You’re finally out of the dorms and living in an apartment. Things are going great so far, you are handling school, relationships, and maybe even work and have developed a rhythm. You are starting to feel like a capable and mature adult. What the hell? You can handle a little more responsibility, right?

After reading countless books and watching all the youtube videos, you think you have what it takes to house train a dog and maybe even teach it a few tricks along the way. Well, hold your horses, Caesar Milan, things just might not be as easy as they seem.

The average monetary cost of owning a dog in the first year is over a thousand dollars and most apartments charge an additional multi-hundred dollar fee just to own a pet in your apartment.But there are other costs as well. With classes, studying, social outings and work, many students are out of their homes for the majority of the day. While some dog breeds require more exercise and socialization than others, is the thirty minutes you can squeeze in at the dog park between class and cracking a cold one really what a growing puppy deserves?

I may be underestimating some of you. I am sure that there are students out there that are more than capable of owning and providing for a dog in an amazing way, but after seeing ads on craigslist and facebook from people that can’t take care of their dogs anymore, I know that there is an issue.

I’ve had roommates and friends that have gone through the whole process. It is not a character flaw to admit that maybe you just aren’t ready.

So, next time you leave the Walmart parking lot only to be stopped by a play-pen full of wide-eyed and hopeful puppies, take a moment to consider that maybe the greatest act of love you can show them is to let them find an owner that’s ready.