After freshman year, you have the option of not living in dorms anymore. It’s time to say goodbye to communal bathrooms! You finally get to have your own room and (potentially) bathroom. You get to live with your friends, eat whatever you want, and decorate your living space however you want. You’re actually an adult now! This is all very exciting and you may ask yourself “should I get a dog?!”. You may even think to yourself “why not? I’ve always wanted a dog and I am pretty sure I can handle it. Besides, I’m living on my own, I can basically do whatever I want.” Getting a dog seems like a terrific idea and all, but there are a lot of consequences that come with it.

I live with 3 other roommates and recently, one of my roommates decided to get a dog. She’s the cutest thing ever and she was only 9 weeks old when my roommate got her. Despite all of her cuteness, she isn’t potty trained. She ended up pooping and peeing everywhere; the whole apartment was a mess! It is actually super difficult to potty train a dog, especially since everyone has different schedules. We weren’t able to take her out every 2-3 hours because all of us were busy with work and classes. Because of this, she ended up getting a parasite. Now she’s infected and our apartment is infected! How cute is she now? Not so cute.

Of course, I am not speaking for everyone else with a dog on campus. I know a lot of people with dogs on campus and they have no problem with it. But, a lot of people jump into the idea of getting a dog because it seems like a great idea. They don’t really think about what comes after getting a dog and how much money you have to spend on one. A lot of people also think they will have a lot of free time to take care of the dog, but your life actually gets busier and busier. You might end up finding a job or research position. Your classes will also get harder as the days go on. So, before you decide to get a dog, think about the money, time, and effort you have to put into it.