Picture this: you’re casually walking on Landis Green when suddenly a shaggy, floppy-eared dog comes running up to you, wiggling his butt and snorting in excitement. If you’re anything like me, your first reaction is to drop to your knees and dissolve into a mess of baby talk and cooing at how cute he is. “Wow! I would sure love to have a dog like this,” you think. But what you didn’t think about is what having a dog (or any pet in college) really means. Combining my experience with taking care of pets in college with commentary from other pet owners, I have put together a list of responsibilities you need to consider before adding a pet to your family.
1. Knowledge
Before you start working at a real job, you need to finish school in order to be prepared to fulfill the job requirements. Well, getting a pet works in the same way. Before you get a pet, you need to know a few things about it in order to know how to take care of it. This includes: diet, habitat, habits, and the like. Going in blind with a new pet is the definition of no bueno. If you think that feeding snakes potato chips and broccoli is a good idea, then you’re not equipped to be a snake owner. The more you know, the happier both you and your pet will be.
2. Costs
We’re talking both the physical and the emotional costs of having a pet. Sure, a hamster might cost only $10 to get, but the habitat, food, toys, and everything else the little thing might need definitely add up. Also, think about how every pet you add to your family is another chance at needing to end up at the vet. My hamster that I bought with some pocket change cost me $700 due to her medical problems. Footing these kinds of bills can be very stressful, especially as a college student.
3. Party Planning
Did you hear about that awesome ABC party happening down your street this weekend? I bet you want to go, but it’s going to be hard to figure out how to balance taking your dog out to go to the bathroom while you’re partaking in revelries. This problem gets even worse if you’re planning on heading out of town for the weekend. It’s a pain in the butt to try and find someone to take care of your puppy while you’re gone. Proper planning and preparation can solve your problems, but consider the commitment before taking it on.
4. Pets are Family
There is nothing that infuriates animal lovers more than when people abandon a pet when they run into the least bit of trouble with them. Hey guess what? You’re in college. You’re more than likely going to have to move within the next couple of years. If you don’t think you can handle finding a pet-friendly place or deal with moving the pet, DON’T GET THE PET. If you’re considering getting more pets that won’t get along with your current pet, DON’T GET THE PET. Finally, if you don’t think that you are capable of treating the pet with all of the love and care it deserves and really treat it as a member of the family, DON’T GET THE PET.
Pets are living, loving creatures who depend on their caretakers. They aren’t just playthings to get rid of when you don’t feel like taking care of them anymore.
5. Love
Finally, and most importantly, expect love to be returned for your efforts to care for your pet. Love will be in the form of fuzzy kisses, afternoon cuddles, wagging tails, or even just a simple look of gratitude. The fulfillment that one can gain from properly caring for a pet is one of the greatest feelings in the world (although I may be a bit biased).