Residents of Le Salle University are getting some furry new roommates this year.
Starting this fall semester, upperclassmen who choose to live in St. George Hall can apply to bring in their dogs to their dorms.
Emotional support animals are already allowed on campus for students, but this new policy will now allow students to bring approved dogs on campus.
St. George Hall is the first dog-friendly hall at La Salle.
Even though dogs are welcome to join their humans on campus, this new policy does have some requirements for pup parents. According to Lasalle.edu , here are the requirements to have a dog in your dorm:
• An approved dog is under thirty (30) pounds and is registered with the Division of Student Affairs in accordance with the guidelines included with the complete policy available for download below.
• Students who wish to own a dog on campus must sign a dog ownership agreement
• Student Owners must submit an Approved Dog Accommodation Fee
• Only one dog is permitted per unit
• The Student Owner is fully responsible for the behavior of the Approved Dog. Any and all damages caused by the Approved Dog will be the responsibility of the Student Owner.
• The Approved Dog must have all required vaccinations and licenses, must be spayed or neutered at the appropriate age, and must have current identification tags in accordance with Philadelphia Dog Ordinances. The Approved Dog must be tagged with the Student Owner’s contact information.
• All roommates/apartment mates of the student owner must sign a roommate attestation acknowledging a dog will be living in their unit
ABC spoke with Dr. Dawn Soufleris, the vice president of Student Affairs for La Salle about the addition of furry friends on campus and Soufleris told them, “There is a tremendous amount of research that shows having a pet is not only good for your health, reduces stress, but also teaches people how to be responsible.”
Besides embracing furry friends on campus, St. George Hall is making a few additions to the dorms to make sure dogs having a barking good time, they will be adding a dog-run for exercising pups, an on-campus washing station, and they will even have a dog-friendly lounge space in the hall for humans, and their pups can hang out and meet other dog owners.
