Dog Breeding Criteria

Student Pet Owners

October 25, 2005

There are a lot of pleasures people get out of having pets. They provide comfort, laughs, and companionship. But, owning a pet can take up time and money. It's a large responsibility for anyone, especially college students. Matt Pearl has this story on students who are making the sacrifice for their four-legged friends.

Students often think that pet ownership is all fun and games. Although it is satisfying and enjoyable to raise a kitten or puppy, it can be a big responsibility. There are many things to consider before getting a pet, including what kind of pet to get, where to get it, how to properly take care of it, and how your roommates deal with it.

For example, Sarah Nettleton was surprised to come home to a cat after a few days away from her apartment.

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I was gone for the weekend and it was here when I got back. I'm not a very big animal person but I'm learning to like it kind of...its ok (laughing)

Sometimes roommates are more willing to take the pet in with open arms, and even help take care of them. Michael Lane is the owner of a five month old boxer, and he appreciates the help and understanding he gets from his roommates.

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The house is dirty already so I don't think my roommates really care. If I ask them to pick things up they'll run and get things if it's on their way and things like that.

Owning a pet can also be costly. Lane spent eight hundred dollars just to get his purebred boxer puppy. However, there are cheaper methods to getting a pet, like an animal shelter or pet store. More money is spent on food, toys, and visits to the vet. Ilgenfritz thinks that cars aren't too costly.

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A huge thing of litter will probably be ten dollars and that will last me a long time, maybe over a month. And a huge bag of cat food is like ten dollars and that can last me up to a month so she's not really costly.

But a problem for student pet owners is finding the time to take care of their pet, especially during the day when students are at class. Christine Ilgenfritz solves that problem by letting her cat Lexy run around the house during the day.

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She really gets to run around the house as freely as she wants to. She sleeps pretty much most of the day. So when I come back from class I'll find her either sleeping on my bed or somewhere throughout the house. But she gets to run around the house.

But it's not always a good idea to