OHMIDOG! : Back to school: Top 10 pet-friendly colleges

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It’s that time of year again — when students around the country head off to college, bidding farewell to mom, dad and, perhaps toughest of all, their dogs.
Solution? Go to a pet-friendly college.
Petside.com is back with another top 10 list, this time of the most pet-friendly college campuses.
Topping the list is Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Florida, with its four pet-friendly, air-conditioned dorm “clusters.” Students are allowed to have cats and dogs (under 40 pounds)*as well as snakes and fish.
The*list is based on*the quantity and quality of pet-friendly housing as well as the types of pets allowed, Petside says.
(What Petside and*the list don’t make a point of stressing is that most so-called pet friendly campuses regularly discriminate against big dogs, blacklisting — sorority-style –*any beast whose weight exceeds its arbitrary limit, usually*40 pounds. )
The rest of the top five break down this way:
2. Stephens College in*Columbia, Missouri offers one dorm as the designated pet dorm, allowing*dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs.
3. Washington & Jefferson College in 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.
4. Principa College in Elsah, Illinois has seven dorms and university apartments that allow pets. Students may bring dogs, cats, rabbits, caged animals, and aquatic pets.
5. California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California allows cats in all dorms, as well as small caged and aquatic animals. Dogs are not permitted. Animal lovers can also join the Caltech Animal Team (CAT), a club devoted to caring for homeless and abandoned animals, especially cats, who live on the Caltech campus and nearby grounds.
“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.”
Also making the top ten, in this order, were: University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, University of Idaho, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, State University of New York at Canton and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.


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