From Kitthy Mowmow’s Animal Expo
Furry friends aren’t always the best for college students.
While pet adoption may seem like a good idea at first, students may want to take a step back before adopting that adorable mutt or big-eyed feline, because pet ownership can quickly get out of hand. If and when students adopt or buy pets, local experts and pet owners have some insight to provide them.
Responsibility is a requirement for anyone interested in adopting or owning a pet, said Denise Patterson, Lubbock Animal Services’s adoption coordinator.
Adopting cats and dogs to college students makes Patterson “a little bit apprehensive,” she said.
About seven years ago, Patterson said, college students were not properly caring for animals and many of the pets adopted came back to the shelter because they were put back on the streets.
Students have become better pet owners over the past few years, Patterson said, and adoption coordinators have become stricter toward adopters to ensure pets are treated fairly.
All applicants interested in adopting from the shelter must meet specific requirements for eligibility as outlined on the shelter’s adoption application.
Adopters must be at least 18 years old, provide photo identification and pay for pet deposits required by landlords or property managers of a rented apartment, house or mobile home.
Xavier Ybarra, general manager of University Pointe apartments, said pets are no longer allowed for new residents, but returning residents may keep their current pet and deposit fee.
“Pets have caused a significant amount of damage to carpets and furniture,” Ybarra said. “The apartments (now) will have the potential to stay nicer.”
The apartment complex is one of many recent residential housing areas to ban residents from owning pets, Ybarra said. It is expensive for both landlords and residents, especially when a pet causes serious damage.
Interested adopters who go to the shelter must have landlord approval and provide his or her contact information before their application can be approved.
Patterson said she urges interested adopters to come to the shelter and interact with the prospective pet several times to ensure it is a good match before purchasing it.
Once a pet is purchased, Patterson said, the responsibility falls solely on the owner.
“They have to have a commitment to the animal,” she said.
Shyenne McAnally, a senior advertising major from Lubbock, said she enjoys the company and protection her 1-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, Molly, brings her.
The pure bred, 65-pound dog is hyper and occasionally jumps over McAnally’s 6-foot fence, which she said is a disadvantage and annoyance of owning a big dog.
Many students are not responsible pet owners, McAnally said. If owners are consistently out of the house and not tending to their pet, they shouldn’t have one.
Along with loving and caring for a pet, Patterson said, owners need to be prepared and willing to pay for medical expenses and basic necessities for their pets.
“People need to feed them when they need to be fed,” McAnally said, “and love them when they need to be loved.“