There has been a stigma for a long while about college students owing domesticated animals such as a dog or a cat. This notion comes from the ideal that many college pupils are utterly irresponsible and selfish. I couldn't disagree more with this widely preconceived notion.

My freshman year in college I missed my dog, Lady, more than anything in the entire world. It may sound corny, but she was my best friend and the only friend that never left my side no matter what. Although the general public who do not identify as animal lovers will merely say, "How can a human feel a connection with an animal that cannot show emotion nor can use verbal forms of communication?" Some things in life are unexplainable and this natural tendency in humans to seek companionship in animals is one of these things.

Because my dog meant so much to me, I felt depressed and lonely for a long portion of my freshman year. Animals give a companionship that people cannot fulfill to the same degree. I knew that once I completed my freshman year and moved onto my second year of college, I wanted to search for a dog. Once I began searching, I read a lot of articles from different scholars, professors, animal experts, and other public opinions that stated mostly one common opinion about pet ownership in college students. That opinion could've discouraged me from searching for a dog, but I am so grateful I didn't listen to that nonsense.

Most of the articles read that college students were too irresponsible and reckless to take care of a pet and that it wasn't a good idea to introduce them to a college student environment. I sat back in my computer chair at my little apartment while I read those articles. I thought to myself, "What is a college student environment?" I came to the conclusion that it is not college students that are irresponsible, it is people as a whole that can be irresponsible. A college student can be mature, self-sufficient and financially stable enough to own a pet while a thirty-five yea old man could be reckless, irresponsible and dependent on others and unsuccessfully own a pet.

It doesn't matter your age when it comes to deciding wether you want to own a pet. It is more about your commitment level and the way you want to love the animal. College students should be encouraged to seek animal companionship and I know that I have become a completely different and happier person since I adopted my two bundles of joy, Bailey and Rocky. They have changed my life and I know, with the right push, a loving animal could change anyone's life for the better!

I hope this encourages you to rethink this popular opinion and possibly go out and search for your Rocky and Bailey! ADOPT DO NOT SHOP!