Hi all,
I’m trying to transfer to Cornell from a university in my home town, where I live alone in a house. I have a pet rabbit, and a rotten brain-- issues with depression, anxiety, and very very bad eating disorder, all of which get awful when I’m stressed out. I was in a very bad place especially last (fall) semester, and honestly, the thought that I had to relocate my bunny before I did something very stupid was the only thing that kept me going. When I studied abroad for summer 2015, I adopted a lot of bad habits and made some stupid choices, because I was stressed out, have poor coping skills, and felt like I wasn’t needed by anyone, 2 or 4-legged.
Anyway, I’m not sure if I have the “right” to ask to bring my bunny with me. I do worry what will happen with her if I don’t take her under my wing with me-- my parents are not her biggest fans. But having her hop up to me and rest her chin on my shoe, waiting for a scratch on her ear, or waking up to find her on the couch to have a midnight cuddle session… I don’t know, these things just give me the warmest fuzzies. I definitely am better, in terms of my mental problems, when she is around, and I know that she needs me to be well. But I don’t know if this is a legit enough excuse to try and take her with me to my transfer dorm, and if I do manage to do this, what sort of place she and I will be put. Does anyone have any words on the subject?
I had a lot of anxiety issues in high school including panic attacks, as well as depression. I looked into bringing my dog to college with me as an emotional support animal, but decided it wouldn’t be fair to her to take her away from my other family pets and a yard, etc.
It sounds like this could be a good think for both you and your rabbit. When I was doing research, I found out a few things. In order to register your rabbit as an ESA, you’re going to need a diagnosis from a psychiatric Doctor prescribing an emotional support animal. Otherwise the college won’t take it seriously. There are other steps, but that is the biggest one.
Thank you for your answer! Yes, I have contacted the disability services of the university I’m trying to transfer to, and already have a rapport with my current university psychologists-- they actually know exactly how key a role bunny played in my mental health, so, I think I do have a shot at getting her registered. But you’re right that I must think of a Plan B. I think I should contact the disability services of my transfer university once more, to find out what specific steps are involved, so I can start getting signatures now. It will make the forms much less of a hassle to send in, should I get accepted in May.
At Cornell you can live off campus (many/most upperclassmen do) and some landlords allow pets. I’m not sure about exceptions for keeping pets in dorms, so living in an apartment might be your best bet, although you should definitely keep trying to sort things out with the university directly.