They’re sweet but…who could live with them? Not in college, no thanks!

October 18, 2009 - 11:11 PM

I am a dog fanatic.

Period.

I love them. Big, small, full-bred or mutt, dogs to me are like ice cream melting on a low-heated saucepan.

A few of my friends who are at the University of Oregon decided to adopt dogs while they are still in school. For me, this was a great decision. I get to romp with their dogs whenever I want. I get to watch them roll around in the mud, maybe even join them, and then hand them back to their owners...

Switching to a related gear, I also love coming home from school, sitting in my dining room, surrounded by books and papers and Coke Zero, and not leaving for hours on end.

I love living so close to campus that builders have shoved more apartments into three square blocks than is safe-I seriously don't know how they get away with it, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It is so close, and there is no front yard to maintain.

Likewise, I do not have to leave my study-oriented dining room table to walk the dog, nor do I have to worry about living somewhere with a yard so that I can make sure that the dog has a place to run and relieve himself.

My dad always told me that neither of us is equipped to care for a dog because we are so busy. I begged him nonetheless, but now that I am dog-sitting. I realize that so much of the day is centered around making sure that the dog is happy. I want the dog to be happy, so I would feel so guilty if I didn't do an adequate job of being there for him.

But more so, I want to be happy. Right now, I am glad that my boyfriend and I aren't living together too. I always have the option of being alone, of doing what I want to do, of taking care of what I need to take care of.

Here it is: the realization that I am not yet mature enough to own a dog or live with my boyfriend.

Wow, maybe this wasn't about the dog. Maybe it was about living with Collin. Hum...this blogging thing really is introspective.