MU junior Malachi Howard, who uses they/them pronouns, did not mean for the pawprints tattooed below their collarbone to be different sizes.
As an animal sciences major, Howard said the ink is endearing. The difference in print sizes reminds Howard of the many animals in their life and studies. One particular animal is often on Howard’s mind: a female black Labrador Retriever with greying fur who Howard compared to “a little cow.” Her name was Bonny, and she was Howard’s emotional support animal.
Bonny passed away during the fifth week of the 2021 fall semester. Howard said on social media that she is in a better place now. Bonny was 10 years old and in declining health due to age. She spent the final eight months of her life assisting Howard as a prescribed ESA.
For MU students, college life can sometimes include ESAs. ESAs are granted access to residences and some airlines, so students may apply to live with their ESAs as housing accommodations.
Unlike service animals, ESAs do not undergo official training to mitigate their owners’ disabilities. Instead, ESAs are prescribed to individuals by a mental health professional if they deem the animal necessary for the individual’s emotional well-being. MU students can bring service animals virtually anywhere on campus without prior approval, while ESAs may only enter Residential Life facilities upon Disability Center approval.
Howard said Bonny was an integral part of their mental well-being. Howard’s health care provider prescribed Bonny at the beginning of the year. Bonny’s purpose as an ESA was to ease the stress and anxiety Howard encounters every day.
“Just her being here [helped] me get through classes,” Howard said.
Howard said Bonny’s presence provided them with tactile support during panic attacks. Additionally, they said Bonny’s care routine reminded them to simultaneously maintain their own physical health.
“I remember [to eat] because Bonny’s food bowls are in the middle of my room,” Howard said. “It’s like a reminder.”
Bonny lived with Howard from January to May in the College Avenue residence hall. Before this time, Bonny was a family pet, not a prescribed ESA. After Howard’s first semester at MU, however, Bonny’s absence began taking an emotional toll. Bonny was living 18 hours away from Columbia at Howard’s home in south Texas, so even a monthly visit was not feasible.
“I’d been away before, but never for four months,” Howard said.
Howard began the Disability Center’s application process to include Bonny as an ESA on the housing accommodation plan just before the 2020 winter break started. Howard said the Disability Center worked quickly to fulfill the request, but the process itself was tedious.
It began with paperwork. Howard signed up with the Disability Center, then met to discuss their specific emotional needs and Bonny’s role in fulfilling them. Once Bonny was prescribed to Howard by a health care provider, that provider also submitted required paperwork to the Disability Center.
In the provider’s paperwork, the Disability Center says the provider is generally accepted if they are “providers in the State of Missouri or the student’s home state who have personal knowledge of the student.”
Howard said the Disability Center at MU tries its best to process requests for ESAs in residence halls. Howard also said, however, the aforementioned requirement to submit paperwork completed by a health care provider is not realistic for everyone for a variety of equity reasons. High treatment costs hinder some from accessing mental health services.
When students in need of ESAs arrive at MU, the MU Counseling Center cannot provide them with such a prescription either. Counseling Center psychologists act in congruence with the American Psychological Association regarding this topic and are not authorized to provide students with documentation for ESAs.
These restrictions reflect the fact that ESAs lack official training. Additionally, reports of dubious ESAs are increasingly prevalent nationwide. With those facts in mind, Howard said the crucial distinctions between ESA and service animal policies at MU are important.
After Howard and their provider completed all the necessary requirements, the Disability Center processed the request and approved Bonny. Upon Howard’s return to campus in January, they completed final paperwork with their hall coordinator.
Kiley Gonzalez McGlauchlen, who uses she/her and they/them pronouns, is a sophomore at MU and one of Howard’s friends. McGlauchlen said she remembers the emotional difficulties Howard faced without Bonny on campus.
“Malachi had said that without the emotional support that Bonny provided, it had been easy to lose focus while doing homework,” McGlauchlen said.
McGlauchlen said she noticed a shift in Howard’s demeanor once Bonny arrived; as a frequent visitor at Howard’s dorm room, she could recognize Bonny and Howard’s strong bond by the way they interacted.
“Bonny would often lay down by Malachi and put her head on their leg,” McGlauchlen said.
McGlauchlen also said Bonny was no stranger to the world of fashion.
“I remember that Bonny would wear sweaters a lot and they were always so cute,” McGlauchlen said.
After living together for a semester on campus, Bonny and Howard moved to a nearby apartment complex. Howard said although they appreciated seeing Bonny while living in College Avenue, Bonny was much better suited to living in their comparatively large apartment.
Howard does not think residence halls on campus necessarily take into account the space-related needs of students with service animals or ESAs, especially owners of larger animals like dogs.
“I’d even go so far as to say that the reason so many people have animals in the dorm is because the dorms are so small that you get that anxiety, like you are trapped, so you need that support,” Howard said.
Howard considered Bonny a “sign of life” while living on campus and managing mental health.
“[Bonny was] someone to hold on to,” Howard said. “I love her so much.”
Just before her passing, Howard took a print of Bonny’s paw with paint. That print is now freshly tattooed on Howard’s forearm.
Edited by Emmet Jamieson | ejamieson@themaneater.com