Preparing for pets

Griffin, a two-month-old border collie mix, played happily in his new home on Madison Street, after being adopted Monday from the Bloomington Animal Shelter. \nHe was one of the first animals to get a new home thanks to the shelter’s half-off “back-to-school special” on all of its adoptable dogs and cats. From now until Sept. 9, dogs and cats younger than five years are $37.50 and older animals are $27.50. All pets come vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. \nDirector Laurie Ringquist wants students to consider adopting pets, but warns them to think carefully about the responsibility of taking on a pet. \n“Students must take it seriously,” Ringquist said. “They have to realize that this is a living creature that will be around for 10 to 15 more years. They have to know if they are prepared at this point in their lives to take care of this animal for the rest of its life.” \nGriffin’s new owner, Lauren Treece, who’s been taking classes at Ivy Tech, understands the seriousness of owning a pet. She and her boyfriend, IU senior Michael Harris, owned their dog Penny for more than a year before adopting Griffin. \n“I have to watch him 24/7,” Treece said, holding Griffin. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off him. Penny’s been great though.” \nTreece said the animal shelter asked her to bring Penny into the shelter to make sure the two dogs were compatible before allowing her to adopt Griffin. \nRingquist said there is a series of questions and application procedures that potential parents must go through before they are allowed to adopt from the shelter. She said the program is geared more toward permanent residents, but the shelter does not discourage college students from adopting. They just want to be sure the pet will fit into all parts of the student’s life. \n“We really try to find out what adopters’ lifestyles are like and try to match them with a pet to fit their lifestyle,” Ringquist said. \nRingquist said the shelter has students ensure the pet abides by landlord procedures and check with their roommates before adopting. Also, the shelter wants students to realize the time responsibility of taking on pets, especially dogs, which need to be walked everyday and often do not like being left alone for long periods of time. \nIU junior Christine Shimkus realized the needs of her new dog, Alfred, when she left him alone in her apartment for the first time and he chewed up all of her computer paper. Shimkus said he has been fine since, but she still worries the dog will get scared if she leaves him alone too long. \nRingquist also recommends the shelter’s foster program for students who want an animal, but are not sure how much time they will have available. The foster program has the same basic application procedures as adopting, but the shelter is very flexible on what types of animals people want to watch and how long the animals will stay with their foster homes. \n“If kittens or puppies are too young to adopt, they’ll often be put into a foster home,” Ringquist said. “If an animal is sick, we’ll provide medication to the foster family. Or even if an animal just needs a few weeks away from being in a kennel, we’ll call one of the foster families to take them for a few weeks.” \nRingquist said the shelter takes in more than 5,000 animals a year, and they have pets looking for homes every day. For more information or to adopt a pet, call 349-3492.