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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tampa chapter.

I grew up with dogs my whole life. I got my first dog, Spot, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, for Christmas when I was five years old. Then two years later my second dog Vanessa, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, followed. During my junior year of high school, my uncle’s dog Hank moved in with us. Therefore, it was hard to adapt to life without a dog coming to college. My dogs have always given me a sense of security, helped me with stress, motivated me, and made me happy just by simply being there. My first semester was very hard without my dogs. I missed them so much, and the quality time we would have together. This past fall semester, a couple of my friends adopted dogs. This allowed me to have the opportunity to cuddle with a pup, go to a dog park to play, or have a beach day at the dog beaches near Tampa. However, I was still having a lot of stress and missed the relationship I had back at home with my dogs. This is why I decided to become a foster mom. I am currently taking care of twin rambunctious dash hound puppies. There are a few things you should know about fostering a puppy in college before deciding if it is right for you. 

  1. Understand the time commitment

Fostering puppies is basically like having a child. They will whine a lot, especially at night and in the morning. You have to make sure you have a flexible enough schedule where you can be there for them if they need something. 

  1. Environment

Make sure the environment you are bringing the puppies into is safe and secure. You do not want to risk them getting hurt or escaping. You must puppy-proof your house before bringing them home. This means putting away anything that is lying around that could cause them harm, like hair ties, plastic, sharp objects, etc.  

  1. Responsibility

You are the sole person to take care of them. You must make sure that you are mature enough to know that the puppies come before you and your social life. They will rely on you for everything. 

Overall, I am very excited to be fostering two amazing pups. Yes, they drive me crazy sometimes, but they love me, and I love them.

Madison Loscalzo is Vice President and Head of Social Media for Her Campus at The University of Tampa. She plans and designs social media posts for the Instagram and TikTok. Madison also communicates and assists with organizing events and meetings. Madison is an advertising and public relations creative major with a minor in film and media. Madison does freelance photography and videography. While also being a content creator for Academic Studies Abroad and University of Tampa Communication Department. Madison enjoys writing articles about travel, lifestyle, and holiday activities. In her free time she does pilates, spends time outdoors, and volunteers as a foster mom for puppies.