Emotional Support Animals and Service Dogs

Emotional Support Animals

Emotional Support Animals (ESA) are allowed in campus housing but are not currently permitted elsewhere on campus (I.e., dining, classrooms, labs, etc.). ESAs are pets that provide support through companionship and can help ease anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, but do not have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities. ESAs are not limited to dogs.

ESA Application:

Link to Application in AIM system
ESA Provider Form (To be completed by student's health provider as part of an ESA accommodation request)

Service Animals

Under Title II and Title III of the ADA, a service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit or safety of an individual with a disability, including physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or mental health disability. Visit our Policies and Guidelines page for more information about service dogs.

What questions can you ask a student about their service dog?

The ADA limits the questions you can ask a person about their service dog and the person cannot be asked about the nature or extent of their disability. Only two questions may be asked:

Is the dog required because of a disability?
What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

Certification Requirements

There are no formal certification systems that are required or approved by the ADA. In addition, service dogs are not required to wear vests identifying them as service dogs. Service dogs may be trained professionally or trained informally by the owner. Whether personally or professionally trained, service dogs and their handlers must abide by the following:

Service animals must obey leash laws unless they cannot complete tasks it is utilized for while leashed or their disabled handler cannot use one.
Service dogs must be housebroken.
It should not be unnecessarily disruptive or show aggression to others in a public space. Some service dogs are trained to bark, nudge, or cause controlled disruptions to alert their handlers or others to a disability-related emergency.