service animals

BYU student Sophie Cranney's service dog, Cinder, is trained to detect symptoms of a medical condition that can cause irregularities with blood pressure and heartbeat.

BYU students with emotional support or service animals have experienced difficulties finding housing contracts and other accommodations because of a lack of understanding for the roles their animals play.

Like most BYU students, 20-year-old English major Katherine Tew didn’t anticipate having an animal for a roommate. Tew would come home to the sound of restless barking from behind her roommate’s locked door. The roommate would keep her registered emotional support dog in her bedroom daily while she attended classes and work.

This emotional support animal, Biscuit, helps his owner with anxiety induced by a traumatic brain injury. (Katelyn Stiles)