If you have spotted a dog walking calmly beside a student on the way to class, you might have felt the urge to reach out and say hello. But for Katia Miron (‘28), her service dog Maui is not just a companion. He is trained to help keep her safe.
Miron has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that can cause her to faint. Maui, who was trained in Guatemala, was taught to alert Miron before she passes out, to respond if she does, and to get help from someone nearby. For instance, he paws at her when he senses that something is wrong and stays by her side if she passes out.
“My experience has been good, and my teachers are understanding,” Miron said. Still, she said the process of having a service dog in college has been harder than it was in high school. Miron said that “During high school, my group of friends were very understanding of everything, and although in college everyone also is, it was a completely different experience.”
She shared a triple room during her freshman year, and, at times, she had to leave Maui alone in her room. Now she has more space, and Maui even has his own couch to relax on. Even so, the responsibility of having a service dog is a lot to balance with college life.
Maui gets sick often and needs regular walks. There also are moments when he gets exhausted and overwhelmed. Still, beyond his medical training, Miron said Maui is an important source of emotional support. “He really helps me emotionally,” Miron said.
One of the biggest challenges comes from other people. While most students mean well, Miron said the attention Maui gets can be frustrating, especially when it gets in the way of his work, and she said people’s assumptions can be just as hard.
“A lot of people ask to pet him, and it affects his training. I know people mean well, but it can be really frustrating, because he’s there to help me. Sometimes you get judged, too, because some disabilities are invisible. People don’t always understand why I need him, but he’s trained to keep me safe,” Miron said.
Under Rollins policy, service dogs are defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act as dogs that are individually trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability, and they are considered working animals, not pets. The college generally cannot ask about a service dog when it is obvious that the dog is trained to help its handler. When it is not obvious, staff may ask only two questions: whether the dog is a service animal and what task it has been trained to perform.
Service dogs are different from emotional support animals. Students who want an emotional support animal in campus housing must first be approved by the Office of Accessibility Services.
For students like Miron, a little understanding goes a long way. So, the next time you see Maui on campus and wonder, “What is the dog doing?” the answer is simple: his job.
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