Story by: Olivia Wilson

Emotional support animal and service dog handlers have noticed a problem with off-leash dogs roaming on campus.

” There’s been a particular issue in some of the residence halls where some students had gotten some puppies. So, at one point there were like 3 or 4 puppies around campus and they never had them on leashes,” says Ivey Siegel, an ESA handler and student at UM.

This creates a problem, as Siegel says, ” So, not only were they running up to my dog, but I also don’t know if they had all their shots or if those dogs were friendly as well.”

At UM, the DSS resource guide says that even service dogs have to be under the full control of the handler at all times. Siegel says that she has not had trouble with any of the ESAs and service animals who are supposed to be on campus.

Off-campus, the laws are clear as well. If not in a fenced-in yard or area permitting dogs to be off-leash, dogs must be on a leash at all times.

Montevallo resident, Amanda Watson says that off-leash dogs have been a problem off of campus as well.

” I was coming home from a trip and I opened my car door. There were no adults around me and two off-leash dogs – they had harnesses on- but they just came up to me. They were very nice dogs, but there was just no owner around.” Although Watson had an encounter with friendly dogs, she points out, “What if I wasn’t okay with dogs?”

On campus, there have been issues with dogs who are not known to be friendly.

Siegel says, ” I’ve had to call UMPD and Disability Support Services trying to get them to do something about it because that is a stray, but he has been known to circle and be aggressive to our ESAs and service animals.”

Siegel says that this is a dangerous issue. “I the potential impact of the issue is- not just for my dog, but any dog in general- is threat to our animal. Emotional support dogs and especially a service animal- they are here for us for a reason. If someone’s service dog gets injured or hurt- that’s somebody’s lifeline and that can be taken from them just by somebody not putting their animal on a leash.”