Mixing College and Pets: the Good, the Bad, and the Disastrous

For someone just heading off to college, it’s usually hard enough to leave family behind. But, to have to leave the family pets, too? That’s way worse. Because of this, many students are tempted to bring their furry friends along to the college with them.

Mixing college and pets may seem like a lovely way to alleviate homesickness and bridge the gap between home and independence, but bringing pets, especially dogs or cats, to campus can be a very bad idea.

The Good

A pet may help a new college student feel more grounded; being responsible for a pet’s care and feeding can give structure to the free-wheeling feel of college life, and lend support and continuity to a sometimes overwhelming new life-style.

The Bad

• Students generally spend little time in their rooms or apartments. Most first-year schedules are heavy on class time; and between classes there is socializing, studying, and other time-consuming collegiate activities. To have to return periodically throughout the day to let a pet out for bathroom and social breaks is very difficult and is sometimes easier to ignore
• Most dorms and apartment managers have learned the hard way to ban or limit pets, so finding a pet-friendly place will be tough. Besides the potential for neglect, cooped-up dogs and cats often ruin carpets, furniture and other furnishings, and disturb other residents with yowling, barking, and the sound of shredding doors and windows.
• Dorms and apartments that do allow pets will almost certainly demand a much larger damage deposit and/or higher rent.

The Disastrous

• Lonely or neglected dogs and cats may manifest a variety of problems, from bad toilet habits to obsessive-compulsive disorders. Dogs and cats need predictability and regular personal attention; in addition to fluctuating time demands, wildly changing college class schedules every semester may make keeping a pet more cruel than otherwise.  
• Rambunctious friends or roommates unused to having a dog or cat around may step on or release a pet, or feed pets chocolate, gum, alcohol, Xylitol, raisins, or other harmful substances (such as liquid nicotine oils and marijuana), causing extreme illness.
• A flea or tick infestation loose in a college dorm or apartment complex is probably one of the worst imaginable scenarios.
• Bored dogs or cats may chew on poisonous houseplants, shoes, books, or other non-edible items, with bad results.

Call Us First

If you or someone you know is going off to college and considering pet ownership, give us a call – we are here to answer questions and offer advice, as well as give college-bound pets a thorough physical to make sure everyone gets off on the right paw (or fin, or palp) on their first day at school!