Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to perform work or tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed must be directly related to the person’s disability.
Service animals are trained to take specific actions when needed. For example:
- A person with diabetes may have a dog trained to alert them when their blood sugar is too high or too low.
- A person with depression may have a dog trained to remind them to take medication.
Key Points to Keep in Mind
- The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.
- The ADA does not restrict the breed of dog that may serve as a service animal.
- The ADA does not require formal certification or proof that a dog is a trained service animal.
- The handler must maintain control of the service animal at all times. The dog might be off leash if this is necessary to perform their trained task(s).
- Emotional support animals are not service animals. On campus, ESAs are only permitted in the student’s room in their residence hall. Students must go through the accommodation process to be approved for an ESA.
Questions That May Be Asked
University personnel are not permitted to ask about a person’s disability or to request documentation verifying a service animal’s status. Handlers are not required to have a letter from Disability Services for a service dog.
If it is not readily apparent that a dog is a service animal, staff may ask only the following two questions:
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
For additional information about service animals, please visit ADA.gov.