Animals on Campus

Animals On-Campus: Roles/Responsibilities

Macalester College supports assistance animals as essential for our community members with visible and non-visible disabilities. This is a friendly reminder about their/our roles! 

Types of Animals at Mac and Human Responsibilities: 

• Pets: 
  • A privately owned animal for “ordinary use” and/or companionship; not a Service or support animal.  
  • Please do not bring pets inside Macalester buildings or facilities–animals are allowed outside in non-restricted areas.
    
• Service Animals: 
  • Service animals are trained dogs (sometimes miniature horses) as per the Americans with Disabilities Act that perform specific tasks for an individual to mitigate disability impacts. A person/handler’s disability may not be readily apparent.
  • Service animals may or may not wear vests or have identification, but often are wearing vests to indicate they are working. 
  • Service animals are allowed access to all general campus spaces the Macalester community is allowed with their person/handler. They do not need prior permission from the Center for Disability Resources.  
  • Speak to the person/handler, not the animal. 
  • Campus officials can ask two questions if the role of a Service Animal is not readily apparent:
    • “Is the animal required because of a disability?” and 
    • “What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?”
  • Please do not ask to pet, handle, photograph or otherwise engage with Service Animals. 
  • Individuals with a conflicting disability in an areas where Service Animals are present should contact Center for Disability Resources (allergies,etc). 

• Emotional Support Animals (ESA) :   
  • Emotional Support animals are part of an individual’s ongoing therapeutic support needs as per the Fair Housing Act. 
  • Emotional Support animals can be a variety of animal types, they do not have to be a specific animal/breed, but some limitations may apply. 
  • Emotional Support animals are not generally allowed in non-approved buildings/facilities as they are not specifically trained to navigate these environments. 
  • There is a process for ESA’s in Residential Life via the Center for Disability Resources to ensure space considerations. 
  • Emotional Support animals must be pre-approved via Disability Resources processes or Human Resources to access community spaces where animals are generally not allowed (Residence Halls, any indoor area as noted under “Pets”).  
  • Emotional Support animals are an accommodation for a Mac Community member; ask the person/handler prior to engaging with a known support animal. 
  • Person/handlers are responsible for the appropriate behavior of animals.
    
• Trained Therapy Animals:
  • Therapy animals are trained and provide care as managed by individuals/agencies.  
  • Therapy animals are allowed for college-sponsored therapeutic programming spaces . 
  • Engagement with Therapy Animals is both encouraged and publicized 
  • Therapy animal behavior is the responsibility of their person/handler. 

All animals are allowed access to Macalester outdoor grounds if they are leashed and under the control of their person/handler in areas not otherwise restricted. Management and control of all animals are the responsibility of the person/handler regardless of the animal “type”.  Aggressive, unattended or disruptive behavior of any animal should be reported to Public Safety as soon as possible to address concerns quickly.  

If there are questions or concerns about the role of assistance animals, please contact the Center for Disability Resources. Email:[email protected]