Service Animals Faculty FAQ

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

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.

No. The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.

No. People with disabilities have the right to train the dog themselves and are not required to use a professional service dog training program.

No. Covered entities may not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, as a condition for entry.

On rare occasion, a miniature horse can also qualify as a service animal. 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.

An emotional support animal/assistance animal provides emotional or other support that minimizes one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person's disability. This group includes therapy animals, emotional support, or comfort animals. Unlike service animals, assistance animals are not required to be trained to perform work or tasks, and they include species other than dogs and miniature horses. 

Assistance animals are generally not allowed to accompany persons with disabilities in any academic or public areas of campus. In some instances, students with disabilities may be allowed to have an assistance animal within campus housing facilities with prior approval. 
 

No, assistance animals do not qualify as service animals.

Individuals with disabilities are responsible for the cost, care, and supervision of their service animal, including:

• Compliance with any laws pertaining to animal licensing, vaccination, and owner identification;  
• Keeping the animal under control at all times; and
• Feeding and walking the animal and disposing of animal waste.
• Individuals with disabilities who are accompanied by service animals must comply with the same university rules regarding noise, safety, disruption, and cleanliness as people without disabilities.

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?

All persons shall promptly comply with any university directive to remove their animal from an area in which it was previously authorized if:

• it is out of control and effective action is not taken to control it;
• it is not housebroken; or
• it 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.

Please review the contact information below to best address your specific question:

Students

For resources or grievances, contact Disability Services at dsinfo@colorado.edu or 303-492-8691.

If you have questions about bringing an animal to university housing, contact Housing and Dining Services/Occupancy Management at 303-492-6673.

Faculty/Staff

For resources or grievances, please contact the ADA Coordinator at adacoordinator@colorado.edu or 303-492-9725.

If you are reporting a concern about disability discrimination or harassment, please contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance at 303-492-2127.