Dorm Pets

A number of people on Andrews University’s campus have domesticated pets, service animals or emotional support animals (ESAs) to keep them company. A service animal, according to The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is “a dog [or other animal] that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.” ESAs, on the other hand, are “Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs [that] are not service animals under Title II and Title III of the ADA.” Here are a few students who have such pets.

Moraya Truman (junior, digital communications) is from Silver Springs, Maryland. She has had an 8-year-old emotional support cat named Nami—named after a character from the “One Piece” media franchise—since Jan. 6, 2023. Nami loves Moraya and raw meat. 

“She does her job super well,” Moraya says. “It’s much better having Nami here on campus with me because she is essentially my roommate since I room alone. She sleeps next to me at night, and I love being able to see her when I’m in between classes.”

Cesia Sanchez (junior, architecture), who is from Mexico but lives in California, has had a service dog named Cofy for around six months. Cofy, she says, got used to the dorm life very easily. Since he is a service animal, there wasn’t any difference between home and the dorm regarding the interaction that they have. 

“However,” Cesia says, “at home, my parents would spoil him rotten and cuddle with him when he wasn’t on duty. Also, my mom cooked chicken for his kibble over the summer, and now he won’t eat without it!” 

However, having Cofy has not been all fun and games. “I have had some bad experiences on campus because [some] people are not completely aware of the regulations, laws, and etiquette around service animals,” Cesia says. She wants to “create awareness about the importance of learning about the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and the state of Michigan[’s] laws and implementing them on campus to create a harmonious and inclusive environment for students.”

Alyssa Susadorf (graduate student, psychology) has had an emotional support dog named Mia Sue for five years. 

Compared to having Mia Sue at home, Alyssa says, having her on campus is easy. “It’s just her and I at home, but here on campus, she has other dogs and other people who love her. People even volunteer to take her on walks and hang out with her on my longer school days.” 

Charisse Lapuebla (senior, speech-language pathology and audiology) comes from Hanford, California, and has an emotional support cat named Dodie (pronounced doo-dee). 

Dodie supports Charisse as she struggles with diagnosed depression and anxiety. “Dodie supplies a couple of services,” she says. “She supplies me with emotional support and socialization without pressure to ease anxiety during depressive episodes.” Dodie has been with Charisse for 11 months now. 

“On campus, Dodie is definitely more actively serving her job compared to back home” Charisse says. “Living in the dorms and constantly being surrounded by stressors personally causes more episodes to occur, whereas, at home, I am able to control my surroundings and social circumstances.” At home, Dodie is more of a pet to Charisse, even though there are still times Dodie is needed as an emotional support animal.

Something everyone should be aware of when encountering a service animal is that you are not supposed to pet them while they are on duty; it distracts them from their job. Just as you wouldn’t want someone talking to and distracting you while completing an assignment, quiz, or even taking a nap, you shouldn't pet a service dog assisting their handler. Even eye contact can distract a service dog from their duty. So, whenever you see a service dog, it is best to look away and allow the dog to do its job. 

To learn more about service animals, visit the Americans with Disabilities Act website.