Not every college student should become a dog mom. It’s a lot of work, takes a lot of time out of the day, and can be really taxing emotionally and financially when you’re already digging yourself into a pile of debt and school work…but for those who commit, it’s the best thing in the world. And it changes your world! Like…
1. If you can’t bring her, you don’t want to come.
Don’t even bother inviting me to dinner if the restaurant doesn’t have a dog-friendly patio. I’m not coming to your house if I can’t bring my dog. But like…if you want to take her on a walk with me? That’d be chill?
2. If you do make the mistake of going out without her, you’ll be miserable.
Sitting at the bar, thinking about what she’s doing without you, how sad she must be…it’s heartbreaking.
3. You can’t get any work done without taking breaks every ten minutes to check on her.
“Baby? You better not be peeing in the living room again I swear to god oh no you’re just eating what was left in your bowl okay that’s cool I’m going to go finish this paper then. Be good, okay? Maybe I’ll just bring my laptop in here with you to be safe.”
4. You don’t need a gym membership, because you’re ALWAYS taking her on walks.
Because we have our morning walk before class and then our nighttime walk after work and then I like to take her on a nice long hike whenever I can and yes, my booty has been looking fly lately, thank you for noticing.
5. You spend ALL your money on your dog.
Kibble? Not cheap! Toys? She has plenty, but that won’t stop you from dropping $50 on treats and an arrangement of stuffed animals with the highest pitched squeakers you can find. And even then, she’ll still be way more fascinated by the sticks she finds (or your shoes) than she is with the many, many toys.
6. You catch yourself projecting onto her.
“Yeah, she’s like really stressed lately, it’s probably because I’ve been so busy with finals…”
7. You’ve never been happier.
Becoming a dog mom is insanely fulfilling. My dog teaches me unconditional love every day. As a college student prone to mental illness and general loneliness, stress, anxiety…nothing makes it worth it like waking up to her paws on my chest and her kisses on my face.
Being a dog mom is a huge game-changer, especially in college. But you know you’ve never been more grateful to yourself for doing it, and to your pup, for loving you and being their hilarious self.
All images courtesy of giphy.