Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladymom  Unless you have a crystal ball, it is not possible to make a 15 year commitment to a pet when you are a college student. |
I made a 15 year commitment without a crystal ball and will fulfill that commitment. It IS possible. But I think it takes a certain person to do it. Jackson & I have a tremendous bond that could
never be broken. That can even be shown through my posts here at YT, my YouTube videos alone. While I agree that
most (probably over 90%) of college students shouldn't get a dog, I don't think it's fair to say 'it's not possible' because that's simply NOT true.
I am also
not a naive young person who went into this foolishly, think he's my best friend now but once life gets in the way, I'll bring him off to a shelter. I would jump off a bridge or slit my wrists before bringing him to any type of shelter, or rescue. He truly IS my best friend and will be with me wherever my life takes me. I actually would love to be a dog trainer one day. While I may be in the minority of college students capable of taking care of a dog, it's simply not fair to make such a blanket statement because every person is different and is ready for different things in their life at different times.
I dogsit a 17 year old mutt who has been with his owner since college, his owner is now a successful business man with a wife and 2 young children, the dog is still very happy, content and loved. On the flip side, my uncle got a Siberian Husky in college and that was probably the dumbest thing he could have done. He was a huge partyer, traveled a lot, barely home, so the dog was often home alone, not fair at ALL to the dog. When she turned 10, she moved in with my aunt Diana who gave her the best last 4 years of life a dog could ask for, so she stayed in the family and ultimately was happy, but a guy like my uncle should
not have owned a dog.
Ultimately, you must know what you are in for when getting a pet, no matter what age you are. My life completely changed when Jackson came into my life; I can no longer just sleep at my friends house if it gets too late, or go out of town on a whim, or be gone longer than 6-8 hours (he's usually only left 4 hours). In community college, I only go Tuesdays and Thursdays now and my weekends are spent at the dog park. I love every minute of it and wouldn't trade it for the world. Is my life going to change in the next 15 years? Absolutely. Will Jackson still be a part of it? No questions, yes.