- NMU Policies and Requirements

Guideline: Service Dogs on Campus

Jenny Lindsey and Rena Gregorich
Disability Services Coordinators, Northern Michigan University
P: 906-227-1737
disability@nmu.edu

Northern Michigan University is committed to providing equal access and a welcoming environment for all individuals with disabilities. Service dogs are permitted on campus in accordance with federal and state law. Please review the following guidelines to help us maintain a respectful, safe, and inclusive campus community.

What is a Service Animal?

Service Animals, covered by the American with Disabilities Act, are dogs, not pets, which have been individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Other animals, whether wild or domestic, do not qualify. The work or task a service dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as a service dog.

Examples of work or tasks that service dogs provide are: 

• Guiding and alerting a person who is blind or deaf
• Alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure
• Calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack
• Other tasks as defined by the individual’s disability

Registration and Identification:

• Handlers are not required to register their service dogs with NMU or Disability Services.
• Registration is encouraged so Disability Services is aware of which animals are present on campus.
• Service dogs are not required to wear vests, badges, or other special identifiers. 

Things to keep in mind:

• Not all disabilities are visible.
• It may not be readily apparent that a dog is a working service animal or that the handler has a disability.

​​​​​​​What you can ask:
If it is not obvious what service the dog provides, University staff may ask only two questions:

1. “Is this a service animal required because of a disability?”
2. ​​​​​​​“What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?”

Note: If an individual has two service dogs, each dog must be trained to perform a distinct task. 

What you cannot ask:

• You cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Behavioral Expectations:
Service dogs must remain under control at all times, either:

• On a leash or harness, or
• ​​​​​​​Under effective voice control.

A service dog may be required to leave a facility if it is:

• Aggressive
• Disruptive (e.g., barking, lunging)
• ​​​​​​​Not housebroken

Handlers are responsible for:

• Maintaining control of their dogs at all times
• ​​​​​​​Cleaning up after their animals

Service Dogs that do not meet behavioral expectations will be removed until they can comply with standards.

In situations where an environment may pose a risk to the service animal’s safety, University personnel should ensure the handler is informed of potential hazards.

Also, please visit our website to learn more about Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals, or for a set of full guidelines, visit the US Department of Justice ADA Requirement for Service Animals.