Therapy Dog Banned, Disallowed by Campus Housing
Published December 28, 2011
Flickr User lseney12
A therapy dog has been banned / disallowed by campus housing at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The lawsuit centers around former University of Nebraska student Brittany Hamilton, a young individual who suffers from panic attacks and was given a diagnosis of depression and anxiety. Due to her conditions, she was prescribed a therapy dog, and obtained Butch, a four pound miniature Pinscher. Butch has been trained to relax Brittany by putting his front paws on her shoulder whenever he perceives she is having a panic attack.
After enrolling with the university in the fall of 2010, Hamilton applied for Butch to live with her due to her disabilities. Despite her needs, however, her requests were turned down three separate times.
Officials at the University said permission would be granted if Brittany could provide documentation that her dog was an officially trained and certified therapy dog. But since Butch was trained by her mother, who is not licensed as a trainer, permission was not granted.
Therefore, Butch is considered a pet and not a service animal. In a written statement, Christy Horn, the campus Americans with Disabilities Act compliance officer, said, "In essence, anyone can have their doctor say they are anxious and need to have their dog, cat, snake or monkey, etc.”
As a result of her requests for Butch to live with her being denied, Brittany has withdrawn from her classes. She has filed a discrimination complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Alleging violation of the Fair Housing Act, the campus is being sued by the Federal Government. The trial is scheduled to be held in Federal Court in Lincoln Nebraska early in 2012.
Service animals offer folks with disabilities an extraordinary opportunity to have their lives enhanced by facilitating ordinary daily tasks, attending classes, working and the ability to travel. Therapy dogs and cats consistently bring joy and diversion to hospital patients, nursing homes and hospice residents. And even though the Federal Americans with Disability Act states that Service animals must be allowed in all areas open to the public, clearly some controversy about the legitimacy about their status continues.
How do you feel about the campus housing’s decision? Share your opinion in a comment.
Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…
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Comments (16)
I was also prescribed a therapy dog and denied the right to have my dog accompany me to my classes. I suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Dissociative Identity Disorder and have a history of treatment for both disorders. I didn't just up and decide one day that I wanted to take my dog with me everywhere I go, personally I would rather not as it complicates even the most ordinary daily tasks. Having my therapy dog with me allowed me to function normally and safely. Legitimacy of these claims is easily verified by the physician as most people with anxiety or other psychiatric disorders have been treated by conventional methods for years.
I am disabled and in a w.chair full time. I'm also a portrait artist, painting both people and pets. Recently, I met some trainers at My Angels With Paws, Inc, an agency that trains service dogs. I was SO impressed with their work that I painted one of their dogs and donated it to them. Now they have asked me if I'[d like a service dog and I said, No, not at this time; I've got family and support around me, and a wonderful lovebug of a cat. But I understand what incredible good these animals can do, On the flipside, though, I concur with everyone's opinion that Brittany needs to0 either get a certified dog, get Butch certified, or go to a school that can either accommodate Butch or provides a less stressful learning environment.
It is up to Brittany to comply with the system that is already in place to accommodate students with her problem.
Sorry, Jo! It looks like we don't quite agree with you this time!
The dog calms her by laying on of paws?
Oh, please. That is the stupidest thing I've read today. Research has shown that petting an animal can reduce stress, but most of us get by without demanding our dogs be accepted everywhere.
Sounds like an excuse to take little Muffin to college with her. Nuts to that. Pick a community college where you don't live in dorms if you can't handle the pressure.
It's like everybody with some stupid neurosis demands special treatment any more. Nuts.
The problem is that the dog is not a certified therapy dog, not that the school won't allow a certified therapy dog. This student needs to follow the same rules as everyone else. Instead of focusing on a unfounded lawsuit, she should focus on getting her dog properly certified.