This Valentine’s Day, we all want someone to come home to.
The highs and lows of being a college student call for a companion, one whose love is unwavering, simple and free from the complications that come with human relationships.
As a kid, I had hamsters. I was keen on the sliver of independence it gave me. My family dogs loved me, of course, but there was something special about having a pet whose love was reserved solely for me. It was uncomplicated. Their affection did not require much, and in return, they gave me an unspoken comfort that, in my younger years, was the truest form of connection.
Last year, my first year living off campus, I longed for that feeling again. In an effort to ease the tumultuous college years, I purchased my first pet of adulthood, which to no one’s surprise was another hamster. I brought him home in typical college student fashion — on the #22 Clark bus. The rest is history.
My hamster Po has unironically become my obsession, and I’d go so far to say he’s one of my best friends. We spend every free moment together, so without sounding narcissistic, I would like to think he loves me just as much as I love him.
Though I love boasting about my bond with Po, I am far from alone in this connection. This Valentine’s Day, I went in search of other DePaul students who have pets. It turns out they too share the same joy and kinship, no matter the animal.
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DePaul junior Jocelyn Gray, a sculpture student, has proudly designated the title of valentine to her two rats, Socks and Boots, this year.
“I love them as if they are my children and I am their mother,” Gray said. “I feel as if I gave birth to them.”
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Sophomore Taylor Budzynski rescued their dog Luna just a few weeks ago and is excited to spend their first Valentine’s Day together. They adopted her from Felines and Canines after she was saved from a high-kill shelter in Alabama.
“She is my true love. She’s my lover girl,” Budzynski said. “There’s a special bond I share with her knowing that I’ve rescued her from a bad situation.”
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Senior Kaya Egan has double the love this Valentine’s day, as she gets to spend it with her two cats, Clementine and Sylvester. They are attached to her hip, eagerly following her every move.
“They really like to be in the shower while I’m in there,” Egan laughs. “They just wanna be involved.”
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Audrey Terhune, a junior studying at The Theater School, adopted her ferret, Twoey, two years ago from the Greater Chicago Ferret Association. Terhune frequently brings Twoey to campus, where the ferret has become a campus favorite and is celebrated as an unofficial mascot.
“It’s theatre school, people are always crying,” Terhune said. “Twoey likes to go around and lick the tears off people’s faces. She has a lot of fans.”
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Each day, Alix MacDonald, a DePaul senior, holds a unique companion in his hands: a hedgehog named Books. MacDonald adopted his companion to ease the loneliness of being a college student far from home.
“I call him Books because he’s my little bookie,” MacDonald said, explaining that “bookie” is his playful rendition of the word “pookie,” a nickname he designates to everyone he loves. Books often travels with him when he goes home to Michigan.
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Valentine’s Day is about celebrating all kinds of love, and luckily the love of our pets is something we can always count on. This year, let’s not forget to appreciate the special bond we share with them.
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