MONDAY,AUGUST 18,2003
OFF THE HILL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3D
PETS
Pets cost money, time for strapped students
By Annie Bernethy
aberneth@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Mandy Peitz, Dodge City senior, owns two dogs and wouldn't have it any other way.
"They're my babies," she said.
"They're my babies," she said.
Chulo, a black Labrador retriever and pit bull mix, and Pablo, a yellow Lab and Great Dane mix, both weigh more than 80 pounds.
Jared Soares/Kansan
Students thinking about pet ownership need to consider all the responsibility and costs included, said veterinarians and humane society workers.
Owning two dogs multiplies the responsibilities and expenses. Peitz takes her pets daily to Mutt Run, a dog park located near the Clinton Lake spill way.
Jared Soares/Kansan
She must also feed her dogs, which costs her about $20 a week.
"They eat more then I do," she said.
KU students who own pets can face a variety of problems after the initial investment for the animal. Sandy Wellman, office manager at Lawrence Veterinary Hospital, 3210 Clinton Parkway, said one year of owning a dog cost more than $250.
Pet owners also must pay for medication. For Peitz, the tab includes a $14-per-dog-per-month bill for Frontline, an antitick and flea medicine, and a $30-per-dog bill for a six-month supply of Heartgard, a heartworm preventative. Spoiled dogs like Pablo and Chulo also get bones and treats, adding to the cost.
Sandy Wellman, office manager at Lawrence Veterinary Hospital, 3210 Clinton Parkway, said the first year of owing a puppy could cost more than $250. Those costs include shots, a fecal examination and a spaying or neutering.
Cats can cost more than $312, including declaring, shots, a leukemia test and a fecal exam.
Wellman said the cost depended on the size and sex of
the animal. For example, it is more expensive to spay a female than to neuter a male.
Unwanted pets often end up at the Lawrence Humane Society. Midge Grinstead, executive director of the humane society, said many students adopted pets.
Only half of the student applications are approved, she said.
sations are approved. They lie about whether they can have pets or not," she said.
When animal control picks up a pet and brings it to the humane society, owners must pay a fee to get them back.
Caleb and Misty Huber, Concordia juniors, pose with their daughter, Keely, at their home in Lawrence. The couple will attempt to balance school, work, and parenting this fall. Both transfer students, this will be the first year the couple has been away from the babysitting relief that their parents provided.
get them back. Grinstead said the fines for releasing a dog ranged from $15 to $30 depending on the number of times the animal had been caught and whether the animal was neutered or spayed.
— Edited by Richard Gintowt
Students undertake parenthood early
By Kevin Wiggs
kwiggs@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Keely doesn't know what day or time it is. She doesn't care if it's a weekend night and most of Lawrence is out partying. All she cares about is getting her bottle or dry diaper.
And all her parents are concerned with is being there to provide it, no matter the sacrifices.
nces. Keely is the daughter of Misty and Caleb Huber, both University of Kansas students blessed, and burdened, with the responsibility of having a child while still in college.
Keely was born in January 2002, while her parents were attending Cloud County Community College in their hometown, Concordia.
"If she wakes up at 3:30 in the
Smith said some parents didn't realize that children didn't go by the professor's schedule, something Misty has seen first-hand.
Now her parents are trying their first semester at the University, balancing school with work and family.
"Dividing time is a huge issue," she said. "They often feel like they are being pulled in two directions."
"Sometimes I wish I would have waited," Misty said. "I could have had the opportunity to do more stuff, like I wanted to study abroad, but this changed my plans. But it's not like I wish it didn't happen."
Debi Smith, psychology intern at Watkins Health Center's Counseling and Psychological Services, said the most important issue students with children faced was rationing time between being a student and being a parent.
Another issue students face is the need for a solid support system to help when being a student and parent becomes too much, Smith said.
morning, she doesn't care about the test you have the next morning," she said. "You have to get up."
Having someone to share the workload is easier when one is married, but for Autumn Jones, Salina graduate and single
Jones graduated in Spring 2003 with a degree in journalism. She was forced to raise her daughter, Rachel, on her own after divorcing her husband of five years.
mother, finding someone to babysit during a final exam can be challenging.
Jones said she could turn to her sister and friends when she needed help. She also enrolled Rachel in the Hilltop Child
"I could have had the opportunity to do more stuff, like I wanted to study abroad, but this changed my plans. But it's not like I wish it didn't happen."
Misty Huber Concordia junior
Development Center, 1605 Irving Hill Road.
"Hilltop is fabulous," Jones said. "The teachers are the best I've ever seen. Plus, I can leave Rachel there until around 6 o'clock if I have a late class or something."
Hilltop is an on-campus child development center that gets over 50 percent of its clients from student families. Its priority is to students, then staff and faculty, and non-students are last on the list, said Pat Pisani, director of the center.
Jones said the biggest impact of raising a child was on her social life.
"I can't go out and party every night like I wish I could," she said. "The most important thing is the welfare of your child. But you can't screw up, you still have got to get the grades."
Although there are places to find help on-campus, Huber suggests students wait before having children.
"I would recommend finishing college first," Huber said. "It changes your priorities. You can't come first anymore, you must put yourself last. I think most college kids can't do that."
- Edited by Annie Bernethy
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