Originally Posted by PTravel

A good friend of mine has a dog that is certified as a therapy dog. I don't know much about what the certification process entails, but I know that this is a very sweet, extremely well-trained and well-behaved dog (and a rather large Australian Ridgeback!). My friend is a licensed masseuse and yoga instructor and takes the dog with her to facilities for the elderly, where the dog contributes to the mental well-being of residents, while my friend sees to their physical well-being. Apparently, the training for the dog to receive certification was fairly intensive and required testing by the certifying organization to ensure that the dog could safely be around people, including those with diminished capacity, and offer appropriate attention and affection.

Sounds to me an awful lot like the support that an ESA is supposed to provide. If my friend's dog can get this kind of certification, so can the so-called ESAs.