Pets are not allowed anywhere inside any University-controlled building at Southwestern.  The only exceptions to this policy are explicitly outlined in a list of Exempted Animals below.  Individuals who fail to comply with this component of the Pet Policy will be charged a facility cleaning fee not less than $500 – the actual cleaning fee assessed may be more than $500 based on the impacted building square footage.

Well-behaved pets are allowed outside on University-controlled grounds, but all pets are subject to City of Georgetown leash and tagging laws and must be attended and restrained by leash or in a carrier at all times.  The pet owner/handler must take full responsibility to clean any area that their pet soils promptly. 

Pets that produce excessive noise, bite, or show aggressive behaviors such as lunging and threatening will not be allowed anywhere on campus.  Anyone witnessing such behavior by a pet should report it to the Campus Police immediately.  Any unattended or unrestrained pet on campus grounds or inside common areas of a campus building should be reported to the Campus Police immediately. 

Non-emergency violations of the Pet Policy should be reported as follows:  faculty and staff violations of the Pet Policy should be reported to the offending employee’s direct supervisor; student violations of the Pet Policy should be reported to the Dean of Students; community visitor violations of the Pet Policy should be reported to the Campus Police.  

 Exempted Animals  

The following Exempted Animals are permitted in University-controlled buildings, provided that they are appropriately registered with Campus Police and licensed/tagged prior to bringing them on campus.  Registration with Campus Police includes proof of current vaccination records and location(s) where the pet will be housed and regularly present.  These animals are exempted only from the prohibition of pets in University-controlled buildings, not from all other stipulations of the Comprehensive Campus Pet Policy outlined above.  The exempted pet’s owner/handler will be held financially responsible for damages to University-controlled property, facilities, or grounds caused by their pet (including, but not limited to, repairing, replacing, or cleaning flooring, furniture, ductwork, filters, and landscaping). Exempted Animals include:

• Working service animals (Under special conditions, working service animals who must be off-leash to carry out their duties may be allowed off-leash or out of their carrier, but still always must be under the direct control of their owner/handler).
• Approved assistance animals for students, but only within the pet owner’s University-controlled residence (see Assistance Animal Policy, which outlines the procedures for requesting this disability-related accommodation).
• Research, clinical, and teaching animals (and only while being used directly for research/teaching), provided that animal owners/handlers properly maintain, control and clean up after them.
• Fraternities, until Fall 2020 (According to the current Pet Policy in the Student Handbook, each fraternity is allowed one registered dog; this exception will be phased out by Fall 2020).
• Southwestern’s feral cat population (The feral cats on campus that are cared for by the Cat Partners student organization do not fall under the purview of this Pet Policy because these cats are not technically pets and already are not allowed to enter University buildings.  Additionally, they have been spayed/neutered and are receiving vaccinations and other necessary veterinary care through Cat Partners.)
• Fish in properly maintained tanks/containers.
• On-duty police dogs.

 Posted: 12/18/2019