Local Veterinarian Colleen Fisher hopes to clear up the confusion surrounding emotional support animals.

Fisher is currently taking her Masters through the University of Edinburgh focusing on psychiatric service dogs. She explains there are three separate categories when it comes to animals in service.

Service animals and therapy animals, which receive special training for a specific area, are the two categories people are the most familiar with. The service animals are capable of a wide variety of work from working with people who have epilepsy, autism, PTSD etc., to working in police departments and the military. Therapy animals also work with a wide variety of people, but only on a sessional basis. The animals still have to be trained, but not on the same rigorous basis as service animals.

Then there are emotional support animals. Unlike service and therapy animals, emotional support animals don't have a specific program to be trained, and can easily be registered online.

"The dog is under a fair amount of stress that they haven't previously been trained to accept and understand," Fisher noted about the lack of training emotional support animals receive which may have repercussions.

Fisher explained therapy and emotional support animals may not have the same privileges as a service animal which could lead to issues by going out to a restaurant or shopping. The people with emotional support animals "don't always realize they will be the centre of attention," when they go out in public and could possibly be uncomfortable for the person.

The animal of choice might also play a role in how the general public will react. Dogs, for example, are seen as socially acceptable for being a support animal and being in public, but a cat might not be the best choice, even if it's well behaved, for being in public.

"We always want people to be open to the fact that the pet they've chosen may not be the perfect animal for them out in public," Fisher warns. She advises to know more about the personality of the animal to make sure it will be a good fit before choosing one.

Regardless of what services the animals provide, Fisher noted people calm down and relax when their support animal is with them.