Pettable Vs. US Service Animals: Which Online ESA Letter Is Better?

Do you rely on your Emotional Support Animal (ESA) to help mitigate symptoms of a mental health issue? If so, you know how important it is to ensure that you can keep your ESA with you as much as possible. The first step is obtaining a legitimate Emotional Support Animal Letter that meets federal and state requirements.

The Fair Housing Act protects your right to keep your ESA in your home, even if your housing provider has restrictions on pets. Some airlines and travel providers also accommodate ESAs. A genuine ESA Letter signed by a licensed therapist or mental health professional provides proof that your cat or dog is an official assistance animal.

The easiest way to get an official ESA Letter is with an online service. Several companies provide ESA documents to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Pettable and US Service Animals are two online ESA providers. In this review, we’ll cover the costs, pros, and cons of each service so you can choose the best one.

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What Is Pettable?

Pettable is an online ESA company that helps clients connect with caring mental health professionals for Emotional Support Animal consultations. When you use the service, it’s easy to schedule an evaluation with a therapist or licensed mental health professional (LMHP).

If you meet the eligibility requirements for an Emotional Support Animal, the LMHP can write you a legitimate ESA Letter that’s compliant with federal regulations, including HIPAA, the Fair Housing Act (FHA), and the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).

How Does Pettable Work?

Pettable offers an easy process to get an ESA Letter by facilitating connections between clients and licensed healthcare providers. There are three main steps to get an Emotional Support Animal document through Pettable:

1. Start by taking a pre-evaluation quiz. This questionnaire takes about three minutes to complete and asks simple questions related to mental health.
2. If the quiz indicates that you may be eligible for an Emotional Support Animal, proceed to the payment page to choose your Letter package. Once you make a payment, you’ll receive an email from Pettable with some forms to sign.
3. As soon as you’ve signed all the necessary documents, you can schedule a consultation with your assigned medical professional. They will evaluate you to determine whether an emotional support dog or cat would be helpful as a part of your mental illness treatment plan. If so, your therapist or licensed mental health professional will write a valid ESA document with all the required information and signatures.

Pettable provides ESA documentation in a timely manner.

How Much Does Pettable Cost?

Pettable offers three options for an ESA Letter: a housing letter, an airline travel letter, or a package that includes both letters. The cost of an individual letter is $149. If you choose to get both types of documentation, the housing and travel letter package is available at a discounted cost of $199.

Is Pettable Legit?

Yes. Pettable is a legitimate online ESA Letter service. It has all the hallmarks of a trustworthy company, including a money-back guarantee and ongoing customer service. The company ensures that its ESA documents meet all state and federal requirements as well as those related to HIPAA, FHA, and ACAA legislation.

Does Pettable Offer a Psychiatric Service Dog Letter?

A psychiatric service dog letter differs from an emotional support animal in that a PSD requires specific training, whereas an ESA does not require specialized training. A PSD serves people who suffer from mental health struggles or learning disabilities. A PSD can help a person combat negative emotions, lower anxiety and stress, and serve as a companion for someone with debilitating mental health struggles.

Pettable offers people the opportunity to consult with a licensed mental health professional to discuss the need for a PSD letter. Pettable can connect you with a licensed mental health professional, l and they will determine if you would benefit from having a PSD as a furry companion. Pettable can then issue you an official doctor’s letter and satisfaction guaranteed if a doctor sees it as necessary.

Our Thoughts About Pettable

Pettable offers a quick and easy way to get an official Emotional Support Animal document (as long as you qualify for one). The site is easy to use and includes many helpful answers about Emotional Support Animals, relevant laws, and mental health.

There are no red flags indicating a fraudulent ESA Letter service, such as the option to get a form without an evaluation from an LMHP. Pettable doesn’t say that other tasks, such as registering or certifying your ESA, are necessary (they’re not), and it doesn’t try to sell unnecessary extras.

Pettable Pros

Here are some of the best things about Pettable:

• Quick turnaround time
• Expert customer support team familiar with ESA Letter regulations
• Pre-qualification quiz that doesn’t require sensitive personal information
• Full satisfaction guarantee for both the consultation and the document itself

Pettable has clearly worked hard to create a user-friendly site that takes clients through each step of the process to get an ESA Letter.

Pettable Cons

Pettable also has some downsides:

• You must provide an email address and phone number during the prescreening quiz.
• Pricing information isn’t available up front; you have to go through the initial questionnaire.
• Full payment is required before scheduling a consultation.
• You’ll probably get numerous marketing emails.

Despite these annoyances, Pettable is still a legitimate and helpful business.

What Is US Service Animals?

US Service Animals is also an online ESA Letter provider. However, the webpage offers other services besides Emotional Support Animal documentation. It claims to be “The Official US Service Animal & Support Animal (ESA) Registry” and gives customers the option to “register” an Emotional Support Animal or service dog.

In different sections of the website, US Service Animals claims to it can place animals in the “US Service and Support Animal Registry Database” or the “US National Service Animal Registry Database.” Unfortunately, these claims are meaningless; there is no officially recognized database of service animals or ESAs.

Paying to register your dog with US Service Animals provides no legal protections. The only document that can ensure assistance animals get legal coverage is a genuine ESA form signed by a licensed physician, therapist, or mental health provider.

To be fair, if you scroll down far enough on the US Service Animals website, there is a section stating that their registration service doesn’t provide legal protection. But most of the site tries hard to indicate otherwise, implying that registration is a useful and necessary step for ESA owners to take.

How Does US Service Animals Work?

The US Service Animals site is divided into three sections: ESA registration, service dog registration, and ESA documentation (in the form of a doctor’s form). Since the registration services are unnecessary, we’ll focus on the process to get an ESA Letter.

Unlike Pettable, US Service Animals doesn’t offer a step-by-step process. To get started, you fill out a simple contact form with your name, email, phone number, and state of residence. The website says a licensed doctor will contact you for a free consultation.

If the provider determines you are eligible for an ESA, they will email you a printable document. There is no information about whether the form is written on official Letterhead or signed by an LMHP who is authorized to practice in your state.

How Much Does US Service Animals Cost?

You can see how much US Service Animals charges for its various products right away in the Shop section of the website. You don’t have to go through a quiz or provide any information to see how much things cost. The price for an Emotional Support Animal Letter for travel and housing is $179.99, but the webpage says that you don’t have to pay if you don’t get approved during the consultation.

It’s worth noting that US Service Animals charges quite a bit for their “registration” option: $79.98. You get a registration certificate and card, but it’s important to note that neither of these documents offers any actual legal protection.

Is US Service Animals Legit?

Somewhat. US Service Animals offers a mix of legitimate services and scammy options that provide no benefit for consumers. That said, the company’s process for evaluating individuals and providing qualified clients with ESA Letters appears legitimate. However, the fact that US Service Animals advertises expensive transactions that don’t have any real value places the company in a questionable light.

Does US Service Animals Offer a Psychiatric Service Dog Letter?

A psychiatric service dog requires specific training to offer comfort and support to a person who struggles with mental health problems or learning disabilities. Some people may benefit from having a PSD to help combat feelings that can accompany mental health problems or learning disabilities. US Service Animals can evaluate a person’s need for a PSD and offer a genuine document to those with a medical need for a PSD.

Our Thoughts About US Service Animals

As you can see from our US Service Animals review, the company does provide genuine ESA Letters to qualified individuals, and their price for these documents is competitive. However, much of the website is dedicated to advertising a pointless (and costly) way to get your ESA or service dog registered.

Confusingly, there is a portion of the website that discusses fraudulent ESA websites. It even includes a link to report these scams to the US Service Animals lawyers. This seems disingenuous from a company that itself makes money selling meaningless registration certificates.

US Service Animals Pros

There are few positive aspects of US Service Animals:

• They help eligible clients get an ESA document from a doctor.
• They offer customer support in English and Spanish.
• Their prices are clearly shown on the website.
• They offer Letters for both ESAs and psychiatric service dogs.

Overall, the ESA Letter and Service Dog portions of the US Service Animals website seem legit.

US Service Animals Cons

As stated above, US Service Animals has some serious disadvantages.

• It charges money for pointless registration services.
• The website confuses customers with a mix of legitimate and unnecessary services.
• The company doesn’t offer separate ESA Letters for housing and travel.

You can get a legitimate ESA Letter from US Service Animals, but you may not want to support a company that appears to be taking advantage of people in other ways.

Pettable vs. US Service Animals

Even though they both help qualified individuals get official ESA Letters, Pettable and US Service Animals are quite different. Pettable only offers ESA Letters, and it requires clients to go through an initial quiz before seeing prices. US Service Animals shows the cost of all its options, even the less-than-legitimate ones. Both services require a patient to be evaluated by a medical professional to determine if they qualify for an Emotional Support Animal.

Pettable Reviews

Now, let’s look at some reviews of Pettable from past customers. Pettable has some reviews on their website from past customers. Of course, they are mostly perfect reviews where customers gave the service five out of five stars. But, there are some with four or four and a half stars out of five, but still, only good things to say about the company. 

Pettable also has a profile and rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). There are only a few reviews from customers on the site, and they give Pettable a bad rating. However, since there are so few reviews, it may not be a reliable source of information for the service and what to expect from them. 

With that said, the BBB also assigns a rating that does not depend on customer reviews. The BBB bases its rating on factors like complaint history, type of business, time in business, and more. 

The BBB gives Pettable a B+ on the scale from A+, the highest rating, to an F, the lowest rating. Anything over a B is considered a good rating, so even though they do not have the highest rating, Pettable is considered a good company.

US Service Animals Reviews

There are some reviews of US Service Animals from past customers. On their website, they link to their reviews on Trustpilot, a review website where people can freely share their experiences with companies. 

US Service Animals has thousands of reviews on the website about their services. Of the reviews, 98% of them give US Service Animals five out of five stars, which is a high satisfaction rate. Another 1% of the reviews gave the service four stars, which is also a good review. The remaining 1% of US Service Animals reviews were split between one, two, and three-star reviews. 

US Service Animals also has some reviews and ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). On the site, they have a few hundred reviews, which have an average review above four and a half stars, which is a good rating.

The BBB also gives US Service Animals their own rating, which is an A+, the highest possible rating. The BBB’s rating is not based on customer reviews but on how likely they are to provide satisfactory service. So, based on these factors, US Services Animals is a reliable company you can trust. 

Precautions of Getting an ESA Letter Online

Whether you go through Pettable, US Service Animals, or another online service, there are some precautions you should take to ensure you get a certified ESA letter. 

First, read reviews online from previous customers. We listed the reviews from Pettable and US Service Animals customers, which you can read through. If you have any questions about the services, or you want to know more about the pets and locations of pets people are getting ESAs for, the reviews can help you and might answer your questions. 

You should be able to find reviews that state what kind of ESA people have when they use the service, so you can see how their experience was and how yours might look when you apply with your pet.

You should also read positive and negative reviews to see what people loved about the service and what issues may have come up for others. If the reviews give you a bad feeling, consider a different service. But, if the reviews seem mostly good to you, it might be a sign that you found the service you should go with.

And, as you have already started doing, do your research before choosing which online service to go through. We compiled everything you need to know about Pettable and US Service Animals so you can choose the best one for you.

Also, once you get an ESA letter, make copies of it and save it somewhere safe on your computer so you can always access it. 

Having physical and digital copies will help you access the letter wherever and whenever you need it. You should have a copy on your phone, so you have it with you and can easily send it in emails to people like your landlord or airlines when buying tickets for your pet.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions regarding emotional support animals and official emotional support animal letters.

What is an emotional support animal?

An emotional support pet is an animal that offers comfort, companionship, and support to its owner. An ESA is a furry friend who helps a person cope with a mental illness or learning disability. A service pet is a bit different in that they require specialized training, whereas an emotional support animal does not.

How do you qualify for an emotional support animal?

A person who experiences mental health struggles or learning disabilities could qualify for a support animal. Someone who suffers from depression, anxiety, or other medical conditions may need to see a doctor about these problems. Then, a doctor could determine a need for an ESA and issue an official ESA document.

What is an ESA letter?

An ESA document acknowledges a person’s need to have a support pet. A licensed medical doctor can issue an official ESA document after a meeting between a person and their doctor. A professional therapist, licensed doctor, or licensed medical professional can consult with a person about needing an emotional support pet.

How do you get an ESA letter online?

First, you need to find a reputable website that can set up a meeting between you and a doctor. A doctor will schedule a phone call or video call to discuss your concerns. After meeting with you, whether by phone or video, a doctor will determine whether you would benefit from having a support pet or not. If they feel you would benefit from a support pet, the doctor will issue you a legit ESA letter.

How do I know if my ESA letter is legit?

Your letter is considered legit if it is issued by a licensed medical professional after a meeting with you. This document will need your doctor’s signature, the date, and your doctor’s medical credentials. The doctor will usually print your document on their official letterhead or send you a PDF copy of your document.

What is a psychiatric service dog letter?

A PSD document is intended for people who have met with a medical professional and the medical professional determined a need for a PSD. Service dogs are specially trained to help people who struggle with different mental health illnesses or learning disabilities.

How do you qualify for a psychiatric service animal?

A medical professional is the only person who can determine the need for a PSD. To qualify for a PSD, you will need to schedule a phone or video call with a licensed doctor regarding your concerns.

How do you get a PSD letter online?

To get a PSD document online, you will need to find a reputable website that can help you set up a meeting with a medical professional so that you can speak, via phone call or video call, with them about your concerns. After speaking with a licensed professional, they will determine if you would benefit from having a PSD. Then, they can issue an official document to you.

Bottom Line

Pettable is a legitimate, trustworthy source for genuine ESA Letters. The information provided is clear and accurate, and the company offers a full money-back guarantee.