Somewhere in the midst of my junior year at UF, I decided to adopt a dog on a whim (this part of the story I don’t recommend).
The part I do recommend is adopting or fostering a dog. Let’s face it: Half of us are lonely, and dogs offer unconditional love without any sort of hesitation.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, about 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats end up in shelters each year. Out of that number, 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats are euthanized. This probably isn’t news to you, but maybe it’s time you do something about it.
Although college can be a great time to go out and do crazy things, it also can be a time where you feel alone and overridden with anxiety. This is where shelter dogs come in. They too feel lost and confused sometimes.
They’ve either dedicated their entire lives to a family, only to get thrown out when something happens, or they’ve lived their entire lives shifting from one place to the next. Yet still they open their hearts to us.
In our case, a good portion of us are scrambling in hopes that we pass our classes, enjoy college and get a job somewhere after graduation. Amid all of this, we forget. We forget to brush our hair, bring our lunches and, most importantly, take care of ourselves, especially our mental well-being.
I’m not saying you should go out and adopt the first dog you see and hope it cures your anxiety, but I am saying that having an animal, like a dog, whose sole purpose is to make you smile, might help you as you try to make your way through your time at UF.
A dog, unlike the person you just met sitting next to you on your first day, will be there for you every night, jumping to lick your face, regardless of how poorly you did on your chemistry exam. They have this way of forgiving you even if you’ve been especially terrible, because, to them, you are their world. They don’t see your flaws; they only see the amazing and beautiful pieces of you.
If you’ve made it this far and I’ve got you thinking about adopting or fostering a dog, but you’re concerned about finances, there is a silver lining. In some cases, there is a very small charge, or no charge at all. For example, if you choose to adopt an older dog, usually fees aren’t as expensive as with a puppy. Or, if you adopt a dog on special weekends, an adoption fee is often waived.
If your long-term goals are foggy, or if you’re still not certain if a dog is right for you, fostering is a great option. In most cases in Alachua County, fosters only have to provide their home and love for their foster dogs; things like food and medical attention are provided by the adoption agency.
I’m not spewing on about this just because I love dogs (although I really do love dogs). I’m writing this because shelter dogs of all shapes and sizes are here for us, so we might as well be there for them, too.
As John Grogan, a famous journalist, said, “Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.”
Sara Marino is a UF journalism senior. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
