is not enough to classify them as emotional support animals. There are tons of other ESA pets that belong to the unpopular class of pets such as lizards, snakes, crocodiles, and others. Therefore, there must be some other traits present in a Goldfish to make it qualify as an ESA.
Before we get into the more specific details of what traits of Goldfish qualify it as an emotional support animal, let me provide you some basic information on how to keep them as ESA pets. Well, the most basic condition is to get an esa letter for housing.
To get this esa letter, you ought to prove to a certified mental health professional that a Goldfish can help you cope up with the condition due to which you are considering the option of getting an ESA pet in the first place. If you fail to prove the significance of a Goldfish for your mental condition, your Goldfish certainly cannot qualify as an ESA for you.
Criteria to Qualify as an ESA
Below are the criteria that must be met to make a Goldfish eligible for becoming an emotional support animal.
- Have a Calming Effect on the Owner
The basic purpose of an ESA pet is to help the person with an emotional or mental disability, and to cope with his or her condition. In such a mental state, all a person needs is a comforting and soothing presence. If a goldfish can provide the soothing aura that the owner craves then it can certainly qualify as an ESA.
- Doesn’t Pose a Risk to Neighbors
Since an ESA pet is authorized to be kept in homes even if the landlord or building administration does not usually allow pets on the premises, the pet must not pose any direct or indirect threat to the people living in the neighborhood. Most housing locations such as condos or apartments forbid keeping pets because of the mess or disturbance they may cause for other people. So, if your pet threatens the life of people around you then such a pet cannot be qualified as an ESA. To keep you ESA with you you have to know how to get an esa letter.
A goldfish does not pose any such health risk to any individual, neither do they cause mess or disturbance for anyone. They remain quiet and calm all the time. Besides, they are not venomous or violent in any way. Due to these characteristics of a Goldfish, it can easily qualify as an ESA.
Benefits of a Goldfish as an ESA
You must be wondering how a goldfish can provide you emotional support and give you comfort out of all the other ESA pets. To fully understand the kind of calmness a goldfish can offer, you’ll have to actually experience it by getting it as your pet through an emotional support animal letter. But as far as words could describe, below is your description of how a goldfish can help you during challenging times and be your companion and support system.
- Soothing Aura
The vibrant color of a goldfish is enough to calm your nerves down during anxiety or stress. However, the overall soothing and comforting aura that these fishes can exhibit is something otherworldly. The feeling can never be described in words. The peaceful sound of water flowing keeps you in a state of tranquility and eases all your worries. If you have an esa letter online, things can get easier for you because airlines are bound by the law to provide accommodation to your ESA snake.
- Long lifespan
One of the biggest benefits that goldfish can offer is their long presence in your life. You do not have to worry about your ESA pet dying because of the shorter life span.
- Inexpensive and easily manageable
Fishes are among the inexpensive kind of ESA pets. Besides, they are low maintenance as they stay in the water all the time and you do not have to feed them all day long. You do not even have to worry about their litter. All in all, a goldfish is a win-win ESA pet.