Petition · past parliament · Cabinet Office
Legally recognise Emotional Support Animals(specifically dogs) for Mental Health
Closed
321 signatures
What the petition asks
Change the Equality Act 2010 to legally recognise emotional support dogs as assistance dogs. Equalities office say "there's no intention to change this for animals to be trained & legally recognised for people with Mental Health (MH) conditions". Thus discriminating people living with MH illnesses.
Mental Health (MH) conditions are more common and longer lasting than physical illnesses (which also impact on a persons MH). We have guide dogs for people with physical disabilities. Legally recognising and developing a policy and programme to train emotional support dogs can only help to improve and mitigate against detrimental effects to someone's MH & Wellbeing. Animals have been proven to help with a person's overall wellbeing. It is about time we were given the same rights.
Timeline
| 29 Jun 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 29 Dec 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
321
Status
Closed
Department
Cabinet Office
Opened
29 Jun 2021
Closed
29 Dec 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.