The emotional support animal designation can benefit both humans and animals, but requires careful consideration of animal welfare alongside human therapeutic needs.
Emotional support animal arrangements create welfare considerations for the animals involved that deserve careful attention. Well-suited animals in appropriate living situations - particularly dogs and cats who naturally thrive in human companionship - can genuinely benefit from the ESA relationship, receiving attention, care, and social bonding that supports their own welfare. However, ESA designations have sometimes led to animals being placed in inappropriate settings: exotic species unsuited to human environments, fearful animals placed in high-stress public situations, or animals whose own welfare needs cannot be met in the owner's circumstances. The therapeutic value of an ESA relationship depends on both the human and the animal being well-served by the arrangement. Animal welfare must be considered alongside human therapeutic benefit.