When you think of going away for college, what are some of the first things you'll miss? For me, it is definitely my dog and my parents. We students are leaving our homes to a totally new and strange place where we will learn more things in order to obtain a degree for a well paying job.
But sometimes, don't you wish you could take something from home to the dorm?
I was reading a couple of good pros and cons on
HerCampus about having a pet during college. They were really the basic key points that you and I would know.
Pets In College- Top Three Pros
1. They’re fuzzy, adorable, and make great cuddle buddies!
-They do make good cuddle buddies. I would much rather cuddle with my dog than to a pillow.
2. They’ll make you laugh on a stressful, hard day. Have you ever watched a dog try to eat a bone with a cone around his head? It’s hilarious.
-Dogs do bring out the laughs in us if we are having a bad day. They just make the day 10x better.
3. If you’re bad at fitting in exercise into your daily routine, a pet is like a personal trainer. You have to take them on daily walks or runs. You’ve got a new workout buddy!
-This is such a huge issue for me because I can't go to the gym unless I go with somebody because if I don't, I'll procrastinate at my workouts.
Pets In College- Top Three Cons
1.
THEY ARE EXPENSIVE! Vet visits, food, toys, and damage repair… it all adds up pretty quick!
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Yes, I totally agree that they are expensive. But if your dog is well trained to not destroy anything then your fine. When it comes to vet, food and toy expenses, you will have a mental note to not buy those $100 shoes you see in the window because you have dog expenses to take care off.
2. They need a lot of love and entertainment. College schedules and spontaneity aren’t always the best fit for pets that need someone home loving them and taking them for walks.
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Now this is a little issue for me. As college students, you can make your schedule so that it works for you. You can make it to have three classes a day (morning, afternoon and evening classes) so that they can be spaced out enough for you to spend time with them.
3. They’re destructive. I think the song “Wrecking Ball” is Buoy’s (my brother's dog) anthem. He means well, but his tail and teeth like to knock down and tear up everything.
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Sorry HerCampus, but this is pretty biased. Not all dogs are destructive. Mine isn't. The only times my dog has destroyed something was when she was a puppy. And there are things such as crates to train them into thinking it is their safe place as well as the place they go to if you have to leave.
My Thoughts
Now, when it comes to living in college; I think students should have a dog with them for the emotional needs of the other dorm mates.
Dogs are a huge stress reliever for students who are cramming on homework or exams. They also provide a form of responsibility because if a student is on scholarship, they know in order to keep their dog and scholarship, the student has to make good grades.
When it comes to the dorm, I have some idea on what colleges could do. I think dorms that have hardwood or tiled floors (like my dorm) should be able to have a pet. If there are dorms with carpet, then the students should make sure that their pets are house trained and don't soil the carpet.
Also pets allowed to live in the dorms must be friendly, well trained, and not vocal all the time. The dogs must also have their shot records up to date.
Another good idea for this if universities decide to allow this is to make students to pay and pet fee of $300/quarter. This way, if they do destroy something, they have money to fix it. Many apartments and hotels charge people to pay a pet fee before they come into the apartment or hotel.
These are just different things that universities can look at if they are thinking of allowing students to have dogs in the residence halls.
