Welcoming home your furry bundle of joy will be the best and worst day of your life. The amount of love given will come in a variety of ways, including peeing on every carpet when your back is turned, gobbling the entire bowl of kibble each and every time and unlimited amounts of kisses. Everyone says not to get a dog while in college, but how could you not?

You are constantly missing your dog back home and your parents refuse to give him to you since they consider that their only child left at home. Buying the actual dog breed you like from back home costs half of your rent so you go to the next best thing: the pound. When you find out almost all the puppies there are fostered out, you have to look for the next best thing after that, a free one your friend finds. He is all kinds of scared when you put him in the car, not knowing where he is going nor who you are. He claws and whines to see his mother once more.

Finally arriving home, he does not understand the concept of stairs. More whimpers as he needs to be carried up the stairs. Puppy proofing your house is the hardest thing to do because to him everything is chewable. Trying to train him to sleep in the bathroom, on his own bed, seems to be pretty easy at first when he crashes hard from his night time play in the park, but after an hour of peaceful sleep you hear a faint whimper from a distance off saying he is alone and scared. You cave and bring him in the bed, but every few hours remembering he has to pee.

OK, so you survived the first night, what next? He needs to play all day and not nap as much so he sleeps at night. He needs a scheduled vet visit so he can be up dated on his shots and be as healthy as possible. It seems like a lot of work, and yes, at times it is. In the end you have your own bundle of fur cuddles and unimaginable amounts of love. On your worst day, he will always be there to greet you with a smile on his face. When you are upset about an exam grade he will be there to lick the tears up, and when you have a sunshine-filled day, he is there to play.

We are already learning how to take care of ourselves throughout this time in our lives. We might as well have a little pup grow along with us, hoping he will turn out OK. Plus, you’ll be the talk of your friends with a pup in hand and all over Instagram. We always need a compelling argument for our parents, so Mom and Dad, please do not kill for this pup, for I promise you he will love you with all of his heart, too.