Having had pet companionship for the majority of my life, I arrived at college missing the warmth from my little furry balls of love. That being said, organizations like Pet Hugs frequently bring therapy animals onto campus in order to allow students to play with animals as a stress reduction method. Based on data Cal Alumni Association, Pet Therapy, in which students own pets as a resource for emotional support, has become more and more common.
Owning a pet during undergraduate years is a major responsibility and decision that cannot be casually overlooked. It is not only a significant time commitment but it also creates limitations on your housing decisions.
All in all, here are suggestions for you:
If you prefer small animals such as fish, don’t worry! Though this is technically against the dorm policies, housing a fish should not be any bit of a struggle. If you’re required to live in the dorms, this may be your best option for the first year as long as you remember to feed it.
Now, onto apartments. Apartment policies will usually indicate whether small animals are allowed. For most cases, animals will not be allowed. Here’s where a little gerbil will be able to be your perfect companion. My housemate has owned a small hamster for the last year with no issues at all. It is most definitely an upgrade from fish.
Other housing options involve actually finding a group of people to share a rented house. This works really well and the space is usually much larger. Though there is more demand for these really nice houses, the perks are that many house owners are comfortable with pets. Many cat owners I know personally have housing as such.
As for dogs, you would be surprised as to how many students have puppers! This is probably the most difficult level of housing to find but if you’re determined, you will absolutely be able to.
Zillow is a great resource as long as you indicate “Pets Allowed” in your search.
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/Berkeley-CA/house,condo,apartment_…
If you’re set on owning a furry friend in college, start your housing search as early as possible, as early as January or February of 2018 spring semester.
Best of luck, as always!