Stanley J. Vitello, of Hopewell
Recently, I wrote about the use of service dogs in our public schools.
The New York Times in a recent front page article wrote about “Four-Legged Roommates Help With the Stresses of Campus Life (Hoffman, Oct. 5.)
At St. Mary’s College of Maryland, two female students share a four-bedroom apartment with two female dogs. The dogs are permitted to live in campus housing because the girls have an” anxiety disorder.”
Colleges across the country are confronting an increasing number of requests for “comfort animals” for students with mental health problems — anxiety, depression.
Hoffman writes, “The calming effect of domesticated animals has become so widely accepted that many schools bring in trained therapy dogs to play with stressed students during exam periods.”
Many questions are raised by this practice. Does a student with a psychological problem have a right to live with an animal in college?
Do we have people trying to get their pet across as an assistance animal?
What animals should be approved? What is the difference between an emotional support animal and a pet that provides support?
How should colleges protect other students whose allergies or phobias be triggered by the animal?
Discrimination suits are being brought by students with disabilities who are denied emotional support animals at the University of Nebraska and Kent State University. In both cases, the student-plaintiffs have prevailed — pigs, dogs and cats.
Stanley J. Vitello, Esq.
Hopewell
