Local animal shelters experience an influx of cats and dogs at the end of the semester when relocating students can't bring their pets with them.

Animals can find a surrogate home with Centre County PAWS Inc., 1042 Benner Pike, a non-euthanasia animal shelter.

PAWS will accept any cat or dog and care for the animal until the shelter finds it a suitable home.

"It's very sad for us when we do not have room on such short notice," said Becky Olson, PAWS cat coordinator and former president of PAWS.

She said students often get a cat or dog even though most landlords have a no-pets policy.

Once the landlord discovers the animal, the residents usually have a short period of time to get rid of the pet. Olson said this is the primary reason why students bring their animals to PAWS or the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA).

"I'm not sure why [students] go ahead and bring an animal into that situation, but the landlords always find out," Olson said.

PAWS volunteers will appear on campus before finals week distributing brochures about responsible pet ownership and available animal services.

Jennifer Weyant (senior-public relations), a spokeswoman for PAWS, said students want to leave their pets in good hands, but often fail to realize that many shelters will put the animals to sleep.

"You have to plan ahead," Weyant said, "The only way to get pets on the [waiting] list is to do it in advance."

Troy Klineselter, a kennel attendant at the PSPCA, said the shelter will hold and care for animals until there isn't enough room to accommodate them. At that point, some animals will be put to sleep.

"About 50 percent will get adopted," Klineselter said.

Occasionally PAWS will allow students to adopt cats and dogs from the shelter. But since the organization seeks "lifetime placements" for the animals, students are not always the best candidates.

"Realistically, the lifestyle of most students is usually not conducive to having the responsibility for a pet," Olson said.

Molly Tait (senior-film and video) said she would move out if her landlord requested she get rid of her dog.

"It's going to be hard once I graduate and move to a city, but I'm going to keep her," Tait said.

Jason Ricketts (senior-marketing) said his landlords would not allow him and his roommates to renew their leases after discovering they had a kitten in their apartment. They were issued a $50 fine and given one week to remove their kitten, named Toby, from the building.

"We decided to give it to our friend that lives close by, and that is currently where Toby is," Ricketts said.