One of the hardest things about going away to college is leaving your pets. Before you were in college, you probably really loved your pets, but you also probably took their presence for granted. Once you get to college, you come to realize just how much you depended on that adorable furry face. Your pet was always your go-to friend when no one else was around or when you were frustrated with everyone else. Whether you have a dog or cat or another animal, leaving your pet at home is really difficult. Therefore, as students, we have come up with lots of strategies for coping with leaving that furry best friend behind.
You'll have one of your parents send you daily pictures or snapchats of your pets.
Especially after a long day of classes and homework, it’s really nice to open up that snapchat and see your pets. It will definitely improve your day!
You'll call your parents or siblings on FaceTime only to ask if they can put your pet on the screen.
When the daily pictures aren't quite doing the job, the next best way to see your pets is FaceTime. "Hi mom, can you put Spot and Fluffy on FaceTime? I miss them!" It’s still not ideal because the majority of the time Spot and Fluffy will refuse to look into the camera, and you’ll be the sole contributor to the conversation; but it is better than nothing.
You'll show off all your pet pictures to your friends.
You’ll want to show off your cute cat or dog pictures to one of your friends and chances are they will have a picture of their pet too that they are just as eager to show to you. Usually this leads to quite a long conversation about pets. Even this will help you cope with missing your pet.
When you're on the phone with your parents, chances are your pet will make it into the conversation.
Whether it’s a short three minute conversation or an hour long conversation more times than not you’ll ask your parents how your pets are doing. Usually, the pets are exactly the same as they were last time you talked. But it is still nice to know!
If you see a dog on campus, you will not hesitate to ask the owner if you can pet their dog.
If you want to make friends on a college campus, bring your dog. I can guarantee that a large number of students will come up asking to see your dog. Being in college without pets is very difficult and seeing a dog on campus brings students great joy and excitement!
You will find yourself looking at cute animal pictures on Facebook and Instagram.
There is a reason all those animal memes are so popular! Somehow it helps you feel better about missing your own pets!
And finally, when you do go home from college over break, there is nothing better than cuddling up with your pet. You will cherish every moment you have together.
