Animal lovers at Clarion University should be forgiven if they’re celebrating today.

The state-owned university announced it will open a pet-friendly dorm for upperclassmen this fall. The aptly named Brooke Trout Hall will become a respite for pet lovers under the new policy.

Pet lovers who are accepted at Brooke Trout can bring cats and dogs, weighing less than 40 pounds, birds, fish, chinchillas and small reptiles with them.

But nothing is free.

In addition to completing paperwork and providing veterinary records detailing current vaccines, there is a $200 fee to join the pet-friendly living learning center. No word on litter box or pooper scooper requirements.

Clarion, located about 75 miles north of Pittsburgh, joins a handful of colleges across the country that have launched pet-friendly dorms. Locally, Washington & Jefferson College, a small liberal arts college, located about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, has offered a pet-friendly dorm since 2010.

“Many of our students have pets they miss dearly when they are in school, and this will allow them to continue their care,” said Jenn Dutkiewicz, Clarion’s director of residence life services.

The new dorm is among several living learning communities Clarion has established to bring like-minded students together. Specific living learning communities at Clarion are designated for students with academic Honors, Quiet Living, Judgment Free, Live Active, STEM, Discover U and Gaming, among other interests.

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