I am a rising sophomore and will be returning to campus this fall with my medical alert service dog. I have had her for six years now, since she was a puppy, but this will be our first time attending school and living in a dorm together. She attended a summer course with me this past month at a local college, but we had a negative experience and I finished the course without her (there was a week left so I didn’t press the issue with the school). Does anyone have any tips as to navigating any aspect of college life with a service dog? I’m very excited, but also very nervous about keeping her safe and happy and would love any input!
I don’t have any tips but I really hope it works out for you and her. I’m sorry the summer course didn’t work out!
No tips here, either, just wanted to wish you and your dog all the best!
See my reply post that I submitted before you changed the title to “Wrong Forum”- it is on that thread. Good luck!
I wonder if you could contact a group that provides guide dogs to visually impaired college students, one that might also have college students as puppy raisers. Perhaps they could put you in contact with experienced students who could give you tips to make it successful.
I believe Rutgers, the University of Delaware, and Lafayette have puppy raising groups.
For one semester, I took a service puppy I was raising to classes I was teaching and it was very tricky–bathroom breaks for both of us, giving water, time for me to eat, etc., especially because she got so much attention. I almost don’t want to do it again. However, that puppy became extremely well socialized and ended up very successful due to the confidence and reslience she developed.
I think it can work but do try to get in touch with others who might be able to give you the support to make it work.
Thanks MACmiracle. I’m a little more interested in hearing from disabled students with their own dogs as I think the dynamic is a little different and we’re through the puppy public access stage, but I appreciate the input and will definitely consider it! It’s great that you volunteered to do that. Having a service dog is definitely a lot of work, but no medical device will ever be as supportive and rewarding as a canine partner. At least that’s how I see it.
Don’t hesitate to contact the same service dog organizations that have puppy raisers on campuses because it is likely they are providing dogs to disabled students. They often use a certain background in matching the right dog to a person. So even though the dynamic is different with puppy raisers it might be an avenue to help locate disabled people using service dogs.
I am more familiar with guide dogs for people with visual impairments so the same communities may not exist for other service dogs. I just don’t know.
Good point! I’m not sure if any programs like that for medical alert dogs exists in colleges either. I’ll check it out!
A few questions, if you don’t mind me asking…Will you have a single room? Did you live at home last year? If so, is this the same campus? How did having your service dog work out last year on campus? And, finally…what made the experience bad with summer classes?
Google “Service dog and college” and there is some great info
I’m really sorry that happened to you. 
If you don’t already. Tell people the dog is a service animal and not a doggy you can him and pet.
Have you contacted the dean’s office or the office of disability services? It seems like there should be protocols for faculty/staff to follow in accommodating your dog.
@CTTC I can see how my post was a bit confusing. I’ve lived in dorms and away from home many times, but my dog has not. I go to school out of state so my dog lived with my parents last year and we saw each other over breaks. I will have a single which simplifies things nicely and two of my closest friends will be living next door. The summer class lecture included a lot of demos, some of which were very loud. I had asked my professor to let me know ahead of time so I could put her mutt muffs (basically noise cancelling headphones for dogs) on before or exit the room during the demo. He did not warn me one day and set off three explosions in the lecture room which scared my dog, who is already scared of similar things like fireworks. She’s since been back to the classroom a few times, but after he set off another demo that was loud with absolutely no warning (luckily she was not there) I didn’t trust him enough to bring her back to class. I plan on speaking with him once the final is over, but I don’t want to go through the school since he’s actually a great professor, just apparently confused as to what a loud noise is. In the future, I will ask for a full list of demonstrations and what days they’ll be happening so I can decide for myself if they’ll be an issue. The school I was at for this course is not the college I attend.
One of my D’s friends had a service dog in college and it did not seem to be an issue. She had a single room in the sorority house. My D mentioned that there was one class she did not bring the dog to as it was a small seminar and one of her fellow students had terrible allergies (and reacted badly to the dog on the first day of class). So I’d say that courtesy and flexibility will go a long way towards making it work (which you seem to already understand).
I’m not sure if you have done this already, but it probably makes sense to get a letter from the office of disabilities to give to each professor letting them know that your dog is a service dog approved by the school. I would also try to make an appointment with each professor or speak to each professor before/after class about any concerns you have about noises etc.
Good luck – I expect it will work out just fine.
Can’t offer any specific advice, but someone on studentdoctornetwork made a thread about having a service dog in med school so undergrad must be a cakewalk in comparison.