Service and Assistance Animals

Definitions

Service Animals

A service animal refers to any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the person's disability, including, but not limited to:

• Assisting individuals with low vision or blindness
• Alerting individuals who are deaf of hard of hearing
• Pulling a wheelchair or stabilizing a person’s gait
• Retrieving items such as medicine, food, or a telephone
• Recognizing and assisting a person having a seizure
• Informing individuals who may be experiencing flashbacks of emotional trauma 

Subject to some limitations, service animals may accompany students, employees or the general public, throughout campus. When a person’s disability is obvious, CU Boulder does not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained or licensed as a service animal. Individuals accompanied by a service animal on campus who do not need any other disability-related accommodations are not required to register with Disability Services or the ADA coordinator’s office. Although not required, we encourage students to register service animals as it can be beneficial to have a record with our office.

• Employees with a Service Animal in the Workplace: Employees who have a need for service or assistance animals as a workplace accommodation must contact ADA Compliance at adacoordinator@colorado.edu. Please visit their website https://www.colorado.edu/oiec/ada-accessibility/employment-accommodations for more information. If an employee makes a request to utilize a service animal to the employee’s supervisor, the supervisor should refer the employee to ADA Compliance, while also contacting the ADA Compliance unit directly to communicate the request. 

When it is not obvious that a dog is a service animal, it is recommended that students make an appointment with Disability Services to assist in easing your service animal’s transition to campus.  

• Students who plan to bring their service dog into a laboratory on campus should review the CU Boulder Procedures for Service Dogs in a Laboratory and contact Disability Services as soon as possible to assess the safety of their service animal in the laboratory.

CU Boulder recommends service animals be identifiable by wearing a vest or harness. Service animals must be housebroken (i.e., trained so that it controls its waste elimination, absent illness or accident) and must be kept under control by voice, signals, or other effective means. Service animals must not be disruptive or active in any classroom situation.
 
CU Boulder will assess requests for the use of miniature horses by people with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Requests should be submitted to Disability Services, consistent with applicable laws, CU Boulder may make modifications to its policies to permit their use if they have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.
 
Service Animals in Training: Colorado law allows dogs on campus who are being trained specifically as service animals for individuals with disabilities. 
 
Assistance animals do not qualify as service animals.

Assistance Animals

An assistance animal provides emotional or other support that helps minimize one or more symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. This category includes emotional support animals and comfort animals. Unlike service animals, assistance animals are not required to be trained to perform specific work or tasks, and they may include species other than dogs or miniature horses.

After an individualized review, students with disabilities may be approved to have an assistance animal in limited campus settings as a reasonable accommodation. Approval is not automatic and must be requested through Disability Services.

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

• May be any animal species that is legal in the state of Colorado
• Provide emotional support related to a person’s disability
• Are not considered service animals under the ADA
• After an individualized review, students with disabilities in some instances may be allowed to have an ESA within campus facilities as an approved accommodation
• Must be registered with and approved by Disability Services before being brought to campus

Other types of animals on campus

Working Dogs

• Includes military dogs, K-9 officers, search and rescue dogs and facility dogs
• Trained to perform specific jobs or tasks for their handlers
• Do not perform disability-related tasks
• Not protected under the ADA, ACAA, FHA or other federal access laws
• Do not have general public access rights; access must be directly related to their assigned work
• Should not be distracted while working

Therapy Dogs

• Provide comfort, emotional support and stress relief to groups of people
• Commonly found in schools, hospitals, assisted living facilities and disaster response settings
• Do not perform disability-related tasks
• Not protected under the ADA or other federal access laws
• May enter campus facilities only by invitation or permission

Responsibilities of Individuals Using Service/Assistance Animals

Individuals with disabilities are responsible for the care, supervision and behavior of their service or assistance animals. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Complying with all applicable laws related to animal licensing, vaccination and owner identification
• Keeping the animal under control at all times
• Feeding and walking the animal and properly disposing of animal waste

CU Boulder does not charge surcharges or fees related to service or assistance animals. However, individuals may be charged for any damage caused by their animal.

Individuals accompanied by service or assistance animals must comply with the same university rules regarding noise, safety, disruption and cleanliness as individuals without disabilities.

Removal of an animal

All individuals must promptly comply with a university directive to remove an animal from an area in which it was previously authorized if:

• The animal is out of control and effective action is not taken to control it
• The animal is not housebroken
• The animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others that cannot be mitigated by reasonable modifications of policies, practices, or procedures or the provision of auxiliary aids or services

If an animal is asked to leave the premises, the individual remains welcome and must not be denied access to programs, services or activities solely because the animal has been removed.

Guidelines for Members of the CU Boulder Community

To ensure equal access and nondiscrimination of individuals with disabilities, members of the CU Boulder community must abide by the following practices:

• Allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities on campus;
• Do not ask for details about a person's disabilities;
• Do not pet, interact, or feed a service animal, as it distracts the animal from its work;
• Do not deliberately startle, tease, or taunt a service animal; and
• Do not separate or attempt to separate a person from his/her service animal.
• Provide individuals with service animals with the right of way with respect to cyclists and skateboarders. 

When it is not obvious a dog is a service animal, the following inquiries are permitted: 
(1)    Is the dog required because of a disability?
(2)    What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
 
CU Boulder is committed to ensuring that the needs of all people with disabilities are met and will determine how to resolve any conflicts or problems as expeditiously as possible

Legal References

The Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Fair Housing Act
Colorado Revised Statutes

Contact Information

Students

Faculty/Staff