Pointlife
Fish are technically the only type of pet allowed on campus.
Compassion shared among pets and their owners creates happiness
Pointlife Reporter
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, knows how close students can be with their pets. One day, Oliver, her 6-year-old cat, became really sick just as Nejman was about to move to Stevens Point. That day, the veterinarians had to put the cat down.
“After 3-and-a-half hours of bawling, I had to hold the cat while they euthanized him. For two weeks straight, I barely ate, went to class or talked to anyone—my boyfriend included,” Nejman recalls.
Fortunately, not everyone has had such an agonizing experience with their pet.
“In a big way, when Oliver died a piece of me went with him,” said Neiman.
While students agree that owning a pet does not replace a significant other, it does help decrease loneliness. Animals become part of the family and some swear their pets can understand English.
The companionship and unconditional love pets provide creates a sense of importance and happiness in owners. There’s nothing like coming home to a dog that jumps up at the door with excitement to see you. Similarly, cats that want to cuddle while watching television or studying relieves stress.
Some Pointers have the convenience of living off-campus, so they can see their pet every day. Unfortunately, on-campus students can’t have pets. The university’s guideline clearly states that only fish that can be contained in a 20-gallon aquarium are allowed.
Having to leave a pet at home can be the hardest part of adjusting to campus life. Everyone misses their dog, cat or in one case, a Betta fish, that has to be left home with parents. Often, students feel guilty for “abandoning” their loved one.
Imagine how Christine Malkiewicz, a UW-SP sophomore, feels. Recently, Malkiewicz transferred from California to be with her boyfriend. She left behind two “amazing” dogs. Sadly, her older dog’s health is clearly deteriorating.
“In each photo my family sends me she is always laying down, ears back, looking defeated with arthritis. It kills me each time I look at her photos,” Malkiewicz said.
She and her boyfriend volunteer at the local Humane Society in an attempt to replace the feeling of loss.
“It helps, to spend time with animals that need our love rather than just the other way around,” said Malkiewicz.
Soon, they hope to get a replacement dog for those she had to leave behind.
Some students bought their pet after a bad break-up. The various activities pets do, such as walking or playing, can provide a positive distraction. Other times, their willingness to follow owners everywhere makes students feel wanted.
People who own a pet have the responsibility of feeding them and taking care of other hygiene needs. Maybe it is the inherent need to feel that others depend on us, because it makes us feel more important, that we have pets. It makes sense, then, that after a heartbreak students turn to animals to fulfill their need to dote on another being.
Pets provide comfort and a sense of stability in students’ chaotic lives. Surprisingly, a very high percentage of UW-SP students own at least one animal and feel a strong attachment to them. Perhaps there is something to this companionship that no one without a pet could ever understand.
So it’s fitting that this great university’s mascot is a Pointer: a dog known for its friendly and obedient nature. UW-SP pet owners realize that the best part of having a companion is the love that is shared from an animal that will wait for months before seeing their owner/student again.
