Last summer, Mike Tressa went to a friend’s house to see a new litter of black Labrador retriever puppies. He couldn’t resist and returned home with one.

Tressa named the dog Maverick. And like the proud father he is, Tressa can still find photos from Mav’s first day at home, shots of the dog rolling in the grass with Tressa nearby.

When school began, Mav came to live in Tressa’s Harrison Street apartment along with Tressa’s two other roommates. He admits he got lucky – everyone was fine with Mav. Now, they all enjoy having the 60 pounds of black fur bounding around.

‘(Maverick’s) never in a bad mood. He can really pick up your day,’ Tressa said, as the dog lay on the couch next to him.

Tressa said he’s seen other college kids with animals this year. Other people, however, including some campus landlords, Syracuse University housing services, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and even People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals say students shouldn’t keep pets.

‘A lot of people are thinking in the immediate,’ said Stephanie Woycieges, director of public education for the Central New York SPCA. ‘They’re thinking, ‘Oh I want a pet in my dorm room, in my apartment. I have pets at home and I want to have a pet around me.’ They don’t always think of what’s in the best interest of the animal.’

Woycieges said students don’t think through having a pet. They don’t realize the amount of time and energy they’ll have to put into it. Dogs need to be walked and taken out. Cats and other animals will seek attention in different ways, too.

About one or two students come by SPCA each week – some just want to look, but others want to adopt.

Each May, the SPCA receives calls to pick up animals from Syracuse University housing and the university area, Woycieges said. Usually they find about eight to ten animals, ranging from dogs and cats to lizards and snakes.

SU students are not allowed to keep any sort of animal in university housing except for fish, according to the SU Office of Housing, Meal Plans and ID Card Services Web site.

It is illegal to abandon an animal and violators face misdemeanor charges, she said. However, the SPCA doesn’t frequently go to court because the animal can’t be adopted until the trial is finished.

Instead, deals are frequently worked out with the animal’s former owner. The owners pay for the expense of boarding and taking care of it at the SPCA, she said.

Woycieges tries to discourage most college students from adopting from the SPCA. Not only do students underestimate the time it takes to care for an animal, but many underestimate the financial aspect as well. A healthy dog can cost its owner up to $1,000 each year between food, supplies and medical care. A cat can run up nearly $800, Woycieges said.

‘Even a young, healthy animal has the potential for a medical emergency,’ Woycieges said. ‘You do have to take into consideration that emergencies may pop up.’

Before students can take an animal home, Woycieges checks to make sure their parents know and their landlord does, as well. Still, she’s unenthusiastic about adopting large pets in college and suggests sticking to the basics.

‘If I had to say for a college student: a beta fish. Just stick with a good old fashioned fish and aquarium,’ she said.

Joan Deppa, a professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications who can be seen on campus with her pet, said that one of the biggest challenges she’s faced is obedience training and its expenses.

Deppa adopted Lolli in October 2007. Lolli, Deppa’s second Airedale Terrier, came trained, to an extent.

Airedales are known for their intelligence but also for their stubbornness. The American Kennel Club Web site cautions, ‘They can get bored easily.’

It took some additional work to make sure Lolli could spend her days in Deppa’s office. She hired a private trainer to help teach the dog to enter the elevator in Newhouse III.

Deppa has also learned that string cheese is the best way to coax Lolli away from bad behavior, although Deppa suspects Lolli has learned that acting out will result in a treat.

Now, an unsuspecting visitor is still quite likely to loose a hat or glove in Deppa’s office in Lolli’s quest for string cheese.

‘(Raising and keeping a dog) is not as big as having a child, but its pretty close,’ Deppa said.

Tressa remembers his own experiences training Mav. After coming back from class when the dog was younger, he walked in the door to find bits of egg crate comforter scattered everywhere.

Usually, Tressa or one of his roommates makes it back during the day. But Mav had been mostly by himself and had gotten bored. He had torn up the sheets and the comforter on the bed and scattered them throughout the apartment.

Tressa still finds his shorts and shoes in odd places. He and his roommates stockpile shoelaces now that Mav has discovered a liking for them.

But Tressa still easily recalls the best days with Mav, like when he, the dog and a bunch of friends went to Thornden Park to play football. It was muddy and Mav returned home looking more like a brown lab than a black one.

‘If you want to put the time and effort into it, its fine,’ Tressa said.

adbrow03@syr.edu

Published on February 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm