Although researchers have confirmed that college students who own pets are less likely to feel lonesome or disconsolate, other testimonies from students themselves reported the exact opposite was true.
One person admitted that after he had experienced owning a dog all for himself, he understood the effort and time his parents had spent looking after their pet dogs when he had been a child.
His experience proved that owning a dog had not helped him feel less stressed due to college exams, but on the contrary had caused him even more worry due to the mischief his dog was always up to.
The dog would run away, get constantly dirty and proceed in destroying the upholstery when the college student left him in the house for the day, as dogs are not allowed on the campus. He ended up returning the dog to the breeder for the load was too encumbering.
He learnt from this experience that people tend to romanticize about pet dogs without realizing the work and responsibility that goes into their keeping.
A college student is already burdened with enough strain as it is; the added task of caring for a dog just makes things more difficult for him causing even more stress.
