This year, I’m a junior at Lasell University. With that title comes a lot of responsibilities, work, classes, and stress. If you read my introductory article, you’d know that I currently work three jobs in addition to taking five classes, studying for my MTELs (teacher certification exams), and being a part of numerous on-campus clubs. I love everything I’m doing, but a lot of the time being this involved in so many things becomes seriously overwhelming. In addition to that, I’ve been diagnosed with a couple of mental health issues since the age of twelve, and I struggle with these on a daily basis.
That’s where my little boy Gio comes in. He’s an emotional support guinea pig, which means that he lives with me and my roommates on-campus in my dorm room. He’s, in my humble opinion, one of the cutest little guys ever, and his adorable face and goofy attitude never fails to ease my worries and make me smile.
The process of getting an approved emotional support animal on-campus is something that I feel like a lot of people don’t know about, so I’m here to shed some light on that process and elaborate on some of the benefits of having an emotional support animal for someone like me.
The Process
The process of getting Gio approved started over the summer, before this school year had even begun. I reached out to the Office of Disability Services on my campus and compiled a list of the forms and documentation I would need to give them in order to have an emotional support animal with me on campus. These forms include a detailed letter from a licensed doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist detailing why the student needs an emotional support animal and why it would benefit them academically and socially, documentation listing the disabilities or mental health issues the student has and how they are treated (including therapy, medications, etc.), and then lastly a signed form from the student and their roommate(s) (if applicable) acknowledging that they will follow the campus rules regarding animals. It was a straightforward process, but it was something I had to meet with my primary care doctor and psychiatrist in order to get those forms from them.
From there, it was a matter of waiting for my documentation to be approved or denied. Once it was approved, all I had left to do was bring Gio to campus with me and get him settled into his new home. For me, having a furry little friend to come home to after a long day of work, classes, and clubs, makes my dorm feel even more like a home. Not to mention, Gio is so cuddly that holding him and playing with him is an instant mood boost, something that even my roommates take advantage of.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any pets or emotional support animals! I’d love to learn more about them :)