Dogs accompany students on campus

Laura brings her dog Ivy to school with her in preparation to become a therapy dog. Although the CU’s policy does not allow pets, professors can make an exception.

When it comes to dogs and whether or not students can bring them to class, the line is blurred. The University of Colorado at Boulder’s official policy is that dogs, with the exception of service dogs, are not allowed in CU buildings. However, the decision is ultimately left up to individual professors.

Some are more flexible than others. Professor Jay Watterworth said, “I think that it would go against university policy if I allowed them officially to be in the classroom, so I just maintain a kind of informal policy instead.” However, students do have to remember that there are some guidelines when bringing their dog to school.

• They have to be either a service animal, or in training to become a therapy do.
• They have to ask the professor before the start of class.
• They also have to ask the students sitting next to them just incase they are deathly allergic or deathly afraid.

Student Laura Labovitz said, “I hated leaving Ivy home alone and noticed that she was really calm. I had trained a dog of mine before to be a therapy dog, and I thought that Ivy would be perfect.” For the past two year, Ivy has been in training.

There are a few differences between therapy dogs and service animals. Therapy dogs tend to visit hospitals, special needs centers, schools and nursing homes. The objective is to form a network of caring individuals who are willing to share their special animals in order to bring happiness to others lives. Service animals are not pets, but are trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities such as people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf and pulling wheelchairs.