PVM Faculty, Staff and Student Service Animal Access in the PVM Complex

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine is committed to providing a facility that is safe and welcoming to service animals as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice. Furthermore, under federal law, places of public accommodations, like the College of Veterinary Medicine, must permit the use of service animals for individuals with disabilities. Consistent with law and university policy, the right to a service animal must take into account that there are restricted areas in the PVM Complex where service animals are not permitted because the presence of the animal in the area could compromise the integrity of research or teaching, present a health or safety risk to people or other animals, or put the service animal in danger.

Definitions

1. Service Animal is defined by the ADA as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks directly related to the partner’s disability. These tasks may include guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals who are hearing impaired to intruders or sounds, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, or helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.
2. Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals in Training are not Service Animals.
3. PVM Complex includes all buildings and units of the College of Veterinary Medicine (i.e., PVM academic spaces, PVH and ADDL)

Guidelines

1. Service animals
   1. Service Animals are not permitted in Restricted Areas
      1. Permissible Areas
         1. Academic classrooms
         2. PVM Complex public access areas (unless otherwise posted)
      2. Restricted Areas
         1. Academic and research lab spaces
         2. PVH exam rooms, procedure, or diagnostic areas
         3. PVH operating or invasive procedure rooms
         4. PVH isolation wards
         5. PVH in-patient housing
         6. PVH Intensive Care Unit
         7. PVH large animal settings
         8. ADDL labs
         9. Other areas as posted
   2. It is the responsibility of the handler to provide for the stewardship of the service animal (i.e., feeding, watering, taking the animal outside to defecate or urinate).
2. Service animals in training
   1. Service animals in training are not permitted in the PVM complex unless they are housed in faculty and staff offices where this is allowed as a reasonable workplace accommodation
3. Emotional support animals
   1. Emotional support animals are not permitted in the PVM complex except in cases where access has been deemed reasonable accommodations for a qualified student or employee. If granted, then access is equal to that of service animals. 

Citation
“AAVMC Guidelines for Service Animal Access to Veterinary Teaching Facilities”, AAVMC, Aug. 2019
Americans with Disability Act, US Department of Justice, www.ada.gov