If you are anything like me, every time you see a photo of a dog, video of a dog or a real-life dog, then more times than not an unintentional “I want one” will follow. Of course, we do! We miss our pets from home, we’re stressed and sad and it seems as if there’s no problem on this earth a happy puppy can’t make better. The question is: is a dog going to relieve your stress or will the responsibility of actually having one just add to the stress you were trying to fix? As an extremely busy college student, I go back and forth on this at least once a week. If you are in the same boat, I’ve taken the liberty of listing out some pros and cons for us both to consider.
The Pros
First and foremost, having a dog around will make you happier. Many studies have shown, that just petting a dog causes the release of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decreases the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which is why therapy dogs are so popular and effective. Having a dog close to you on a day-to-day basis is basically free therapy! (Not actually, but it will certainly help.)
Another thing you will gain from adopting a dog is learning a whole new level of responsibility. Chances are if you’re considering getting your own, your family has owned a dog before or you have at least cared for a dog long enough to understand that it is a lot of work. However, it’s a whole new ball game when the dog is yours and yours alone. You solely are responsible for a life other than your own and while this is daunting, it is also so exciting to open your home and heart to someone that needs you!
Courtesy: Jay Wennington
If you struggle to get out of the house to try new things or meet new people, you won’t anymore. Having a dog will force you to change many habits in your life, including what you’re able to do in your free time. This is the chance to try that new restaurant with the outdoor seating, drive a little further to that park you’ve heard so much about or stop postponing the daily running routine you swore you were going to start. Plus, when trying these new things, you are bound to meet new people with similar interests and before you know it, you’ll have a whole squad of dog parents to go to the dog park with every week.
One final thing that is so amazing about having a dog is the instant best friend you gain to go through life with. College might be the most impactful part of your life and your dog is going to be your most loyal companion every step of the way. Through every good, bad or insane day, your dog will have nothing to greet you with but unconditional love, which is something everyone can benefit from. Plus, getting a dog at this point in your life means they have a chance to be with you for all the big firsts – graduating college, buying your first car or home, starting your career, getting married, even having a baby. How sweet is that?
The Cons
As much as I don’t want to, I have to stay neutral and add the hardships that come along with being a dog owner as well. The most obvious? Money. Along with the initial investment, adoption fees, buying supplies, vet bills, etcetera, it’s wise to have around $1,000 saved up per year just for your dog. That may seem like a lot but besides the repeating expenses like food and grooming, you never know when something will happen and you end up having to drop $300 on an emergency vet trip or suddenly need to go out of town and have to board your dog. College is expensive and so is owning a dog, that’s why you have to think hard about whether you can afford both.
The second largest and most obvious thing is the time commitment and responsibility that comes with dog ownership. You now have another living creature depending completely on you, which means you can no longer take those spontaneous weekend trips, stay out until 2 AM every night or spend a week at your significant other’s house without coming home once. This is college and it’s completely understandable to want to do any of those things but you have to decide which one is more important to you and if right now is the time to adopt a dog.
To go along with my last point, if you are someone that likes to go out and do things a lot but you still really want a dog, you’ll have to change a lot of your interests. I put this as a pro but I think it’s also a con because while change is good, change is very, very hard. It’s so important to consider whether changing your schedule and your social life drastically is manageable at this point in your life or if maybe you should wait.
One final thing I’d like to point out is if you’re brushing off all these points and saying your parents will help you with money in a pinch or your roommates will take care of your dog if you decide to stay out late, these are red flags. If you’re deflecting full responsibility for your dog before you’ve even adopted it, you’re probably not ready for the full responsibility of being a single parent of a fur baby. That is totally okay if it’s not your time, there’s no rush! It’s a huge decision and one that should not be taken lightly so think hard about when the right time to make this possibly 10 (plus) year commitment is.
Have you decided that a dog is the right choice for you but don’t know what to do next? Don’t worry, I did this part too. For my FSU readers, I’ve attached a list of pet shelters in Tallahassee. For anyone outside of Tallahassee, the first link takes you to a website where you can enter your zip code and it shows adoptable pets near you. If now isn’t the right time for you, that’s okay too – our day will come soon!
Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center
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