Everyone who knows me knows I love my dog, Leroy, so I am often surprised by the same question I get from friends and family during the summer or holidays, “What do you do with your dog while you’re in school?” This is a no brainer. “I take him with me. What else would I do with him?”

This is usually followed by a semi-shocked look and questions like,

"You’re allowed to have pets in your apartment?"

"Aren’t you too busy with school to have a dog?"

"Does he like it?"

"Does he even have room to run around?"

My family has had dogs in the house since I was a baby and my freshman year of college was the only time in my life I didn’t come home to an overly excited, wiggling ball of fur who loved me unconditionally. I knew I was going to get myself a dog the second my first year of college was over.

I did all kinds of research on different breeds and apartment complexes that would let me have a dog in Morgantown. I got little Leroy in May of that year so we would have time at my parents’ house to adjust to each other before going to Morgantown together in August.

I’m not going to lie and say it’s always been a walk in the park having Leroy with me at school, but it has always been worth it. There’s a certain subset of people who have dogs in college who know what I am talking about.

We are the people who wake up a little earlier so we can go on that morning walk with our fur baby before we rush off to class. We make time to come home throughout the day to check on our dog and let them out. We don’t leave for hours upon hours at a time because that’s not fair to our dog.

These are small sacrifices compared to the benefits of having Leroy with me. He is my best friend who I can say anything to and he’ll never judge me or tell on me. He is my safety blanket when I have had a bad day and just need to relax when I get home. He is there for me in the middle of the night when I am convinced I heard a sound in the kitchen.

Leroy is good for my physical health as well since he is an Australian Cattle Dog, which is a high-energy breed. Most people don’t recommend them for apartment living, but I really wanted an ACD. I figured I would be in an apartment in college for the next three years, but I would have Leroy for the next 12-15 years so I should get the breed I want.

His energy means I have to find some sort of daily exercise for him. Sometimes we go to the dog park and play fetch for a half hour and other times we hike at Coopers Rock. Anyway you look at it, he makes sure I am not sitting on the couch.

Leroy has also been a really good way to make friends. There is nothing quite like the semi-awkward bonding that goes on with someone at the dog park because your dogs hit it off.

He may drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.