I once joked with a friend about getting an emotional support Falcon. It might seem a tad on the ridiculous side but what about from a legal standpoint?
“Falcon Punch!”
I decided to try and find out if this was possible.
Since I live in Ontario, I tailored my google search to find the laws in my area. I found a website about certifying your pet as an emotional support animal (ESA). You usually do this if you have a disability where the support of an Animal can help you out.
Your ESA doesn’t need special training and it doesn’t have to be a specific animal. It can be a dog, or a cat, or a rabbit, etc. Any animal that gives you comfort can qualify and it depends on your disability.
So why not an emotional support Falcon? I’d call him Captain Falcon and he can fly around protecting me from the bad people. That would give me comfort. If anyone tries to rob me… FALCON PUNCH!
As long as you can get an Emotional Support Animal Letter (ESA Letter) that is. If you can get a doctor to approve of a Falcon as an Emotional Support Animal, and fill out that ESA Letter, then you could get it done. You could in theory have an emotional support Falcon.
It doesn’t seem likely though. I don’t think anyone would be able to convince their doctor that they need an emotional support Falcon, but it seems to be legal if they could.
That doesn’t mean you can bring it to work though. Refer to The Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and Section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act.
There are no protections in the Employment Standards Act so it would be up to your employer if you can bring your Emotional Support Falcon to work.
This isn’t legal advice. Please conduct your own research and speak with a paralegal or lawyer before seeking an Emotional Support Falcon.