No diploma in responsibility

There’s a brief story out of Pullman, Wash., the city that’s home to Washington State University. Animal shelter officials there say 30 percent of their animals for the year come in after graduation at the school. 

I wonder how often this happens in college towns. Of course, not all college kids are irresponsible pet owners, but no one who takes in an animal should be without a contingency plan. Planning is often tough to do during the college years, when internships, job offers and transfers can mean lots of life changes for students. What will happen to their pets?

But of course, responsible folks should be able to own pets. The Florida State University student paper had this story about how pets can make kids feel at home when they’re’e in a new place. This story, published by the Elon University student paper, says having animals on campus give it a cozier feel.  Some students at the State University of New York at New Paltz sneak their furry friends into their dorms anyway.

Long story short, college students should take the same responsibility as all other pet owners. Know that your life might change, and you’ll have to give up your dog or cat. It’s better to give them a good place to live than risk taking them to the shelter.

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