Finally, I was just reading through this forum for the 1st time & your post was refreshing to see.
Thank you for the clarification for those who were unaware of the actual definition in this country.
Someone in my immediate family has an Emotional Support Animal. What is required from them is to be under the care of a doctor in the field & have a doctor's note stating the purpose of the dog. They have never nor would they ever attempt to go places where they cannot legally bring their dog (anywhere dogs are not allowed except plane cabins or their own complex). Without divulging any personal info, the dog has obviously had a huge benefit on their quality of life & they as well as everyone close to them are grateful that ESAs are protected to the extent they are & able to be prescribed by doctors. This dog was prescribed by the doctor; they did not seek out a doctor for the purpose of getting an ESA.
Just last week, I was talking w/a friend of mine who works as a front desk manager at a worldwide resort. She said that they are not allowed to inquire about the guest's disability in any way; if it is stated that the dog is a service dog that is it, they have to allow it in the room w/out any fees according to that resort's policy. I asked her if they ask for the service animal ID or Drs note; she said they are not allowed to do that either. I do not agree with this & my family member does not either. It's easy, unfortunately, to find sites from a simple search on ESAs that will charge money for an official card & vest. But that is not needed for ESAs, it is for service dogs. There are psychiatric service dogs which are different than an ESA. I believe only a doctor would be able to make the call if one or the other is necessary to improve their patient's quality of life.
The dog is obedient, potty trained & is not a nuisance to others. It is a very sociable dog & does get excited to see people, wagging its tail & will approach someone if allowed, & that is fine. Having worked at a zoo, animal hospital & pet shop, I can state from personal experience that unless a dog is feral, feels threatened, has been trained to be aggressive, has been abused, or is sick or injured, it will not intentionally bite a person. I have witnessed a previous fight dog who was a pitbull become rescued & learn to trust humans again w/no issues around children. There are almost always warning signals from the animal before a bite occurs (that goes for any animal). Humans are the ones who domesticated dogs. That means we have been coexisting in the same habitat for hundreds of years and will continue to do so, just as we all coexist w/other humans of all different types, regardless of our personal judgement or opinions. Somehow it generally seems to work out alright.
We got pretty lucky with chewing on both of the dogs. The Heeler would eat the mulch out of my husband's office plant... wasn't sure she'd survive the wrath from that! 
