Service Animal Definition

Under the ADA and Wisconsin law, a service animal may be a guide dog, signal dog, or other animal that is individually trained or being trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or helping an individual with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The work or task a service animal has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.

“Service animal” does not include pets or comfort/emotional support/therapy animals. Animals who are not individually trained to take specific action when needed to assist an individual with a disability, or whose sole function is to provide comfort, emotional support, or companionship do not qualify as service animals under the ADA or Wisconsin law and are not permitted inside NTC facilities.

Equal Access to Public Spaces

Under the ADA and Wisconsin law, service animals are allowed to accompany a person with a disability (“handler”) on campus, except in situations where safety may be compromised or where the animal may interfere with the fundamental nature of the activities being conducted. Generally, a service animal is not allowed to be touched by others, and the animal will be leashed, harnessed, or tethered, unless doing so interferes with the performance of tasks. 

*Note that persons with a service animal are not required to disclose the nature of their disability to staff or faculty. If the animal is not required because of a disability and is not a service animal-in-training

accompanying a service animal trainer, the owner will be asked to remove the animal from campus. While service animals are permitted in areas in which the public is allowed to go, the college may impose restrictions as required by health and safety regulations (such as prohibiting service animals in food preparation areas, labs or certain clinical practice areas that require a sterile environment).

Responsibilities of a Person Using a Service Animal

• To be qualified to utilize a service animal at NTC, the handler should be prepared to identify the animal as a service animal or required because of a disability or a service animal-in-training
• If the animal is a service animal-in-training, the owner should also be prepared to present certification or other credentials stating that the animal is being trained to be a service animal.
• Local ordinances regarding animals apply to service animals, including requirements for immunization, licensing, noise, restraint, at-large animals, and dangerous animals. Dogs must wear a license tag and current rabies vaccination tag.
• The service animal must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered while in public places unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the person’s disability prevents use of these devices. In that case, the person must use voice, signal, or other effective means to maintain control of the animal. Service animals must be housebroken. The care and supervision of a service animal is solely the responsibility of its handler. The service animal must be maintained and used at all times in ways that do not create safety hazards for other people. Generally, a service animal is not allowed to be touched by others, and the animal will be leashed, harnessed, or tethered, unless doing so interferes with the performance of tasks.
• The handler is responsible for cleaning up the service animal’s waste. The handler must carry equipment and bags sufficient to clean up and properly dispose of the service animal’s waste. Handlers who are not physically able to pick up and dispose of the waste must make all necessary arrangements for assistance to ensure sufficient clean up and proper disposal of the service animal’s waste. The College is not responsible for these services.

Other Circumstances Regarding Service Animals

Service animals may be asked to leave NTC facilities or grounds under circumstances that may include the following:

• The animal is objectively determined to be presently incapable of performing appropriate and disability-related work or tasks for the handler and is deemed as indistinguishable from a pet or companion animal, thus not meeting the specific ADA and Wisconsin definition of a “service animal.”
• The animal is unruly or disruptive or exhibits aggressive or fearful behavior. An animal that engages in such disruptive behavior shows that it has not been successfully trained to function as a service animal in public settings. Therefore, it is no longer a requirement to treat it as a service animal, even if the animal is one that performs an assistive function for a person with a disability.
• The animal is not housebroken
• The handler is not controlling the animal.
• The animal is destructive in any manner.
• The animal is ill. Service animals that are ill should not be taken into public areas. 
• The animal is not clean. However, an animal that becomes wet from weather or weather-related incidents, but is otherwise clean, should be considered a clean animal.

For more information regarding service animals, or to request other accommodations, please contact the Office of Safety and Security.

NTC Employees

This policy does not apply to NTC employees. Employees who feel they need an accommodation for a disability must notify Human Resources at 715.803.1483 or hr@ntc.edu.