Can you have pets at Holly Park? Yes, you can! They help our tenants feel at home, comforted, and have been shown to reduce anxiety. There are, however, some housekeeping rules so your neighbors can enjoy their apartment.
Cats and Apartments
Cats are great for renters and we suggest them over dogs, especially for college students who are away all day. The issue with cats we encounter most are odor and allowing them outside. Here are our rules for cats and why we have them.
Scoop those boxes daily! Avoid clay litter!
Scoopable litter allows you to take away waste quickly and keeps your pet healthy by keeping it from stepping on its waste. This also helps prevent feline UTIs.
Scooping kitty litter also keeps kitty waste off your countertops. 🤢🤮
Clay litter can't be scooped and does little to nothing for odor control.
Cat litter needs bagged and taken to the dumpster and NOT THE GRASS!
Cat boxes are not to be near the suite doors. Keep them far inside the apartment.
Even if you scoop daily, you still run the risk of pet odors sneaking outside of your apartment, especially next to your apartment door.
Indoor cats are to remain indoors.
Cats are dangerous to the local ecosystem. Cats kill birds for sport.
Cats have caused over 33 species of birds extinction worldwide.
Cats produce in litters of up to 12. Spay or neuter your cat, please.
The parking lot is a non-forgiving environment for 4 pawed family members. Every time you let your cat out off-leash, you run the risk of them not returning.
Outdoor cats are wild animals and should be treated as such.
Outdoor cats pose the risk of bringing in fleas, ticks, and mites.
Cats can also bring in harmful diseases such as rabies and parasites, such as toxoplasmosis.
Outdoor cats are not to be fed. Leaving food out draws raccoons, mice, and rats to the buildings. The outdoor cats have plenty of food to scavenge in the surrounding environment.
Be ready to pay for damages if they happen.
Cats like to scratch up baseboards, door molding, can wreck carpet, and, in some cases, we've had to replace the subfloor due to odor. Work with your feline companion on what is and isn't acceptable behavior.
Cats slink out of apartments all the time. Get your cat a collar with a name tag with owner details. We also recommend a bell on your cat as they also get lost in your apartment ( the crawl into box springs and couches).
Vaccinate your cat against rabies.
Dogs and Apartments
Dogs are great companions! They snuggle, greet us with excitement at the door from a long day, and overall goofy personalities are why they are some of our favorite pets. Dogs, however, require their own set of rules to follow so they don't bother your neighbors' quiet enjoyment of their apartment.
Dogs are to be leashed at all times outside of your apartment, regardless of age and size.
For small dogs and puppies, if a larger dog escapes handler control, you will be able to quickly pull your dog to safety in case of attack.
For adult dogs, there are moments where they may become distracted and bolt from your side. This can be into traffic or at another dog who may not be comfortable with unleashed dogs.
Dog waste must be bagged and disposed of regardless of size.
Nobody wants to smell or see dog poop on the lawn.
Puppies can contract parvo, a fatal disease, and should be monitored on the lawn.
Even small dog waste carries the risk of parasitic transfer to other dogs and humans, such as roundworms.
Dogs aren't always the most careful while doing their business. They often step in poop and then jump into bed with you... Do your part to help stop this!
All dogs must be up-to-date with rabies vaccinations and must be able to present proof of vaccination via tags at all times.
Dogs are to wear a collar with name tags containing owner contact details, county registration tag, and rabies vaccination tag at all times. This helps us identify escaped dogs and return them to owners. If you have a puppy who can't wear a collar, consider a harness or microchip while they are at this age.
Build rapport with your neighbors and ask if your dog barks while you're away. If your dog has separation anxiety, we recommend finding a trusted source and training them to overcome this anxiety. You can also pick up some CBD oil treats, which have worked for a lot of dog owners. Small dogs are typically the worst offenders of separation anxiety due to them being held all the time.
If your dog must be muzzled when around other dogs or people, they will not be welcomed to the property. This presents a risk for small children and other pets. We will revoke your privilege of having pets on the property. You also run the risk of criminal charges if someone gets hurt.
We highly suggest not bringing retired military and police dogs to the property. These dogs typically require special training that many college students are not equipped to properly learn.
We do not restrict breeds or weight but do expect dog owners to know their limits and train their dogs properly. If you or your dog cannot conduct yourselves properly, you will be asked to keep your dog off the property and you will not be invited to live with us a second year.
If you have a dog in your apartment, our maintenance staff will not enter the apartment with the dog out of containment. This is for our staff's safety as not every tenant vaccinates against rabies, properly trains, or can properly handle their dog. We do have experience with dogs and work well with them, but we don't want a first-time incident to ruin that trust.
Be ready to pay for damages.
Dogs tend to be less destructive than cats, but have ruined carpet, broken through bedroom doors, and nibbled on trim work here and there.
We know this article contains a lot of don'ts, but what we want to stress is to love your pet to the fullest extent while also being a good community member. Know your personal limits and understand that not everyone's pet is the same as yours. We want to strike a safe balance of freedoms and responsibility.