By Sarah Wang | Staff Writer
College students have a craze for pets. They are deemed as superior sources of solace for busy and tiresome college life; seeing your dog rush to you the minute you open the door or your cat stretching its petite arms and legs after a good day’s sleep erases all weariness and stress. While they could release pressure and add color to your college palette, don’t get yourself a pet before you’re responsible enough for one.
With the exception of food, their only focus is you. Think about the responsibility that lies ahead for you as a pet owner before starting to be picky about the breed of your future dog or cat, as you’re about to be responsible for the furry little thing’s fate.
To be responsible means knowing what may come but still feeling willing to take on the challenge. Pet owners should first be willing to spend money on and time with pets. While some people may think it is an exaggeration to compare pets to children, I find the terms interchangeable; when you have a pet, you will need to put it into your five-year plan and 10-year plan, just like how people put children into their future plans.
Pets are no different. When you are temporarily staying in a place, feeling alone and expecting company from a pet, think about where it’s going to stay when you leave this place.
International students getting pets is a common occurrence. When these students go back to their home countries, the pets either endure a flight, are adopted again into a local family or are sent back to an animal shelter.
I’ve seen dogs and cats being left behind while their owners plan for their post-graduation life — passed on between different owners without a permanent home and ending up back at the shelter.
They are living beings.
Admittedly, we may be lured by pets’ adorable appearances and get stuck on the thought of adopting one. Putting pets in your future plan can be really easy. All you have to do is be determined to promise them a stable life without giving up on them, and be realistic with yourself.
Be responsible and put your pet into your future plan. If you can’t, don’t get a pet.
