DOG
POLICY
The following
regulations have been established in order to provide for the health
and safety of Mount Holyoke College students, staff and visitors;
for the protection and efficient use and enjoyment of the College's
property; and for the responsible management and operation of the
College.
A reasonable
dog policy, focused on owner responsibility, will improve the quality
of the 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 Town of South Hadley Dog
Ordinance and the Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140, Section
167; both of which recognize that a dog's owner is responsible for
the behavior of the dog.
Service
Animals - Exception
Please note
that the following policy does not apply to persons with disabilities
bringing service animals to assist them in their attendance or work
at Mount Holyoke College. Such animals may accompany the person
they are assisting into any area they would normally have access
to as part of their enrollment or employment at Mount Holyoke College.
However, a service animal must be under the control of its owner
at all times while on campus. The care or supervision of a service
animal is solely the responsibility of his or her owner. However,
the College reserves the right to exclude a service animal whose
behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
INSIDE
BUILDINGS
The occupants
of each building will be asked to choose one of the following options,
A, B, or C, that state rules which will apply within the College's
non-residence hall buildings (dogs are not allowed in residence
halls). The Director of Physical Facilities and Director of Public
Safety will have final approval of all policy choices.
A. No dogs allowed
in the building.
B.Choose an
option below:
- Dogs must
be leashed and under control of their owner in all common areas
(hallways, elevators, stairwells, etc.) at all times. Dogs may
not be left unattended in common areas regardless of how they
may be secured.
- Dogs may
be left unattended in private offices if the door is closed, and
posted as having a dog inside.
- Regardless
of whether the dog is in a private office or a common area the
owner is responsible for immediate cleanup and repairs of incidental
damage caused by the dog. Cleanup should be thorough enough so
as to generate no additional work for the College staff.
C. A policy
unique to the building that follows the general guidelines of B.
This policy should be submitted to the Director of Facilities Management
and the Director of Public Safety for approval. Until approval,
option B will be in effect.
OUTSIDE
BUILDINGS
The following
rules apply to the College property outside of buildings.
Dogs must be
leashed and under control at all times (unless posted differently).
- Dogs are
not allowed on athletic fields at any time, even if leashed.
- While on
Mount Holyoke property the owner must have a means to clean up
after the dog in compliance with the town's dog waste ordinance.
Specifically, "The owner or person(s) who possess or control
the dog when appearing with the dog on any public walk, street,
recreation area or private property shall possess the means of
removal of any fecal matter left by the dog."
- Unless the
dog is on an unmowed, unmaintained, or designated area, the owner
is responsible for immediate cleanup of incidental damage caused
by the dog (including digging damage). Cleanup should be thorough
enough so as to generate no additional work for the College Horticultural
staff or inconvenience for the College Community, i.e.; Students,
Faculty, Visitors, etc.
- Owner cleanup
is unnecessary if the dog relieves itself in the woods or on any
unmowed or unmaintained area.
Violations of
this policy will generally be handled through a system of progressive/corrective
penalties that will be administered by the College's Public Safety
Department. Other college employees will be encouraged to inform
people of the policy and inform them of any violations.
- First Step
- the violator will be given a verbal warning by Public Safety
or the person's supervisor that will remind them of the rules
and their specific violation of them.
- Second Step
- the violator will be given a written warning from Public Safety
or the person's supervisor that will inform them of the seriousness
of their infraction and that the next step will be exclusion from
the College's property. A written warning will be given if an
owner refuses to clean up incidental damage.
- Third Step
- if the offender is from the local community the College will
exclude the offender and/or their dog from campus for a twenty-four
month period. If the offender is from the campus community, the
dog will be excluded for a 24 month period.
- Any person
threatening a Mount Holyoke College employee will be trespassed
(excluded from campus) immediately.
- Incidents
of dog bites should be reported to the Office of Public Safety
within 24 hours. These will be investigated on an individual basis
by the Director of Public Safety and the Director of Physical
Facilities following state, town and college guidelines.
Finally, if
none of these above measures are effective, the College will pursue
the matter through legal channels.
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