It’s Raining Dogs And Dogs
Everyone says that dog is mans’ best friend. I think otherwise, dog is everyone’s best friend. Anywhere you go on campus you are guaranteed to find someone walking their dog. College students and animals have become synonymous with one another.
Not one breed fits the bill on Auburn’s campus. There are little dogs you can dress up, like Yorkshire terriers. There are big dogs, like Great Danes and Saint Bernards and even sporting dogs like Labrador Retrievers. Some people go to animal shelters, like the Humane Society, to adopt and other people go to breeders to ensure a pure bread dog. Whatever you fancy, there is a dog for everyone.
Chris Murchison, 23, Auburn alumni, recently adopted a black lab/German Shepard mix. “I didn’t plan on getting a dog. My mother volunteers at The Haven in Fairhope, Ala. and we have three dogs at my house. She came home from a pet adoption one day and told my girlfriend that she had the perfect dog for us, a timid little black lab pup. We were just supposed to foster her for a couple of weeks, four months later she is officially ours.�
Murchison’s dog, Jesse, eight-months-old, has quite an amazing past. She was one of eight in the litter, and one of two that survived. The dogs came from Montrose, Ala. and remembering the recent hurricanes of 2005; their mother climbed up an old oak tree and gave birth to them.
Mallory Gray, 21, a health administration major at Auburn University, is the proud owner of a pure breed Weimaraner puppy, Dakota.
“I got Dakota about five months ago. My parents breed them and I’ve always wanted one. Dakota’s brother and sisters also live in Auburn. One is named Jackson and the girls are Jesse and Bella. They all went to different homes for $400,� said Gray.
Rachel Herring, 21, an interior design major, recently got two puppies after both of her dogs at home became impregnated.
“I went home one weekend and we had two litters of puppies, muts of course, and I couldn’t stand leaving any of them behind. I decided to bring two of them back to Auburn with me. One is short haired and black, his name is Diesel. The other one is fluffy and white, her name is Cotton. They love to play with each other. It’s constantly a zoo at my house. I also have a bunny named Bunny McDougal,� said Herring.
Herring said sometimes she feels as though her puppies have more pals than she does.
“My friends are always coming over with their dogs to have puppy play time. They are friends with Weimaraners, a Yorkshire terrier, a Jack Russell terrier, muts like themselves, Doberman Pinchers and so many more. It’s a lot of fun when they all get together,� said Herring.
Students said sometimes it can be a financial strain being pet owners and keeping up with all the things that come along with owning a pet.
“We not only have vet bills, but there are things that come up that you don’t even think of. We have to buy the food, toys, flea medication, boarding if you go out of town and so much more, and that’s only if you have a healthy dog,� said Murchison.
No matter the financial cost every pet owner says the same thing. They love their pets as if they were their own children. The financial cost is cancelled out by all the love and attention their pet brings them. Nothing makes these pet owners happier than taking their dogs for walks, getting licks from their loved ones and the wagging tail that greets them at the door when they come home.
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