Before beginning our own surveys and interview, we did some background research on the subject to get a better understanding of all the aspects of ESAs at college. The first source I used was Allowing Pets in College Dorms. This Article talks about how college campuses legally must allow students living on campus to have registered ESAs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development passed a notice stating that college campuses may ask for proof of a doctor’s note stating that the animal assists the owner emotionally. If you are interested in owning an ESA while living in the dorms, consult a physician. If they believe that owning an ESA would benefit you then they can write and note and you can begin starting the registration process!

In another article titled Everything You Need to Know About Having an ESA on Campus, by Devon Hodge, the author writes about experiences owning emotional support animals specifically at Western Washington University. He writes about the cost of owning an emotional support animal being the biggest issue. He urges people to only consider owning an emotional support animal if they are financially stable enough to do so. This article helped me realize that owning an ESA comes with a lot of responsibility. If you’re interested in owning an ESA, make sure that you are willing to make sacrifices for your animal. You can also see a full list of the pros and cons of owning an ESA that we developed from our survey results here: Interview and Survey Results.