Picture this: you’re in your dorm, studying hard and completely overwhelmed by tons of homework and exams. Then, right there, in the middle of your room, is a dog or cat sitting right there reminding you that things will be okay. The pets you own are magical sources of anti-stress, great companions, and sometimes can be the only piece of home brought with you. However, the issue is that not all colleges are on board with having those pets at college.
Typically, animals tend to be a handful, especially when at college. Students tend to have extremely packed schedules and add another layer of responsibility to being a fresh adult. Adding that extra layer, causes even more stress for those owning a pet. On top of that, imagine being on the receiving side of an untrained pet, after studying and stressing over your exams, right after you think you’re at peace. BARK. You’re jolted awake as the dog in the room won’t stop.
Another thing to stack on top of that is money, and when you’re in college you’ve most likely spent your money on getting into the college. Some students may have jobs during those times, but they most likely have a bunch of other bills to pay and balancing out an animal with all of that is a whirlwind of disaster.
And the cherry on top of that all, various students and staff may just be allergic to animals. So, avoiding them flat out is just needed…
HOWEVER!
I believe that animals should be brought to college. The number of times I personally have gone to my own animal for comfort is too many to count. They’re our pride and joy. Practically crucial to daily lives at this point.
Yes, some animals do require an emptier schedule, but that’s usually for pets like dogs or cats which require a lot more attention. Similarly, to like a child, but some folks don’t resonate with those types of pets, instead opting for a snake, bunny, or lizard. Also, depending on the type of animal you may have, they’ll end up being great conversation starters which allow you to get out there and make new friends whilst having a topic to discuss or rely on to not make anything as awkward as it might be.
In addition, there are animals that may actually need to be required. Service and therapy animals exist, which some students need to get around campus or just need to do daily activities. Colleges that typically deny animals, will make exceptions for these animals, but they need to have some kind of permit or identification, proving they’re actually needed to be there. If the animal acts out, they can be removed quite easily.
Allowing animals to exist in college, dorms or wherever within those buildings should be up to the person who owns the animals. As long as the students and colleges work together in balancing what defines an untrained animal, it should all work out. They should be able to be removed if needed, but shouldn’t be prevented from being that all together. There are pluses and minuses to pretty much everything, but if animals can provide less stressful environments for students even just a little, that’s pretty worth it.
So yeah, you should be able to bring your pets to college as a piece of home, a destresser, a conversation starter, or even just as something to do in your free time. Let those pets in.
