When you leave for college, they don't tell how much you're going to miss your pets from home. College is a very stressful time in life, where a bunch of us "adults" are trying to find out who we are and what we're doing with our lives. While running around with our heads chopped off, us college students are in DIRE need of something to keep us level headed and sane. This is where I propose my idea of a dog. Once you move off campus and live in a real house or apartment, you realize you NEED a dog. It doesn't become just a want, but a literal need. There are so many reasons why having a dog in college can be so helpful in our development into "real world" adults.
1. Safety
Having a dog (versus a cat) helps give students, especially girls, a huge sense of security. Your dog is the big guy on the block, and any intruder wouldn't think to mess with you (even if you own a poodle).
2. Responsibility
Yes, having a dog is a LOT of work, but do you realize how much being a dog owner teaches you?! Caring for an animal that relies on you 100% teaches you that you have more to offer than just going to class and making good grades. You'll learn that caring for a dog is a lot of work, but helps you stay level headed and teaches you to balance your responsibilities.
3. Friends
People with dogs on a college campus have about 100283 more friends than people that don't. If you own a dog and you think making friends is difficult, that will quickly fly out the window. Making friends with people becomes so easy because everyone loves dogs, and will create social situations for you that you may not have been in before!
4. Companionship
When you live with roommates with crazy busy schedules it can get lonely in the house. When everyone is off doing their own thing, there is always times where you find yourself lonely. Having a dog will give you the ability to have some companionship all the time, and you won't feel so lonely.
5. You will be loved!
A dog can provide so much love and affection, because you are all they know. They will love you and care for you at your highest and lowest points in life. You'll have someone to come home to that will give you more love than you could ever give yourself. That leads to helping cope with stress and chaos that a college lifestyle provides.
Some people believe that owning a dog in college is impossible, but when you look at the positives, being a dog owner in college can be so rewarding. Some people will doubt the ability of a college student to be a dog owner, but when you put it to the test, the positives far more outweigh the negative thoughts and perspectives from others!
