SUNY Canton Named Among Most Pet-Friendly Colleges in U.S.

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Kevin Segit, a junior from Cooperstown, watches Cleo the kitten play in a common area of SUNY Canton's pet-friendly dorm.

CANTON, NY (02/16/2017) (readMedia)-- The website LendEDU.com recently announced SUNY Canton has earned a spot on their list of the top 25 most pet-friendly colleges in the country.

SUNY Canton placed 13th and was chosen largely because of the college's pet-friendly housing option, known as the "Pet Wing," which began in 1997. Students are able to bring a variety of pets with them to live on campus, including cats, ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils and fish.

"SUNY Canton was a pioneer in pet-friendly housing," said Director of Residence Life John M. Kennedy. "Our mission has always been to enhance the community-like atmosphere that we are known for, and the Pet Wing plays an important role in achieving that."

The unique housing option is a favorite choice among students who are pursuing an associate degree in Veterinary Science Technology or a bachelor's degree in Veterinary Service Administration or Veterinary Technology. This past fall, the college doubled the size of the Pet Wing due to increased demand.

"Prior to this academic year, we could accommodate approximately 70 students who wanted to live with their pets," Kennedy said. "We've since added another 70 beds, which brings our total number of pet-friendly accommodations to 140."

In addition to the expansion, Kennedy said, the residence hall organizes activities for students and their pets, most recently "cat yoga" classes, where students can participate in the ancient practice alongside their feline companion.

SUNY Canton's animal-friendly campus culture extends beyond the Pet Wing. Students raise funds to outfit police dogs with lifesaving Kevlar vests and to purchase supplies and food for local animal shelters. The college also sponsors pet-therapy sessions for students to relax and de-stress during finals week.

In addition to the LendEDU list, the college has been twice named to Petside.com's Top 10 Pet-Friendly Colleges list, and Great Value Colleges.net selected SUNY Canton as one of the best schools in the U.S. for animal lovers. The entire LendEDU list can be found here.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 11 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III.

-www.canton.edu-