{"id":454,"date":"2020-09-24T17:55:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T17:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/developmenttwo.marymount.edu\/academics\/?page_id=454"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T16:57:14","slug":"service-and-support-animals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/academics\/access-belonging-and-culture\/student-access-services\/housing-accommodations\/service-and-support-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Service & Support Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marymount University understands that there may be students with disabilities who rely upon a trained service animal<\/strong> to perform essential life functions for them. For example, a dog that is trained to alert its hearing impaired owner to the sound of an approaching firetruck would likely be considered to be a service animal.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Marymount also understands that in order to fully participate in and enjoy residential life, there may be other students who rely upon an emotional support animal<\/strong>, or ESA, to live with them on campus.<\/p>\n

Although they sound similar, service animals are actually different than ESA’s, as they are not covered by the same laws and have a different set of policies and requirements. For instance, a service animal (as explicitly defined by the ADA) does not require permission to accompany the person with a disability anywhere on Marymount’s campus, while an ESA requires special permission from designated Marymount officials (see “Obtaining Approval for an ESA” below) and would only be allowed in the residence of the student with the disability.<\/p>\n

Before making any assumptions about your right to bring any animal on campus, please review Marymount’s “Housing Agreement” and if applicable, also review the \u201cRules and Responsibilities <\/span>of  Emotional<\/span> Support Animals (ESA) Owners,\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/a>which can be downloaded as a PDF on our website.<\/p>\n

Service Animals<\/h2>\n

The right to be accompanied by a “service animal” is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADA), and it is not considered to be an accommodation that one must furnish documentation for or seek special permission to accompany them in public. By law, people with service animals must be permitted to bring it with them into any public area which includes college classrooms and residential halls–unless of course, the service animal would compromise its own safety or the safety of others (i.e., hazardous chemistry labs).<\/p>\n

Although disability disclosure is not required for these ADA-defined service animals, if\/when asked, the person with the animal must still reveal whether or not it is an actual “service animal” and must be able to state what service or task the animal is performing for them.  Any student or visitor who will be accompanied by a service animal on campus is strongly encouraged to inform Marymount’s Office of Campus Safety and Emergency Management<\/a> ahead of time, and to work with SAS. Navigating Marymount’s rolling hills and historic buildings can be a very scenic yet physically challenging experience, so working with these offices in advance will help to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience on Marymount’s campuses.<\/p>\n

Removal of a Service Animal\u202for ESA<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

Low-level service animal violations will be reviewed through a three-strike process.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n