When things get to be too much, there has always been one person I could turn to. He’s been in my life so long, I forget that he wasn’t always by my side. I never could imagine my life without him, but I had to face just that when I moved to my dorm in August. I had to charge into probably the most stressful environment I’ve ever encountered completely alone. I left for college and my dog stayed at home.
The first few weeks were fine. I was dealing with all the new things pretty well because I had a lot of free time and no responsibilities outside of a few easy homework assignment. That all changed pretty quickly. Professors started expecting us freshman to be accustomed to the college life by then and the workload became a lot harder.
I was never too involved in high school, but when it came to joining clubs in college, I went a bit overboard. I signed up for more than I could handle without even realizing it. You’re always told “get involved! Find out what clubs are best for you!” So I did that. I joined a club sport (which I am now an officer for), a business club, and a writing club. All three are very active clubs with multiple responsibilities a week on top of my normal homework. I became very panicked without my old routine and without my dog to come home to, so I had to get him to my dorm.
The whole process of getting him on campus was long and confusing. I first got in contact with someone I know who has her dog in her dorm as an ESA (emotional support animal) to find out how I could do the same. There were two main parts to it. First, I had to go through the Department of Disability Services on campus, then I had to go through Res Life so they could contact my roommate and my building to make sure everyone was okay with it. After almost a whole semester of trying to get my dog here, I finally got the email giving me the go ahead.
Having My dog on campus is a bit of an adjustment. There are a lot of responsibilities to having a dog in a dorm, especially if you don’t live on the first floor, which I don’t. I have to keep his food and water filled and let him out as often as possible. Sometimes I really don’t want to after a long day of classes, but I always have to. It’s also very difficult if he has to go while I’m sleeping, so I have to wake up early for him. There is also the problem of noise control. He isn’t too loud, but he is a living animal and does make some noise, which I have to try to keep as minimal as possible for my neighbors.
I would do anything to have my dog with me. He was worth the whole process. Him and my roommate get along extremely well and he loves to cuddle. When I am in the room, he just wants to be in my lap and have me pet him. His favorite time is bed time. Though it is a lot of work, he calms me to have him with me and people love to pet him, so he gets a lot of attention (which he loves to no end). It’s always amazing to have someone excited that you are home. I love it so much. I love him so much.