SUBMITTED BY: Ashley Smith
As we approach the end of the spring quarter, students who own pets may suddenly be faced with a decision about whether they can keep their animal companion. Please read on for information that will be of help to students who face this situation and their pets.
If you own a pet and do not think that you will be able to keep him or her when the school year is over, it is urgent that you make plans now to find a new home for your pet. Make this a priority. Abandoning your pet on campus is not an alternative.
The act of abandoning a pet is so cruel that there is actually a California criminal anticruelty law that prohibits it. In other words, it is a misdemeanor to abandon an animal. Regardless of this law, it is, in fact, cruel to abandon a creature who has come to depend on someone to provide food and shelter.
Pets form bonds with humans, and they experience betrayal, confusion, fear and hunger when they are abandoned.
The best option by far is to keep your pet. The Pet Press website provides information on how to find pet-friendly housing and on animal rescue and adoption groups that can provide information about finding a new home for pets who can no longer live with their owners. (Look under “˜Links’ in the section on Animal Help). The Pet Press also publishes a monthly newsletter with similar information. The newsletter can be obtained at many pet supply stores and veterinarians offices.
Smith is the president of Bruins for Animals.