The origin story: 2016
Support Pet was founded in 2016 in Maine by Peter Sacchetti, MD, a licensed physician. The idea was simple, and it came out of a problem that had already gotten out of hand on the internet: people who genuinely needed an emotional support animal were getting routed into "registries" that were not real, charged for "certifications" that did not exist, and handed glossy ID cards that no landlord or airline was ever going to accept.
The original site did it the right way. It was a small operation built around something that actually mattered: a licensed physician who could conduct a real assessment, and if appropriate, write the kind of documentation that fair-housing and travel rules actually recognize. No registry numbers. No badges. Just paperwork that holds up because it is signed by someone with a license.
Under new ownership
That was the first chapter, and it ended. Support Pet is now owned and operated by a new, independent team. To be direct about it: the current owners of this site are not affiliated with Dr. Sacchetti or his medical practice, and nothing published here is written, reviewed, or endorsed by him. He is part of this domain's history, not its present, and we tell his story above as history.
What we did keep is the idea the site started with: plain-language guidance about emotional support animals and a refusal to sell registry junk. That is what anchors everything you read here today.
Meet the mascot trio
In its original chapter, Support Pet had three dogs as its public face, and we liked that tradition enough to keep it as part of the site's story. They are the standing reminder of what an animal can do for a person who is having a hard week.
Eleven years old and the senior statesman of the trio. Famously unbothered. If Mr. Peanut is calm, the room is calm.
The future therapy dog of the bunch. Started as a seven-month-old puppy with very large feet and has only gotten bigger from there.
Rounds out the trio. The one who reminds everyone, daily, that the work we do here is about real animals and real people, not paperwork for its own sake.
The mascots are not props. They are the daily reminder of what a support animal actually is, and what it is not.
What the original site argued, and we still agree
Scroll back through the site's earliest posts and you will find the same message we are telling people almost a decade later:
- There is no real ESA registry. The site was saying this in 2017, when "registration" sites were already everywhere. We still say it. HUD does not maintain a list. There is no government ID card. Anyone selling one is selling a souvenir.
- A letter from a real clinician is the only thing that counts. Not a vest. Not a certificate. Not a QR code. A signed recommendation from a licensed mental-health professional who has actually evaluated you is the document landlords and airlines look at.
- Pet interviews and pet fees are not allowed for assistance animals. A landlord cannot require your dog to audition. They cannot charge pet rent on top of an approved accommodation. The earliest posts said this and we are still saying it.
- Veterans deserve a special kind of patience. A lot of the original service's earliest work was with veterans living with PTSD, TBI, and depression who were running into housing trouble. That has never stopped being a priority here.
How the original service worked
In the site's first chapter, the service was hands-on. Someone would call a Maine number, talk to the staff, and book a real appointment with a licensed physician. If the clinician determined an emotional support animal was clinically appropriate, the team would assemble a proper packet of documentation — typically within 48 hours of the initial appointment — that the client could bring to their landlord, condo association, or airline.
The reason it worked was not flair. It was that everything in the packet was real: a signed letter from a licensed M.D., the patient's own consultation, and only the information a housing provider or airline is legally allowed to ask for. Nothing fabricated. No registry decoration.
Where we are today
Over the years, the law and the industry around emotional support animals shifted. The Department of Transportation changed how ESAs are treated on airplanes in 2021. HUD's housing guidance got sharper. And the volume of bad information online got worse, not better — every search for "ESA letter" turns up another storefront selling speed, not care.
Under its new owners, Support Pet is not a letter-issuing service. Today it is a plain-language educational resource. We explain what an emotional support animal actually is, who qualifies, what the Fair Housing Act protects, what DOT changed about flying, what an ESA letter looks like when it is real, and how to spot the registry scams that take advantage of people in vulnerable moments.
The team changed and the format changed. The core idea did not. We are still pointing people toward the only thing that has ever worked: a real conversation with a licensed clinician who knows your history.
What we are not
We want to be very clear about this, because the internet is full of sites that pretend to be something they are not:
- We are not a clinic. We do not diagnose anyone.
- We are not a law firm. We do not represent people in housing or travel disputes.
- We do not sell ESA letters, ID cards, vests, registry listings, or "certifications."
- We do not run a mailing list, a contact form, or a paywall.
If a site you are looking at promises any of the above for a fee, close the tab.
Get in touch. Questions, corrections, press, or partnership ideas all go to the same place. Email admin@supportpet.org or call +1 940-461-9747. More details on our Contact page.