Your college years are beautiful and stressful, a perfect time to have a furry companion by your side to aid you through that tough midterm or silly intramural drama. But, unless your landlord approves of it or your RA is chill AF, you can’t know the joy of coming home to your best friend with four legs.
If you are a decent human being and adore dogs as much as I, you know that there are ways to cope, but it’s not so easy.
1. Just seeing a dog makes your day.
Since you don’t live with a dog on the reg, your dog radar becomes incredibly sensitive. You can spot a local or professor walking their dog from a mile away. You may be in mid-conversation with someone and interrupt by screaming, “Dog!” when you see one down the street. Just seeing a wagging tail or hearing a bark makes you feel complete. You may lose friends over this, but who needs human friends when you can pet a dog, amI right?
2. You make yourself way too available to dog sit for professors.
Prof. Johnson: “I was walking Luna the other day --”
You: “Do you need a dog sitter?”
Whatever it takes to interact with a dog. You will do what it takes to survive.
3. You want to treat said professor's dogs as your own.
The pug you posted on Instagram last night? Your theater professor’s. The two beautiful Labs you walked yesterday? Your communication professor’s. That Dalmatian on your Snapchat? Definitely your psychology professor’s.
Do you mention that it’s not your dog on social media?
No. No you don’t.
4. You visit home just to see your dog.
Of course you miss your mom’s killer enchiladas and of course you miss life talks with Dad, but there’s no easy way to tell them that you just want to cuddle with the family dog. You will also take as many photos of your dog as possible to show your friends back on campus and to look at late at night when you miss him/her.
5. You blow off studying to look at dog shelter websites.
You could pass this chemistry test or you could look at a Husky mix.
You could write this term paper or you could adopt a black lab.
You could work on this group project or you could rescue a family of chihuahuas.
The choice is yours.
6. Everyone posts cute dog videos on your Facebook.
Despite your looking at too many dog videos in your spare time, you friends will cheer you up by posting videos of a Corgi trying to take a bath or a proud Jack Russell mama snuggling with her puppies on your wall. On one hand, this is the greatest thing to happen to your day. On the other, especially when it’s a clip of a Great Dane reuniting with its veteran owner, it’ll just turn you into a teary mess.
7. The dating scene now boils down to a single question.
The simplest question you have to ask your date, "Are you a dog person?" If yes, congrats! That person probably is as wonderful, outgoing and cuddly as any pooch. If no, walk away. You saved yourself from a dud.
#SaveALifeDateADogPerson
8. A dog would not judge you for your poor decisions.
Did you show up to class 10 minutes late? Did you eat pizza for all three meals today? Did you drink an entire bottle of Barefoot by yourself? Did you hook up with that person again? Did the Freshman-15 hit you a little too hard? Did you wear sweatpants for the fifth time this week?
No matter what shenanigans you do, man’s best friend is man’s best friend. A dog would not judge you, and love you all the more.
