I am petitioning to designate one of the dorms at UW- Eau Claire to allow small pets besides just fish, such as cats, lizards, or hamsters. Caring for a pet helps to relieve stress and anxiety in students, can foster a sense of responsibility and routine, and can help students that suffer from loneliness and depression. Also, small pets such as those listed above are fairly easy to care for and don't take up much space (perfect for a dorm room), while still being good companion pets, unlike fish. Students could also foster cats from the Eau Claire County Humane Association to help them until they find a good home. Because there are students with pet allergies and no desire to live with pets, only a certain residence hall or certain floors would allow pets, and students would be able to decide whether they wanted to live in a pet-friendly dorm.

If you would like to see a pet-friendly residence hall on UWEC's campus, please sign this petition!