By Carly Burns

Owning dogs is a big responsibility and most people don't realize what they are getting themselves into, especially college students.

Eva Dejarnette, a Utah State University college student said, "I got my dog, Joie, my sophomore year and the responsibility was a little overwhelming. You never think about the veterinarian bills, the cost of food and cleaning up after the dog when you first buy it."

Dogs are "man's best friend" but they require a lot of exercise, room to run around and lots of human interaction. This is a challenge, considering that most students are extremely busy and generally live in small apartments or dorms. According to Lisa Shaw from Four Paws, "Students are really busy and dogs, especially puppies, require too much time and training for them to handle."

Not only can having a dog be costly, but the majority of rental properties and dorms don't allow dogs or cats. Angie Smith from Logan Preferred Properties said, "about 95 percent of the properties we manage prohibit pets. This is because they cause damage to the yards, carpet and furniture and occasionally they upset the neighbors."

A common practice among college students is to sneak their pet into the place they are renting. According to Smith, this is a bad idea. "We catch at least a dozen renters per semester sneaking dogs into their houses or apartments. We usually catch them when we come over on a maintenance call and we see a dog, or evidence of a dog on the premises."

Shaw says Four Paws has a policy of asking people if their landlords will allow them to have a pet before they allow them to adopt, but many people lie. "People come back sometimes the very next day saying they can't keep the pet, even though it clearly asks on the application if you are renting, does your landlord allow you to have dogs? They assume they can with out asking first."

Dejarnette has had significant troubles finding a place in Logan where she and Joie can live together.

"Joie had to live at the Sigma Nu fraternity house for a month because I couldn't have her where I lived. I was so worried they would give her beer or loose her."

This worry was too much for Dejarnette to handle. Now she uses different strategies when looking for a place to rent. "Now I pay an extra deposit or cleaning fee to keep her."

According to Dejarnette, having Joie with her while she's been in school has been well worth the trouble.

Many other students find it too difficult and have to get rid of their dog. Shaw says Four Paws takes in a large number of dogs at the end of semesters.

"Students move out of their apartments and just abandon their dogs. Many times they actually leave the dog in the apartment with no one to care for it. When this happens, we have to impound the dog."

Most college students cannot afford to spay or neuter their pet and this adds to the already significant homeless pet problem. The Cache Humane Society houses 2,000 animals a year.

"I would recomend that students put a lot of thought into it before they adopt a dog, it is a lot of work," Shaw said.

Dejarnette considers herself a responsible dog owner, but said that it is a hard job. "I think you have to be a real dog lover to have a one while your in school, otherwise you probably won't keep it or take good care of it."

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