Whether an animal is a service dog or stray cat, it provides the same level of comfort to people who need them. Biola University is one of the many schools where you see stray cats roaming around the school campus. One notable stray cat has caught the attention of several students in Stewart Hall. They named the cat Stewart.
Stewart, though not an official emotional support animal, has helped comfort students with his friendly demeanor. Stewart would cuddle with the students and in return, they gave him food and blankets. According to a sophomore named Belen Lopez who also happened to reside in Stewart Hall, Stewart would often wander around the dorm and follow people which were very funny.
Lopez was concerned that Stewart would be left alone during school breaks so she started finding someone who could adopt him. At last, Lopez was able to connect Stewart with Karrah Bakalar, an off-campus student. Stewart now lives with Bakalar and unofficially serves as her emotional support animal to help her deal with college stress. With the help of the Americans with Disabilities Act, more students in Biola University are bringing service animals to assist them in school.
Please note that unlike a service animal, emotional support animals do not need any training. However, landlords and airline personnel may request a copy of a medical practitioner’s note prescribing a person’s need for an emotional support animal.
Article source: Biola University
Are you an owner of an assistance animal?
The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.
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