Meet Edith! My adorable, four-legged pride and joy.
I adopted Edith, a mini Schnauzer/dachshund mix (we think) at the beginning of quarantine almost a year ago. A local shelter was desperately in need of homes for the pups as they were closing down due to COVID-19, and when I saw Edith’s picture, I knew that she needed to be a part of the family.
Getting to spend so much time with her for those first few months was so special, but I was back and forth as to whether it was the right decision to bring her back to school with me in the fall. A dog is a really big responsibility, and it’s definitely not the right decision for many students in college.
You have to schedule everything you do around making sure that you are home to take care of your sweet pup, and it can be overwhelming when you are already so busy. It can be especially tough when you live in an apartment and have to go on walks since you can’t open the back door and let your dog run around in the backyard for a while. You also don’t want to constantly rely on your roommates for help, because it is your responsibility and that isn’t fair to them.
You have to be prepared to buy food and other things they need, but most importantly you have to find a good vet near you and be prepared for both checkups and unexpected visits, heaven forbid something were to happen.
It is A LOT!
Have there been moments where I have thought to myself “what was I thinking”? Yes. Would I trade it for the world? Absolutely not. While it can be overwhelming at times, it is worth it all. Even on my worst days, I come home to a sweet little creature exploding with excitement at my return. When I am feeling down and my family is 1,000 miles away, I get to spend time with Edith and it makes me feel so much better.
There is so much to consider, and that consideration needs to be very serious, but having my dog at college has been a wonderful experience for me and I can’t imagine living here without one.