Seeking finned, four-legged friends

Shelves of tiny cylindrical containers decorating the walls of the store contain mini-habitats housing dark, gorgeous fish, swimming and entertaining as best they can for their crowd of spectators. These fish all watch the new trend in pet projects on the IU campus intently -- pet-owning.\nOwning a pet is no new phenomenon, nor is it some popular fad sweeping the state of Indiana. But IU animal lovers are gearing up for the new academic year by flooding pet stores around Bloomington to find a new friend. But why are pets popular among students at IU? One would think owning a cat or a dog would be too much work for a full-time student. But whether it is small and scaly or large and furry -- students are finding they just can't leave home without a miniature best friend. \nOn campus, scaly and furry friends are prohibited. IU is very strict about pets on campus. According to IU's Residential Programs and Services Web site, students are only allowed to have fish in their dorm rooms. \n"I would like the companionship of a dog," junior Meghan White said. "But I know I couldn't commit enough time to it." \nSo White's decision to buy her Beta fish, A.J., was extremely spontaneous, she said. \n"We were at Old Navy and decided to walk into the pet store (next door)," White said. "I just decided, 'Hey, I want a fish.'" \nSome students opt to skip the fish supply aisle and head straight for the large cages filled with cats or dogs.\nThe question also remains, can most students even afford a bigger pet? While most scoot quickly across campus to catch their next class, is there enough time to fit a little scamp into the equation?\nSenior Erika Chairez said she loves the activity her puppy requires.\n"He's tons of fun to have around the apartment, and boxers are very active, so we go running all the time," she said. "He keeps me in shape."\nChairez lives with her boyfriend Jason Cuadrado, who graduated last year. They live in the pet-friendly Colonial Crest apartment complex off campus, and it's there where they are able to keep their rightfully named boxer, Rocky Marciano. \n"We drove four hours to pick Rocky up," Cuadrado said. "He was really shy and cried the whole way home, but now he's not that puppy anymore, and he's always active."\nWhile Rocky keeps his owners physically active, he also provides them with financial responsibilities. That is why some pet-owners need to split costs with a human companion of their own.\n"Dogs in college are a huge financial investment," Chairez said. "Vet trips and food can become expensive -- Jason and I split all the costs 50-50. I don't think I could have done it without him."\nBut finances aren't always the major problem with owning a pet in college.\nOn the other end of the leash, the Monroe County Animal Control Director Lauri Ringquist said there have been more calls about strays so far this year than in years past.\n"There have been a few abandoned, and a few more calls have come in," she said. \nRingquist thinks, of the pets abandoned by IU students, the problem springs mostly from financial problems.\n"What we see a lot is students surrendering pets because they can't afford them," she said. \nThe Monroe County Animal Shelter is the local organization in charge of picking up stray animals to house them in shelters temporarily, said Ringquist. It is separate from the MCHS, whose job is to educate the public.\n"We do strongly encourage students to make sure they can make the commitment to their animal before they buy or adopt," she said. "Students should also be able to find housing for their pet when they move."\nSince college students move from place to place every nine months or so, housebreaking can become a repeated nuisance. \nSenior Bethany Ward-Bluhm is the owner of a jack russell, pit-bull and basset mix named Loki, who she's been with for a little over a year. She said the destruction of her worldly possessions was the main problem when she first bought him.\n"Housebreaking has been, and continues to be, a problem," Ward-Bluhm said. "He also chewed off half the wall in my roommate's room."\nTravel is also a difficult aspect of having a four-legged companion, Ward-Bluhm said. While most students have hopes of spending a semester abroad or traveling with friends to new and exotic places, pets can have a domesticating affect.\n"Traveling is a really big stumbling block," she said. "I always have to consider him, and I travel a lot. Sometimes it's really hard to find someone."\nJunior Josh Lowery and his girlfriend senior Jenny Nowak also own a dog, Yoshi, and a French smiling cat, Ashley, together in their home at Woodbridge Apartments. \n"Money is one concern. He's had a couple illnesses, and those are pretty pricey," Lowery said. "Food and toys are also costly."\nBut money is not the only hardship facing students with companions, Lowery said. Dogs, especially, need to be walked several times a day.\n"I usually have to walk Yoshi four times a day," he said. "Once in the morning, twice at night and once or twice in the afternoon -- it can be very time consuming."\nOwners walk dogs of all breeds along the sidewalks of Kirkwood Avenue several times a day. This provides a very nice atmosphere for dogs and owners around Bloomington. \n"Seeing everyone around Kirkwood playing with his or her dog made us want to finally get one," Lowery said.\n"(Bloomington) is pretty dog-friendly. You can take them pretty much wherever you go outdoors." \nYoshi enjoys the array of parks in the area surrounding Bloomington, as well. One of the most fun activities to do with your pet is taking him or her to the lake by the local dog park, Lowery said.\n"I like to run to the lake with Yoshi," he said. "It gives me an excuse to get some exercise."\nWhile at the pet store, students can also look into getting the dog's pointy-eared, feline adversary. Since cats are more independent than dogs, the responsibilities are a little less hectic.\n"Cats are more homebodies. You don't have to take them out or buy them a bunch of things," Lowery said. "(Ashley's) happy with a string or a piece of paper,"\nSince they don't have to give Ashley baths, or endless squeak toys, Nowak said cats can be more economical. \n"She plays with whatever is on the ground," he said.\nShowing affection differently from dogs, cats are more subtle with their actions.\n"She's more affectionate in a different way," Lowery said. "She'll come up and sleep on us at night, or when we're watching TV, she'll rest on our laps."\nRegardless of the breed, the commonality with most pet owners on campus is their attachment to their pet and a general love of animals, Ward-Bluhm said. It makes sense -- without a love for your little friend, it would be significantly more difficult to own and care for an animal.\n"I'm just very in love with my dog, and a lot of people think I'm a freak because of all the time I spend with him," Ward-Bluhm said. "He's hyper and spirited, but then will also go and lay around for hours and hours -- our personalities are very compatible."\nAs the year unravels, the idea of having a play-pal around may end up on more and more student's to-do lists.\n"At the end of the day, I always have my dog to come home to," Ward-Bluhm said. "It's nice because I always have a friend waiting for me."\n-- Contact staff writer Jason Shough at jshoughs@indiana.edu.