Everyone who’s been through college knows that the transition is ruff. Within the first week of moving into your dorm room, freshmen are left feeling alone, anxious, missing their family and friends, missing the comfort of their beds, overwhelmed, and sometimes even too independent. And the only thought going through everyone’s mind is ‘how do I feel ok again?’ I have the answer: get a dog!
A dog is one of the most comforting things a person can have, with its companionship, loyalty, love, and compassion. They will always be there for you to cuddle, go exercise, or just give you a big wet kiss when it's most needed! As mentioned by a therapist who helped families and students after the Sandy Hook shooting, “[dogs are] kind of like counselors with fur. They have excellent listening skills, and they demonstrate unconditional love. They don't judge you or talk back."
First, and foremost, students would never get lonely if they had a dog. One of the things people do when a family member passes away is getting a dog because they can fill the hole that person left behind with their passing. And to us students that dog would fill the hole of all the family and friends that we had to leave behind before coming to college. They would be next to us while we slept, studied, ate, and yes-even cried.
With all of the worries college can put on a college student in their first weeks at Elon, the one thing we all scramble for is something to relieve us of our anxiety. Dogs are able to sense panic attacks before you can, which can help you avoid them. It is said that “90 percent of human communication is nonverbal,” and dogs can sense it all says the dog’s health website. If you are having a bad day and your head is slumped over, they say that a dog will be right there next to you with their head in your lap, as if they’re having a bad day too. “Your dog is probably a far better observer than you are. We humans pay so much attention to language that it often interferes with our ability to see what’s happening around us."
As I mentioned before, leaving your family can be a very sad time, especially for those who are very close with their family. But leaving your furry best friend can be even harder. Though, it doesn’t have to be this rough. If we were able to bring our dogs with us, we would feel like part of our family was still with us because they are a part of our families! A survey done by Milo’s Kitchen™ Brand home-style dog treats, revealed that “a whopping 81 percent of Americans consider their dogs to be equal members of the family, while 77 percent own up to talking about their pups as if they are a human family member,” proving that dogs are in fact, part of the American family.
Moving on to the process of moving into a dorm room, everyone wants that ‘at home’ feeling, but sometimes it is hard to re-make. A dog can make any room feel homey because home is where your family is. As Stitch would say, “Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.”
If there is one word to describe coming to college, it would be “overwhelming.” Trying to balance classes, joining a gazillion clubs, making new friends, staying in touch with old friends, keeping up with our faiths, and staying fit. A dog can make all of that go away with just its presence. As mentioned on Hustlin Hounds blog, researchers agree that simply the act of petting a dog decreases blood pressure in humans. And with all the craziness that goes on, the dog would and will never change. Everyone needs their security blanket, especially when that blanket cuddles you back.
And finally, I have a question for you. If Elon finds ‘responsibility’ so important, that they make it one of their pillars of success, then why are they depriving their students of one of the best ways to learn it? Having a dog is like taking care of another human, it takes love, care, and a whole lot of responsibility. As the owner, the student would have to make sure they fed, walked, took out, and even train their dog in order for it to get the adequate care it needs and deserves. The dog would also help the student become a more responsible person in the college world. The student would have to make sure they didn’t party too much since they would need to take the dog out when they got home, keep a good schedule and help them time manage since they wouldn’t be the only one needing to eat.
As I end this, I just have one last question for all universities that don’t allow dogs…
~ If dogs are a man’s best friend, then why are you keeping the two apart? ~