Some students beginning a new semester at UF have a hard time saying goodbye to their parents, and others struggle with leaving their pets behind.
According to animal shelters in Alachua County, adoption numbers increase considerably during the first weeks of the Fall semester. Lindsey Hidenrite, the cat coordinator at Helping Hands Pet Rescue in Gainesville, said most people adopting at this time are new and old students who have arrived in Gainesville for classes.
"A lot of college students that adopt are (doing so) because they finally live in a pet-friendly place," she wrote in an email. "Quite a few are new students as well, missing their pets back home."
Hidenrite added that the shelter also sees an increase in foster home availability.
"Fostering is a great way for college students to have a pet in the home without the financial commitment of having a pet," she wrote.
Hidenrite explained the shelter provides supplies and medical care for the foster pet. The owner would give the foster pet rides to vet appointments and adoption events.
Pet fostering could provide a solution to the problem Minna Stubina, adoptions counselor at Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue in Haile Plantation, often notices.
"We do see an increase in pet adoptions in the fall," she said. "And the students always want a puppy or a kitten."
Stubina explained that she often has to have a stern talk with the adoption hopefuls who don’t realize raising a baby animal is a huge responsibility.
"I don’t want to see (the puppies and kittens) back in the spring," she said. "In that case, they usually have no training, they can barely walk on a leash and they’re all over the place."
Contact Brooke Baitinger at bbaitinger@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @BaitingerBrooke
Callie, a 4-year-old cat, leaps from atop a crate at the Alachua County Humane Society.
