Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

I grew up without a pet. Well, I had a dog when I was younger. Although we put her down when I was in first grade, I remember how much fun I had with her. My younger sister and I dressed her up with sunglasses and a wig. We would sit on top of her acting like she was actually going to give us a ride somewhere (poor thing). Although she was old and tired, our sweet dog always let us have our fun, up until her final days. 

She was the best dog, but she wasn’t really our dog. She was our father’s dog. She was there for him through many years of his life, but by the time my sister and I were old enough to accept her as ours, she was gone. Although I do miss her, I never truly felt like our childhood dog was really “our childhood dog.” 

I always felt bad because it didn’t affect me as much as I thought it should’ve during that time. My sister spent the following day sobbing and mourning over what was such a big part of our lives. Honestly, I felt like a cruel person at seven years old for not being heartbroken over the loss of our beloved pet. Although I still feel somewhat wrong for not letting it get to me that much, I’m happy I didn’t. 

What really stung was when all the other kids in elementary school would mention their dogs and how important they were to them. I remember doing school projects about pets and wondering why I didn’t have one. I felt like something was wrong with me. Why did we never get another dog? 

Years later I asked my mom why getting a new dog wasn’t on the table. She gave me an honest answer, stating that pets are a lot of work and that nobody in my family would benefit from the added stress taking care of one adds to daily life. Her point, yet valid, never sat right with my sister. My sister yearns for the affection and loyalty of a dog. I never really cared for it. 

I feel bad for secretly being happy that my mom never got us a new dog. In a twisted way, I never wanted one because everyone else had one. Trust me, I’m not a sick person who doesn’t care about animals, I just knew that I didn’t need one. I didn’t have to be like everyone else.  

Adria Hoadley is a second-year student at St. Bonaventure University from Union Springs, New York. She is excited to be a new member of the St. Bonaventure University Her Campus chapter and looks forward to the new experiences it will bring! Passionate about mental health, societal issues, and womanhood; she plans to express these ideas in her writing. As a psychology major, Adria enjoys learning new things and exploring ideas that may be foreign to her. After graduating with her undergraduate degree from SBU, she hopes to go on and get her master’s degree in school counseling, while also having her own therapy patients. Outside of academics, Adria participates in Silver Wolves, a program at St. Bonaventure that connects students to elderly residents in the local area, along with any other volunteer opportunities that may come up. In her free time, Adria enjoys spending time with friends, trying new restaurants, going on walks while listening to music, and online shopping. Since a young age, Adria has enjoyed reading. Adria loves sharing her voice and is excited to be able to do that through writing. She looks forward to joining the sisterhood of Her Campus and sharing her thoughts and ideas!