Every pet owner wants to.
They all want to go home, pick up their furry little friend, and bring it back to school with them to live in the dorm. However someone out there who hates happiness decided that was not allowed. Here is where I explain why I wish I was allowed to have my dog on campus with me.
Stress Relief
Now, it is clear that having a puppy nearby brings someone's anxiety and stress levels down. Just before finals week, many colleges bring puppies to the campus for one day to help the students ease their minds before they devote their time to studying for major exams. Stress does not only take place at the end of the semester, though! While finals exams make up a decent portion of the final grade, there are still other tests and essays mixed in between and, if it is a class I am struggling in, I'm going to need my pup right there beside me to calm down my nerves! If I consistently feel stress, that will reflect poorly in my work, making it all seem sub-par, and prove to be a burden for the professors grading my work. Do they really wish to waste their time reading over my words, typed with jittery fingers, because stress was causing them to shake from the pressure? With my dog, I can relax, knowing Fido will still be pleased no matter how it turns out, and that will subconsciously make me more confident in my work and thus produce better material for the professor to read over. So in reality, I am just looking out for my professor by bringing my dog!
Finding Friendship
Humans are naturally social creatures. Do you know what else is a social creature? A dog! While education probably should be the priority when going to school, only so much time is actually spent in class and then I am left with more free time then I might know what to do with. Friendships need to be made but going directly up to someone to talk is intimidating and joining clubs do not always guarantee allies. What would make bonding easier? A four legged cutie that brings a smile to everyone's face and they feel like they just have to come over to pet the pup and ask what the name is. From there, conversation would start, centered around our adoration for puppies and the possible friendship can carry on from there. Even if finding a new pal does not come out of this, at least I know I still have man's best friend by my side! Is college intent on making me feel lonely? How cruel.
Responsibility
This is essentially drilled into us all when parents even first bring up getting a dog. "It is a lot of responsibility!" So is college. Now I have the responsibility of taking care of myself but this does not mean it cannot be managed without my puppy. My dog would be awake early in the morning and I'd have to take her out to do her business, meaning I'd have to wake up earlier and making certain I never oversleep and miss class.
Without my parents there to make my dinner, I have to make sure I eat, right? Well my dog always has her set time when she wants to eat and that will mark the time when I will start making my dinner. I'll pour hers into the bowls, then step to the oven to prepare mine, keeping up with basic human necessity.
There is no parent there to tell me I should get off the couch while I am at school. Where is my motivation to stay active? Why, it is in the form of this sweet pooch who wants to play and go for a walk!
In those weeks and months away from home, it is always sad to have to leave my dog behind, but it becomes a little more worth it every time I come to visit and get to see her excited face. Until the day my wish comes true and I get to bring her to school with me, I will just have to be happy asking my mom to put her on the screen when we Skype and smile when she becomes confused about where my voice is coming from.
