Assistance animals continue to become more prominent across Iowa State’s campus, allowing students to cope with the constant stressors of college. 

Iowa State uses the term “assistance animal” as a general term for any animal that is providing some kind of accommodation for individuals with disabilities, according to the Student Accessibility Services(SAS) website.

Alexa Gormley, a sophomore in animal science, said that her Emotional Support Animal (ESA), a border collie named Stitch, is what motivates her to get out of bed in the morning.

According to the SAS website, students and visitors must submit a request form that will be reviewed and assessed by SAS consistent with the laws and policies that are in place.

Assistance animals provide a service to their owners, but are also in need of their own attention. Owners have the responsibility of providing food, bathroom breaks, entertainment and love for their animals.

“This makes me keep a routine because some days, especially when I don’t have class or other obligations, it’s easier for me to lay in bed and not do anything but he’s there wanting to go do something,” Gormley said.

Seeing dogs on campus can send students into a frenzy because they want to reach out and pet the animals, and sometimes do so without first consulting the owner. 

“I’ve had an experience before where I had someone grab Stitch from behind and he turned around and barked at them. I felt really bad and that caused me a lot of anxiety because I started thinking, what if they take him away because he barked at somebody?” Gormley said. “But he was also just very nervous since he didn’t know this person. This all could’ve been avoided if they had just asked to pet him.”

Iowa State separates assistance animals into categories such as emotional support animals, service animals and pets.

Emotional support animals are only permitted in the owner’s assigned housing and common areas near the student’s assigned housing.They are not permitted in classrooms, public buildings, dining halls, transportation or at university events, according to the SAS website.

The SAS website states that on the other hand, service animals are permitted to go anywhere on Iowa State properties that their owner is allowed to go.

If students have any questions or concerns regarding assistance animals on campus they can contact SAS at [email protected].