The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as, "Any dog that is individually trained to 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 owner's disability."


Service animals are permitted to accompany their owners at all times and everywhere on campus. The only exceptions to this are:

  1. There is a health, environmental, or safety hazard. Examples of this may include food preparation areas, research laboratories, boiler rooms, etc. 
  2. The dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it
  3. The dog is not house broken


The owner of a service animal must be in full control of their animal at all times. According to the ADA, the service animal must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered. There may be times when using those devices could interfere with the service animal's ability to do their tasks. In those situations, voice, signal, or other effective controls are allowed. 


Please reach out to Accessibility Services at [email protected] to make us aware of the service animal. We can help coordinate with other offices such as Housing and Residence Life.


We encourage you to review the entire policy of HU and Service Animals. Below is a summary of key points, but does not constitute the entire policy:




Responsibilities of Owners of Service Animals on Campus

  • Ensure that the service animal is wearing a leash, hardness, or or other indicator that identifies the animal as a service animal when on duty anywhere on campus
  • Costs of care necessary for the animal's well-being. The arrangements and responsibilities with the care of a service animal is the sole responsibility of the owner at all times
  • Independently removing or arranging for the removal of the service animal's waste. Waste must be disposed in a sealed bag in a designated area of campus housing
  • Comply with local and state licensing laws for animal rights and owner responsibilities. Service animals must be current with immunizations and wear a rabies vaccination tag
  • Paying for damage to University property caused by the animal
  • Animals must leave campus with the student anytime the student leaves overnight and/or during University breaks




Rights of Owners of Service Animals on Campus

  • Service animals must be allowed to accompany their owners at all times and everywhere on campus except for the reasons above
  • Only 2 questions may be asked about a service animal:
    1. Is the service animal required because of a disability?
    2. What work or task is the dog trained to perform?
  • Specific questions about the disability may not be asked




Important Considerations for Service Animals

A service animal can be asked to leave or not allowed participation on campus and/or in campus-affiliated housing if:

  • The service animal is found by the University to be out of control or disruptive and the owner does not take immediate and effective action to control it
  • The service animal is not house broken or kept in an enclosure where waste can be managed effectively
  • The service animal is found to be neglected or mistreated and prompt corrective action is not taken
  • The service animal is physically ill
  • The service animal is unreasonably dirty
  • The service animal attempts to enter a place on campus where the presence of a service animal causes danger to the safety of the owner or other students/members of campus.
  •  The service animal attempts to enter any place on campus where their safety is compromised

If you have any questions about the policy or what constitutes a service animal, feel free to reach out to Accessibility Services at [email protected] at any time!