journal_vol49no2 - 99

Emotional Support Animals at College
A third student's explanation reveals misconceptions about disability and university
rules about ESAs and the effect of disrespectful and envious reactions:
I think when they first saw me walking in the dorm with this cat . . . they were like: " Why the
heck does she have a cat? " because a lot of people just don't know what [an ESA] is. And
that's the biggest thing, it's like they just think it's weird ya know. Like " She's just hiding a
cat in her dorm room. I don't think she's allowed to have it " . . . . They're like " what kind
of strings did she pull? " . . . So, I think that if kids know the situation, they're totally cool
with it. They think it's a really neat idea. A lot of kids just don't know that it's a thing. You
know, they think that you have to have a visible disability to have an animal. Why would
you have a little cat ya know. You're not blind, ya know, all this stuff. Why do you need
a cat?. . . . People are like " Oh my god, I want a dog in my room. " [And I respond] " No,
you have to have a reason to have the animal. " I think it's really cool and I made a lot of
friends because of [my cat], but a lot of people don't . . . understand that it exists. Or aren't
always super respectful because they don't know, they don't understand it.
Unwanted attention. Several participants discussed the effect of receiving unwanted
attention. Often this was related to a lack of understanding about ESAs and eligibility
requirements, but sometimes it was related to not wanting to stand out. One person
said they would wait to take out their trash until after people were asleep:
I didn't want people to see me . . . carrying cat litter in the building and be like what is she
doing ya know. Because it just attracted a lot of unwanted attention . . . people knew I had
a cat, but I didn't want people to look at me weird.
Another talked about not taking her cat for walks because " I would just feel weird. If I
walked around with a cat they would be, like, why does she have a cat. " Other respondents
talked about having people come to their room at all hours to see their ESA,
which was sometimes inconvenient or disrupted their studying.
ESA as public property. Almost all participants talked about how other students
would interact with their ESA. Some described certain students as being obsessed with
their ESA, while others mentioned having others come to visit their ESA regularly; one
floor wanted to make the ESA their residence hall/sorority mascot. Overall, to the extent
that ESA owners were willing to let others interact with their support animal, the
ESA was viewed as being accessible to everyone on the floor; as one participant stated,
" Everyone benefits from the emotional support animal. "
ESA-related expenses, availability of supplies, and transportation. Participants talked
about the costs of veterinary care, such as vaccines and medical treatment, and of
supplies needed for the ESA: food, crate, collar, and toys. Focus group participants also
The presence of their ESAs often reduced feelings of loneliness
and actually prompted social interactions.
96 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

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