Whether you’re planning to bring your dog, cat, rabbit or lizard, it’s important to be prepared.

Please review the information below and complete the three steps to get your pet registered for college. We look forward to welcoming you and your four-legged, winged, or finned friend to campus!

 

Pet Program Rules, Requirements and Restrictions

Please read this information in its entirety to understand the rules, requirements and restrictions of the Stephens College Pet Policy. You will be asked to verify your understanding and acceptance of this information when submitting the registration form.

Register your pet on eRezLife>

 

Allowed Pets

  • Cats — must be a minimum of six (6) months old and spayed/neutered. No exceptions will be made. They must be spayed/neutered; litter box trained; current on all vaccinations, including FVCRP, rabies, FELV/FIV negative; current on flea/tick preventatives; must be registered with the City of Columbia and must wear tags. Cats must be crated when student is not in the room.
  • Dogs — must be a minimum of six (6) months old and spayed/neutered. No exceptions will be made. They must be house broken; spayed/neutered; current on all vaccinations, including DHLPPV, rabies, and bordatella; heartworm tested; current on flea/tick preventatives; must be registered with the City of Columbia and must wear tags. Dogs must be crated when student is not in the room.
  • Rabbits, hamsters, rats, mice, gerbils, sugar gliders, guinea pigs, and lizards — must be kept in an aquarium or other appropriate housing when student is not in the room.
  • Birds — must be kept in cage or other appropriate housing when student is not in the room.
  • Fish — may be kept in a wet aquarium, not to exceed 40 gallons.

If you have a pet that is not listed above, please contact the Office of Student Experience for more information: [email protected] or (573) 876-7145.

 

Prohibited Pets

  • The following dog breeds or any derivative/mixes thereof are prohibited:
    • Pit Bull
    • Rottweiler
    • German Shepherd
    • Chow
    • Akita
    • Wolf breeds
    • Any mix containing these listed above; or
    • Any aggressive breed.
  • Snakes; and
  • Spiders.

 

Pet Fostering

A limited number of students may have the opportunity to foster pets from Columbia Second Chance while living on campus. CSC will keep the fostered animal during breaks and will provide food and medical care. Students who foster must provide all proper paperwork for each animal that you foster and notify the Community Director of your building when you get a new animal. For more information email [email protected].

Apply for the Second Chance Foster Program >

 

Pet Program Rules

Allowed Residence Halls

Pets (including fish in aquariums) are only allowed to be in designated residence halls: Prunty and Tower Halls. 

  • Pets are to be kept in the pet owner’s room only, not in the common areas.
  • Pets must be on a leash or in a carrier when outside of the owner’s room or when walked on campus property.
  • Pets who are not registered in the Pet Central Program are not allowed in the residence halls; pet sitting for external pets is not allowed.
  • When students are out of their rooms, their pets must be crated.
  • Pets are not allowed in the residence hall elevators unless approved in advance.

 

One Pet Per Student

One pet is allowed per student in the designated residence halls (including foster pets and ESAs).

 

Pet Care

Each student will be expected to properly care for, train and feed their animal. Animals are not to be left during breaks. A fine of $250 will be assessed to any student who is not properly taking care of their animal or leaves the animal behind without supervision during breaks, weekends or when leaving for any other reason.

 

Noise

Students are responsible for ensuring that the pet that they bring to Stephens College will not cause a great deal of noise (e.g. barking, howling, chirping, etc.) that will disturb other residents and/or their pets. Noise violations may include: the pet being heard outside the room during quiet hours or excessive noise during the day when respect hours are in effect. The student is responsible for making sure that their pet is not in violation of quiet hours. Students with dogs may bring training devices such as shock or spray collars that will discourage their pets from creating an unnecessary amount of noise in the residence halls. Students are strongly encouraged to purchase and try out these training devices prior to bringing their pets to campus. Students with noisy pets will be given a two-week grace period at the beginning of the semester to get their pet adjusted to life in the residence halls. If, at the end of the two-week grace period, the pet is still causing disruption to the living community, the following steps will be taken:

  1. Verbal warning
  2. Written warning
  3. Removal of pet

 

Smells

To assist in eliminating odors, pet waste is to be disposed of in the trash dumpster outside the building, not in the trashcans inside. The student is responsible for removing all fecal matter created by the animal on college property. The use of training pads for everyday use is highly discouraged. Failure to clean up after your pet, after an accident or outside in the campus quad or in the pet walking area, will result in the following:

  1. Warning
  2. $50.00 fine
  3. Removal of pet

Dogs must be groomed regularly, however, not in College bathrooms. There are dog washes available to pet owners located in Tower Hall and in the Doggy Daycare facility (lower level of Searcy Hall, available when Doggy Daycare is open).

 

Removal of Pet

  • The College reserves the right to remove a resident and/or their pet if the pet is not properly cared for or if there is a violation of the pet policies.
  • Security, in consultation with Student Experience, has the authority to remove a pet that is displaying aggressive or unacceptable behavior immediately.

 

Breeding

Owners are not permitted to breed any animal or small pet for sale, food, or any other purposes.

 

Violations

Violations of these rules, requirements and restrictions will be sent to the Stephens College Student Experience Office and/or Judicial Board.

 

Emotional Support and Service Animals

If you have an emotional support animal (ESA) or service animal, or have questions about accommodation, please contact Sady Strand, Director of Student Success and ADA, at [email protected].

 

Pet Program Registration

In order to house a pet on the Stephens College campus, you must complete three steps:

1. Complete and submit your Pet Program Registration Form. All registration documentation must be submitted prior to the pet residing in a residence hall.  You will need to have the following documents available to upload:

  • A recent photo or your pet
  • Your pet’s veterinary records showing up to date vaccinations

Pet Program Registration on eRezLife>

 

2. Pay your Pet Fee. Pet fees are due to the Office of Student Experience at the beginning of each academic year that your pet is on campus. Fees must be paid prior to your pet’s arrival on campus. These fees cover the cost of cleaning and disinfecting residence hall rooms and maintenance of pet facilities.

  • The annual, non-refundable fee for a dog or cat is $220. 
  • The annual, non-refundable fee for a cage- or aquarium-dwelling pet (i.e. hamster, rabbit, bird, lizards) is $50. 
  • There is no fee for fish in a small aquarium. Aquariums may not be larger than 40 gallons.

Annual Pet Fee Payment >

 

3. License your Pet with the City of Columbia. Cats and dogs must be registered with the City of Columbia. You will not be able to do that until you arrive in Columbia. Registering your pet has to be done in person through one of the following means:

  • Directly with the City of Columbia at their office located at 1005 West Worley
  • Through a local veterinarian when administering vaccines

Your City of Columbia License must be obtained within two (2) weeks of arrival on campus and uploaded through the following link. Please retain the original copy in your personal pet file. If your license is issued for multiple years, it is still required to upload again at the beginning of each academic year.

Pet License Upload Form >

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