Campus Pet Policy

The following policy has been established to provide for the health and safety of Smith College students, faculty, staff and visitors; for the protection, efficient use, and enjoyment of the College’s property; and for the responsible management and operation of the College.

A reasonable pet policy, focused on owner responsibility, improves the quality of campus life inside and outside of buildings while minimizing the use of resources on avoidable cleanup and repairs. Beyond the obvious concerns for property maintenance and personal welfare, it is hoped that these regulations will foster an atmosphere where all can enjoy the College’s facilities in a comfortable and relaxed setting.

While the College’s properties are private and not public, the following regulations are, nevertheless, consistent with the Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140, Section 167, which recognizes that a dog's owner is responsible for the behavior of the dog.

No pets are allowed inside College buildings, including student housing.

Note: this prohibition does not apply to individuals accompanied by seeing eye dogs or other trained, assisting animals. It also does not apply to certain rental housing in which pets are permitted.

The following rules apply to the College property outside of buildings.

1. Pets must be leashed and under control at all times.
2. Pets are not allowed on the athletic fields or in gardens at any time, even if leashed.
3. While on Smith property the owner must have a means to clean up after the pet, specifically, the owner or person(s) who possess or control the pet when appearing with the pet on any public walk, street, recreation area or private property shall possess the means of removal of any fecal matter left by the pet.
4. The owner is responsible for immediate cleanup of incidental damage caused by the pet (including digging damage). Cleanup should be thorough enough so as to generate no additional work for College staff or inconvenience for members of the College community or visitors.

Violations of this policy generally will be handled through a system of progressive corrective penalties that will be administered by the Office of Public Safety. Other college employees are encouraged to inform people of the policy and inform Public Safety of any violations.

1. First Step: Public Safety or the individual’s supervisor will give the violator a verbal warning that will remind them of the rules and their specific violation.
2. Second Step: Public Safety or the person's supervisor will give the violator a written warning that will inform them of the seriousness of the infraction. A written warning will also be given if an owner refuses to clean up incidental damage.
3. Third Step: The College may exclude the pet from campus for up to a twenty-four month period. If the offender is from outside the campus community, the pet’s owner may also be excluded from campus.

Failure to cooperate with a Public Safety officer is a serious violation and will result in the individual and the pet being excluded from campus immediately.

Incidents of animal bites should be reported to the Office of Public Safety within 24 hours. The incidents will be investigated on an individual basis by a Public Safety officer following state and college guidelines.

If none of these above measures are effective, the College may pursue the matter through legal channels.