Hi, I'm Eric Belfanti
My Story
​​I went to the hospital due to my anxiety and depression a few months ago (May 2018). While I was there, I noticed that they had no therapy dogs to help the patients. I had the impression that all hospitals participated in those visits. Pictured to the left is my support dog Noki. She was certified as an ESA (Emotional Support Animal) back in February 2018, and since then she has helped me through so much. Without her I might have not made it in the hospital. Knowing how much she helped me, made me realize that some people don’t have that. That prompted me to start my non-profit. It's called Eric's Hope and my hope is that through this I can spread mental health awareness and encourage inpatient facilities to allow therapy dogs to come at least once a week.
Our Goals
As a non-profit we wish to accomplish what was stated in the "My Story" paragraph, but we also want to be an advocate for ESA's and Therapy Dogs. As of now ESA's are laughed upon, due to the scams on the internet. I am sadly one of those who was scammed. The only way you can achieve an ESA is by getting a doctor's letter of recommendation from your psychiatrist. However that is your only proof of having an ESA. I want to eventually open an ESA Certification Center, where people can bring their letter and get properly certified. They will also have the option to train their own dog, or purchase an already trained dog. Another goal we have for the future is to train shelter dogs to become therapy dogs and get them out of the shelters and into foster homes, until they get adopted. If you have any questions, please contact us.
