UL Lafayette student quits school after service dog denies him access to campus

Lafayette, La.KLFY) UL Lafayette Freshman Alexandria Dondeville has dyslexia and ADHD and needs a service dog, Cookie, to calm her down and help her when she’s in public places.

Cookie was recently denied access to the UL Lafayette campus after a Dondeville biology professor claimed he was bitten by a dog in class.

Don Devil denied the accusation that the professor stepped on Cookie’s head while walking down the aisle, and Cookie screamed in pain, but was never bitten.

She said that when the professor entered the class and walked down the aisle, Cookie was lying by her side.

She said the professor spoke while walking down the aisle and did not slow down or stop talking after the incident.

“He didn’t look at her leg to see if she had been bitten, made excuses, or checked to see if Cookie and I were okay. It was when he said it had been a minute since the dog bit me.”

according to Americans with Disabilities Actservice animals are permitted in all public spaces that humans are permitted to enter, and it is illegal for businesses to deny access. It is a crime and it is legal to remove a service animal from an institution. that’s all If the animal’s behavior goes wrong.

UL Lafayette Public Information Officer Eric Maron responded to a request for comment regarding the incident.

“The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is committed to building a campus culture that is safe and accessible for all students, faculty and staff. The university requires trained service and emotional support animals on campus. The University Animal Policy and Applicable Laws adopted in 2019 provide guidelines that both animals and their caretakers must follow.
This policy requires that:
• Service and emotional support animals must be personally supervised by a handler, who must maintain complete control of the animal at all times while on University grounds.
• Service or emotional support animals do not interfere with or interfere with university activities, including teaching, research, or services.and
• If inappropriate behavior occurs more than once, handlers may be prohibited from bringing animals onto college grounds.
If service animals or emotional support animals are prohibited on campus, the University encourages students to contact the Office of Disability Services to determine alternative reasonable accommodations. ” Eric Maron

a petition A campaign aimed at getting Dondeville and Cookie back on campus and back in class garnered over 1,000 signatures.

News Ten’s Rodricka Taylor reveals the full story tonight at 10pm.