Today we are answering a very good question from a reader in Texas.
Question : I was wanting to find out if you can legally have one dog for an emotional support dog and another dog for a service dog for the same person in the state of Texas? Thank you.
As far as I can tell, there is no law written against having 2 dogs for the same person; so the answer would be YES, it is legal.
Are you planning to take both dogs to various establishments at the same time, or just use one dog at a time for certain purposes?
Since there are different laws – and different definitions – pertaining to Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals, you might run into an issue if you do try to bring both dogs to the same place at the same time; as certain public establishments are required to allow a Service Dog, but not necessarily an Emotional Support Animal.
While it may seem unlikely, potentially rude, or what may feel like ‘dog discrimination’, for an establishment to allow one dog but not the other – the establishment could technically do just that. So doing some planning ahead may be essential if you do require 2 dogs.
Check this out for more information. Basically, the dog(s) are defined differently depending on whether you are taking the dog into a public establishment, a housing situation, or an air travel situation.
Hopefully that all makes sense. Let me know if you need more information or if you’d like to discuss your situation in further detail. All the best!
