Of all the Great Issues currently engaging our attention (climate change, war with North Korea, taxes and healthcare, the Roy Moore/Al Franken meltdowns etc.), none is more important than this, so pay attention: which of these sorority sisters should prevail in their battle over a therapy dog?
In brief: Madeleine Entine wants to keep her 8-year-old ruby Cavalier King Charles spaniel (Cory relieves Madeleine’s panic attacks) in the sorority house. Another sorority sister, Cary Goldman, complained that the dog’s presence aggravates her allergies and Crohn’s disease, and wants the beast removed. There are potentially dueling Americans with Disability Act claims here, but since only Entine has official ADA status so far, a U.S. District judge has ruled that Ohio State can’t boot out the dog until the case goes to trial.
This is a tough call for me. I am generally fond of dogs, and especially Cavaliers (I’ve had three of them). The Cav in question here is a beauty. I can attest to their calming effects. And this dog’s owner is a damsel in distress if there ever was one (today’s story in the Columbus Dispatch notes that “the dog licks the tears from her face when she can’t reach for tissues”. I ask you.) Nevertheless, my sympathy is more with the allergic housemate. The university has offered to put Madeleine and her dog up in alternate housing, but she insists that she should have access to sorority life.
So, should the dog stay or go?