Attend meetups and meet as many people in RE as you can.

Welcome to BP and thanks for sharing your plans, there are a lot of people in a similar position who will feel inspired.

One piece of literature I have read indicates that an ESA may be turned down if the animal is too large to be kept in the space humanely, I would imagine a dog being kept in a 150 square foot room would not be considered humane.

If that is the case people are saying I could sue, but do I sue for ?   

Sometimes, the most honest answers come from people who have no stake in whether you buy the property or not.Good luck!

I’m seeing people seeing an issue with what might be a disability.  

You can either cancel and they may reduce the fee to try to save the deal or take the hit and leave a foul review so people know of this bad practice 

The problem with rent by the room is you end up becoming a counselor or a people manager.

People need homes.

Do you like to do business with people trying to do a workaround?