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Service Animal Etiquette

Service animals are dogs trained to help people with disabilities by performing specific tasks. They can be beneficial for some physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disorders. Students with service animals are known as the animals' handlers.' Federal law allows handlers with service animals to access public places. On campus, service animals can go anywhere the public is allowed, except in areas where animals are prohibited for health or safety reasons. Since service animals are not pets, rules that ban pets from places like dining areas, housing, or theaters do not apply to them.

Allergies or fear of dogs are not valid reasons to deny access to someone with a service animal. For example, if a person allergic to dog dander and a person with a service animal need to be in the same space, they should both be accommodated by seating them apart if possible.

When approaching someone with a service animal, always speak to the handler first. Don’t touch the animal or handler without permission. Avoid making noises, startling the animal, or feeding it, as this can distract the dog from its work.

Service animals must be under the handler’s control at all times. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals should be harnessed, leashed, or tethered unless the handler’s disability makes this difficult, or it interferes with the animal’s ability to perform its tasks. In such cases, the handler must control the animal using voice, signals, or other methods.

If it’s not clear what tasks the service animal performs, only two questions can be asked:

1. Is the dog a service animal required due to a disability?
2. What task has the dog been trained to perform?

Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, request medical documentation or special identification for the animal, or ask the animal to demonstrate its tasks.

A service animal can only be removed if:

• It is out of control and the handler does not take action to manage it.
• It is not housebroken.

If removal is necessary, the person with a disability must be given the option to stay without the animal.

Handlers can be charged for any damage caused by their service animal, just like anyone else would be charged for damages.

Students who plan to use a service animal in class should notify the Office of Disability Services, which will inform the student’s instructors.