Pet Policy
Definitions
- Pet - A pet is an animal kept for companionship unrelated to a disability. A pet is not considered a service animal or emotional support animal (ESA). Pets, other than fish, are prohibited from residing and/or visiting College residence halls and apartments. Further, pets are not permitted in the facilities of Keuka College.
- Approved Animal - An approved animal is a Service Animal or ESA authorized pursuant to this policy.
- Owner - The owner is a Keuka College student with a disability who uses an authorized service or emotional support animal that is approved and registered by the Office of Disability Services.
Service Animal
A “service animal” is an animal trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.
Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to:
- assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks,
- alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds,
- pulling a wheelchair, or
- assisting an individual during a seizure.
The ADA states that service animals are not considered “pets” and are explicitly permitted to accompany the disabled person in all areas of the College where the disabled person is authorized to be. In extremely unusual circumstances, a service animal may not be permitted in a specific area, such as in a laboratory setting if the service animal’s presence would pose a danger or interfere with research activities. In those cases, the College will work with the individual to explore alternative accommodations for the individual to participate in the College’s program.
Service Animals are permitted in accordance with Federal and State Guidelines through the Office of Student Accessibility Services.
Emotional Support Animal (ESA)
An ESA is not specially trained to assist a person with a disability and, therefore, is not a service animal. An ESA is required by a member of the Keuka College community in order to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their residence hall room or apartment. The animal provides emotional support which alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. There must be an identifiable and medically indicated relationship between the individual’s disability and the assistance the animal provides.
Requests for ESAs must be approved by the Office of Student Accessibility Services before the animal is brought onto the campus. Any animal brought to campus without prior authorization will result in the student having to remove the animal immediately and also be possibly subject to the student conduct process.
Requests can be submitted by contacting the Office of Student Accessibility Services at kwalker3@keuka.edu.
To begin the process, please fill out this confidential online form to disclose your disability.
ESAs owners are expected to abide by the guidelines for care, management and environmental influence as stated in the agreement.
ESA approval must include notification of the student's roommate to alert them to the possible change in their residence environment.
Any student with questions about service or emotional support animals should contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services.