Top Ten "Pet Friendly" Colleges

New York, NY (Sept. 10, 2009) – As college students across the country stream back to school, Petside.com, a popular online destination for pet owners and pet enthusiasts, has released its list of the Top 10 Pet-Friendly Colleges. The list, which takes into consideration both the quantity and quality of pet-friendly housing as well as the types of pets allowed, is full of schools where Fido and Fluffy are assured a place on campus. Although no similar list of Canadian colleges is available, it is good to see that many learning institutions in the USA have publicly recognized the importance of the human-companion animal bond. Publishing this information makes it easier for independently living students to consider which learning institutions to attend. They can choose one that allows them to keep their much-loved animal companions, which lessens the number of companion animals "surrendered" to animal shelters. "At Petside, we know how much the companionship of a pet can benefit a college student, particularly in the form of stress-relief and as a remedy for homesickness," said Joshua Fried, Director, Petside.com. "We are pleased to know that so many of America's colleges are welcoming responsible students and their pets." Eckerd College in St. Petersburg,Florida, for example, is head of the class with four pet-friendly, air-conditioned dorm "clusters." Students are allowed to have cats and dogs (under 40 pounds), as well as snakes and fish. Stephens College (Columbia, Missouri) offers one dorm as the designated "pet dorm" which allows dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs. Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, Pennsylvania) allows students to bring their family pets along to school and live in the "Pet House" dorm. Cats and dogs less than 40 pounds, small birds, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, turtles and fish are allowed and other animals may be permitted on a case-by-case basis.