I don't mean to write this week’s article as a rant, but I feel like I have no choice. This is something that I have seen many times by many people, and I cannot hold my tongue anymore. Disclaimer, if you have done this, but have a legitimate reason other than "I didn't know how much work it would be" then this does not apply to you. Second disclaimer, I am not writing this to single anyone out.

Adopting a pet is not a spur of the moment decision. Before you adopt a pet you need to do adequate research. Ask a friend how much work a cat may be. Look up what all is good/bad for dogs to eat. Research how expensive taking care of a pet can be. Look into your apartment’s rules on what kind of pets are and are not allowed. Make sure you know what you are getting into. It is so much easier to research everything beforehand and decide against getting a pet rather than get the pet first and be in over your head. It breaks the animal’s heart to be adopted and returned shortly after because you didn’t do adequate research first.

I understand that volunteering at an animal shelter can make you feel bad for the animals and want to take one home with you. That's all good and well but you cannot, cannot, cannot give back an animal once you have adopted it. It is so unfair to give that poor pet hope for a good life and then take it away. Meanwhile, there could have been someone else who came along and wanted to give that pet a forever home but it was gone playing with you for a few days missing its chance at a permanent home. Allowing the dog to get attached to you as a person and then taking it back and never seeing it again is not okay. I cannot stress enough how unfair it is to the animal to adopt it and give it back.

I see this way too much with college students. They think that getting a dog will be fun and then after they have the dog for a couple of weeks, realize that it is too much work and give it back. Most of the time, they don’t realize how expensive animals can be. Your pets can get sick just like you can which can get very expensive. The financial obligation is a lot more than just buying food and toys. The time commitment is also an issue. It’s not fair to keep your pet in a cage all day until you get home, let it out, put it back in the cage, and leave again. Pets need to be played with and allowed to exercise and move around.

Now, If you have a pet in college and you are taking care of it and are going to keep it, I commend you; especially if you saved it from a place like a shelter. It is absolutely okay to have a pet in college as long as you do your research first and don’t give it back. The majority of my friends and sisters who have dogs or cats are doing a fantastic job taking care of them and loving them. It can be a really rewarding experience to have a pet but you need to be responsible about it and if you ever need help playing with him/her, call me!