How getting a PSD letter works

Do you need a PSD letter

A psychiatric service dog is a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks related to a person's disability. Under the ADA, providing comfort or emotional support alone doesn't count as a task, so the first question is what your dog actually does for you.

You don't need a professionally trained dog. The Department of Justice says people with disabilities have the right to train the dog themselves. Many handlers also use foundations like the AKC Canine Good Citizen program to build basic manners, though that is a manners test and not a service dog credential.

If your dog helps you mainly through companionship, an emotional support animal (ESA) letter is likely the more accurate document. We don't sell ESA letters, but we'd rather you get the right one.

Book your evaluation

Choose a time online. Booking is free and you won't be charged at this stage. The booking step confirms your state, because our clinicians can only evaluate people where they are lawfully able to practice.

You'll be asked how many dogs you need covered. A letter for 1–2 dogs costs $149 and a letter for 3 dogs costs $229, payable only if a letter is approved.

Talk with a licensed clinician

Your evaluation is a 5–10 minute phone or video conversation. Gabriel Warner, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker, carries out the mental health evaluations behind PSD letter requests. Andrew Patel, M.D., reviews evaluations and signs letters when the clinical findings support one.

Expect questions about your mental health condition, how it affects things like sleep, concentration, work or leaving home, and the specific tasks your dog is trained to perform. Honest, specific answers help the clinician make an accurate decision.

• What condition you're living with and how it limits daily life
• Which tasks your dog performs, such as interrupting panic, deep pressure or medication reminders
• Whether your dog is fully trained or still in training
• What you plan to use the letter for, such as housing

Receive your PSD letter

If the clinician decides a PSD letter is appropriate, you complete payment and receive your signed letter as a PDF. It includes the clinician's name, license type, license number, issuing state and the date.

If the clinician decides it isn't appropriate, you aren't charged. We never promise approval, and payment has no effect on the clinician's judgment.

Use your PSD letter correctly

For housing, include the letter with a written reasonable accommodation request under the Fair Housing Act. A housing provider may ask for reliable information when your disability or need for the dog isn't obvious.

For flights, airlines may require the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, which you complete yourself. The DOT form, not a letter, is what airlines may require; your letter can go with it as background.

For stores, restaurants and other public places, you don't need the letter at all. Under the ADA, staff may ask only whether the dog is required because of a disability and what task it's trained to perform, and they can't ask for documents.

After you receive your letter

Save the PDF somewhere you can reach it easily, and keep a printed copy with your rental paperwork. When you submit a housing request, send a copy rather than your only original, and keep a record of when and how you sent it.

If your circumstances change, such as a move, a new dog or a provider asking for more recent documentation, you can book a new evaluation. Your clinician will review your current situation before issuing an updated letter.

PSD evaluation tips

Find a quiet place for your call where you can speak openly. Before the call, jot down the specific tasks your dog performs and a few examples of when it has done them. If your dog is still in training, note what it can do reliably now.

Be honest about what your dog does and doesn't do. An accurate letter protects you, because housing providers rely on it and misrepresenting a pet as a service animal can carry penalties in many states.

States we serve

Our clinicians can only evaluate you where they are lawfully able to practice. That's why the booking step asks for your state before scheduling. If we can't serve your state, we'll tell you before you're charged anything, and you won't be charged for an evaluation that can't take place.