Accessibility & Disability Services

Service animal: Under the ADA, a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The work must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service animals are working animals, not pets. Dogs whose only function is comfort or emotional support are not service animals.

Examples of tasks include guiding people who are blind or have low vision; alerting people who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds; pulling a wheelchair; assisting during a seizure; alerting to allergens or sudden changes in blood sugar; retrieving items; providing balance and stability support; calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack; and interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors related to psychiatric or neurological disabilities.

Emotional support animal (ESA): A companion animal that provides a therapeutic benefit, such as easing symptoms of a person’s disability. ESAs are not service animals, but they may live in residence halls with prior approval.

Owner: A student with an approved ESA in university housing. Handler: A person with a disability whom a service animal assists, or a personal care attendant who handles the animal for that person.

Bringing an ESA into a residence hall is an exception to the no-pet policy and requires approval through the reasonable accommodation process. Requests are accepted any time, but submit yours as early as possible. An ESA isn’t allowed until you receive formal approval.

Deadlines: All documentation must be received by September 15 for the fall semester and February 15 for the spring semester.

The director will talk with you to decide, case by case, whether the animal is a reasonable accommodation. Supporting documentation must come from a qualified healthcare provider who specializes in a relevant field and has been treating you for the condition. The provider completes the Medical Release Form for ESAs (PDF), which asks for:

• Your name
• A current diagnostic statement identifying the disability, with the dates of the initial and most recent diagnoses
• The date you were last seen in person or by approved telehealth
• Follow-up treatment plans and evaluations or testing that support the diagnosis
• A description of the functional limitations of the disability
• How the animal provides relief or therapeutic benefit related to the disability
• Why the animal is necessary for you to use and enjoy your living arrangement

If you request an animal other than a small, domesticated animal traditionally kept in the home, MVU may ask for more information.

Once approved, you’ll meet with the director to review animal-care guidelines and sign the ESA Policy Agreement (PDF) (opens in a new tab). Handlers and owners are responsible for:

• Following the law and university policy, including state laws, local animal ordinances, and Residence Life policies.
• Licensing and vaccinations. Animals must meet local licensing requirements, be current on vaccinations, and wear a rabies tag. Submit vaccination records to Accessibility & Disability Services before an animal moves into a residence hall.
• Care and cost. Keep the animal groomed (not in residence hall showers, tubs, or sinks), and clean floors, kennels, and cages regularly. Odors from a room are not acceptable. MVU accepts no responsibility for an animal’s care.
• Never leaving the animal unattended overnight. Take the animal with you or arrange care off campus. Animals can’t be left overnight with someone else in university housing, confined in a vehicle, tethered, or abandoned.
• Control. The animal must respond to voice or hand commands and be fully controlled at all times.
• Damage. You’ll pay for any damage the animal causes, including extra cleaning when you move out. MVU may inspect the residence to assess damage.
• Waste. Clean up immediately, or arrange for someone to do so if you’re physically unable.
• Leashes. Service animals should be leashed unless a disability prevents it or a leash would interfere with the animal’s tasks. ESAs must be leashed or crated when leaving a residence hall for an off-campus location. Dogs must use the red ESA leash provided free by Accessibility & Disability Services; return it at the end of the year or if you withdraw ($15 replacement fee).
• Etiquette. The animal should not behave in ways that are disruptive or frightening to others, unless it’s part of the service it provides.

ESAs must stay in the owner’s residence and are not allowed in classrooms, meetings, or other university facilities and events. If you’ll be away overnight or longer, your animal must go with you. Dining halls don’t allow removing food to feed animals, and university staff aren’t required to care for or evacuate animals. MVU may set other reasonable conditions when needed for health and safety.

Decisions are made case by case. An animal may be removed or not approved if it:

• Poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others
• Causes, or would cause, substantial physical damage to property
• Creates an undue financial or administrative burden
• Would fundamentally alter university housing or operations
• Is out of control and the handler or owner doesn’t take effective action
• Isn’t housebroken
• Or if the handler or owner doesn’t meet the responsibilities in this policy

ESA policy violations: 1st offense, warning; 2nd offense, probation; 3rd offense, removal. In some circumstances, an animal may be removed without the first two steps. Mistreatment, neglect, extended absence, or abandonment may result in immediate removal.

If an animal is removed, MVU will work with the handler or owner on reasonable ways to continue participating in university programs and activities.

When it isn’t obvious what a service animal does, MVU community members may ask only two questions: whether the animal is required because of a disability, and what work or task it has been trained to perform. Handlers should not be asked for proof of certification, training, or licensing.

Service animals may go anywhere on campus their handler can go, except areas where an animal would fundamentally alter the activity or be at risk:

• Research laboratories
• Mechanical rooms and custodial closets
• Food preparation areas
• Areas that require protective clothing, such as the kiln, chemistry labs, and wood or metal shops
• Any room with sharp objects or hot materials on the floor, high levels of dust, or moving machinery

Questions about off-limits areas should go to the ADA/Section 504 Coordinator, or the instructor in a lab setting. Exceptions may be granted in some circumstances.

Roommates. When an animal is approved to live in shared housing, roommates are notified and must sign an agreement. If a roommate doesn’t agree, or a conflict arises later, the Director of Housing and Residence Life will work with everyone involved, which may include a housing change.

Allergies. Some allergies and respiratory conditions qualify as disabilities. MVU will consider everyone’s needs. Contact the director to request an allergy accommodation.

Concerns. Minor concerns can be discussed with the owner or Residence Life staff. Bring major concerns to the Director of Housing and Residence Life right away, or use the ESA complaint form.

No longer needed. Notify the director when an animal will no longer live on campus or is no longer needed as an accommodation.

If a request for an animal is denied or an animal is removed, you may file a written grievance with the Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students, who will review the situation, make a final decision, and notify you in writing. This decision cannot be appealed further.