I’ve Decided to Get An Emotional Support Dog for College
Warning! Tons of cute dogs below!
I’ve had a pet in my life for as long as I can remember.
I had a golden retriever when I was a baby named Goldie. I don’t remember that dog, but I’ve been told stories about how close I was to her. Twenty years later and I still have my beloved pets. Right now I have an inside cat, an adult dog in an outside enclosure, and 7 puppies that are three weeks old. The puppies weren’t planned, but I love them just as much anyway. I wrote about them here.
My cat, Callie, is sitting on my lap as I type this. She’s either in my lap competing with my laptop for attention or sitting on top of my computer chair dozing off. Callie was given to me a couple years ago. She was a surprise. Someone asked my grandmother at church if she wanted an inside cat. She then texted me, asking me if I would like an inside cat.
At first, I thought she was playing a cruel joke. She’s known that I’ve always wanted an inside cat. Anyway, so I tell her of course. I spent the rest of the morning trying not to get my hopes up. Then she came home with a bag of inside cat food. I restlessly waited for the kitty to arrive. Someone’s son was getting married and moving into a residence that wouldn’t allow pets.
A van pulled up to our house. I held my breath and watched as she stepped out with a cat wrapped in a pink towel. My grandmother held the door open and let her in. As soon as she stepped into our living room, Callie jumped onto my shoulders and laid down. We’ve been inseparable ever since.
I’ve battled with anxiety and depression for a long time, probably since middle school.
In a very short period of time, I lost my mother in 2009 and the only kidney I was born with started to fail shortly after. I was put on the waiting list for a kidney transplant and then put on Peritoneal Dialysis after a couple of years of a slow decline in function. I did dialysis for ten hours a night daily for about fifteen months before I got a transplant. Then the transplant was anything but a smooth transition.
The new kidney “wouldn’t wake up”, so I had to go back on dialysis for a short while. They tried all kinds of procedures in an attempt to get my kidney to work. My blood wasn’t reproducing on its own either, so I got transfusions almost daily. After about a month of living in the hospital, I was well enough to go home.
The next handful of years were spent simply trying to keep my head above water. I was the quiet kid who turned in their work without a word. I faded into the background every chance I got. I’d known most of the kids since high school, and over half of them had bullied me at some point in time. School was not my safe space.
I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school. People didn’t seem to understand that I had just gotten my future back after spending a couple of years wondering if I would survive. I was talked into going to a community college not that far away and earned a full tuition scholarship. It turned out to be a great experience that I’ll never regret.
After graduating community college with an Associates Degree in Computer Science and a couple of certifications, I transitioned into university this past year.
I stayed on campus about an hour away, which was the first time I had stayed anywhere other than my grandmother’s house since my mother passed. I enrolled in the Computer Science program and got accepted into a leadership residence on campus. I stayed in a big house instead of a dorm building, and I made some great friends. However, I didn’t come out to any of my housemates and I shied away from making new friends. The only people that knew I’m transgender were the two friends I’ve known since high school. I had a good time for my first year at college overall.
However, it was still a hard time for me.
I had some of the worst anxiety attacks while on campus, as well as some brutal depressive episodes. Some days I couldn’t make myself go to class because I was anxious to the point where I felt sick. My friends helped when they could, but my worst episodes always came when I was completely alone.
This summer has been in session for about a month now, and I’ve decided that getting an Emotional Support Dog might make my time living on campus a better experience. Since my momma dog recently gave birth to some beautiful pups, I’ve decided to attempt the task of training one of them to be a well behaved house pupper.
Emotional Support Dogs are NOT Service Dogs.
They do not have to be strictly trained like service dogs do. They are not allowed in public spaces that don’t permit dogs like restaurants and stores. They can only live in residences that normally wouldn’t allow dogs and fly with you on certain airlines.
They do not do certain tasks like turning off lights or grab medicine. They can be trained to do those things if their owner wants to, but they normally are just regular well behaved animals. Some Emotional Support Dogs are upgraded to Service Dogs after they go through rigorous training.
Emotional Support Dogs primarily make life easier through their companionship. They provide a routine that can help people with disabilities stay on track. Have you ever had an animal come lay on you or rub up against you when you’re sad? Did it make you feel a little better almost instantly? That’s what Emotional Support Animals do. Some people with disabilities need that extra love that they can’t get from anything other than a furry companion.
My grandmother said she noticed a change in me when I first got Callie.
She noticed that I was happier. I would jump up and feed her or clean her litter box. She follows me everywhere. She sits on the floor in the kitchen while I cook. She probably hopes I’ll drop something. She sits on my lap while I’m playing video games or writing. She crawls under my blanket, pokes her head out, and snuggles next to me until we both fall asleep.
It’s hard for me to be sad when there’s something that loves me so much right next to me. It’s hard to explain, but they just make everything better. When I live on campus, I’m completely alone. I can’t call my grandmother at 2 A.M. when I’m having a panic attack. I can’t call her and tell her I’m extremely sad for a reason I can’t quite figure out. That’ll make her worry.
However, I can have an animal with me that’ll always be there when I need him or her. I just have to get the right documentation first and complete the process of getting approved. I really think it’ll make things better for me on campus.
I will keep you all updated on my progress. Gloria Bates mentioned that I should have a blog or posts dedicated to my seven (now walking) puppies with tons of pictures. That sounds like a ton of fun, and I’ll get started on that soon. If anyone has any experience with an ESA or has any advice they’d be willing to share, I’d greatly appreciate it.
Pictures of my puppies:
I hope they brighten your day!
