ESA are not service animals. They are not covered by the same laws that SA are. There is no training, they don't perform any particular tasks other than having a calming presences for their owner. They do help their people who suffer from different types of anxiety. I believe the laws regarding them are they can not be denied housing, even if the place doesn't allow pets or certain breeds and (for some reason) they are allowed on planes, but not other public transport. You can not take them into places that do not allow animals. The problem is that they are not trained to behave and are not normally exposed to various situations. It sounds like this dog was scared and uncomfortable in the situation. The article says that the 'dog attacked without warning...' but said it growled before that. I'd bet that the dog gave lots of warnings that it was uncomfortable and the owner ignored them. So many people believe that their dogs would never bite, or that they have human logic. I feel bad for the guy that was attacked, I feel bad for the dog that was put into this situation. It is owners like this that give all ESA a bad name. They do a huge service for their people, but most people don't realize what it is they actually do or the laws regarding them.
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