Cookie is a Service Dog from Louisiana that is being improperly removed from Campus at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

She needs your help whether you have seen her on campus, met her, or just seen her on social media. We are fighting for her and the future of service animals at UL and other schools. 

The Story:
Alex, a 19-year-old disabled female, and Cookie were sitting in the front row in an aisle seat. Because Alex has ADHD, among other things, Alex sits in front of all her classes to pay full attention to the lecture. She also sits in seats that allow Cookie, a Great Dane and Boxer mix, more room to lay down, “tuck,” and be as unobtrusive as possible. Cookie was lying on her side when the professor entered the class and walked down the aisle. As he walked down the aisle, he stepped on Cookie’s head with his left foot as he rounded the corner of the aisle. In response, Cookie barked once to communicate to the professor that she was there. There is no evidence that she bit him. The professor talked as he walked down the aisle and did not break his stride or stop talking after this occurred. He did not look at his legs to examine if she had been bitten; he didn’t excuse himself; he didn’t check to see if Cookie or Alex were okay. The only indication that he noticed Cookie was when he said, “it’s been a minute since I’ve been bit by a dog.” After making that strange remark, he returned to his lecture on his studies of cognition and monkeys. At no point did he indicate to anyone that Cookie had caused any injury to him at all. Further, Alex did not observe any signs of injury on the professor. She was able to observe that because he was wearing shoes without socks. 

After the incident, Alex used her feet as a barrier to ensure that the professor did not step on Cookie again as he moved across the room during the lecture. After that class, she moved one row back and squeezed Cookie into the row, which was very uncomfortable for Cookie, but prevented her from being stepped on again. This incident occurred on Thursday, January 12, 2023. The professor sent an email to the entire class on Saturday, January 14, 2023, in which he asked that the person who owned the dog sitting at the bottom of the class contact him. In response to the email to the class, another student who was in the class and witnessed the incident posted on social media, “not the Bio 121 teacher stepping on the service dog’s head.” Alex also responded to the email the same day; she advised him that she was Cookie’s owner and noted that he had stepped on Cookie’s head. He did not and has not responded to her email. In addition to the witness who posted on Yik Yak, there were additional witnesses to what occurred. We have received other statements through social media from other students that witnessed the incident, all of whom agree that the professor stepped on Cookie’s head and that she yelped or barked. No one has stated that she tried to bite or bite him. 

The professor asked Alex to complete an incident report after class on Thursday, January 19, 2023, a full week after the incident. He asked Alex to stay after class for a few minutes to fill out an incident report. Another unidentified man gave Alex a blank piece of paper and a pen and told her to write down what had happened. Alex complied. Alex attended his class on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, but the professor did not ask Alex to complete an incident report during that class. No one contacted Alex after she provided this to discuss the facts. 

On Monday, January 23, at 5:30 pm, Alex received an email stating that her service dog “must be removed from University property, effective immediately.” This email was not read until Alex was ready for bed at midnight. Once Alex realized what was happening, she realized her time at UL Lafayette was likely to end because she could not attend class or live in the dorms without Cookie.

Cookie has been evaluated by 2 different Certified Professional Dog Trainers, proving that she is well-trained, well-behaved, and non-aggressive. 
The only help they offered was telling us that Alex could bring a different service dog on campus. It takes years to train a service dog, and to have one trained professionally costs upwards of $20k, so this isn’t an option.

We want Alex to be allowed back in school with the medical equipment she needs.

  #JusticeforCookie #CajunsforCookie #BarkLoudandProud