Don’t adopt a pet if you’re just going to use them for an Instagram post once a week throughout your college career and then drop them off at the shelter or open your car door and shove them out so they wander across campus for the rest of their existence.

Alright, we’ll cut you some slack. That’s probably not the reason you got a pet in the first place.

But then, why did you, and was it really a wise choice?

Adopting an animal is an important adult decision to make because you’re choosing to take care of another life in addition to yours.

Of course, the reasons for wanting that cat, dog, hamster, guinea pig, iguana, python or bird are numerous, and some are valid.

From needing a therapy animal for extreme stress and anxiety, to just wanting someone to keep you company and happy on even the worst college days, these are in many ways valid reasons.

But the problem that so many of us face, even with our valid reasons, is that we jump into adopting without thinking about the long run.

Let’s say you adopt a puppy. You’re obsessed with all those doggo memes and you’re ready to run to pick up any dog you see. That’s great, so you go out and get a puppy. Your landlord is cool with it, your roommate loves dogs and you can afford it.

But what happens after graduation?

You might be here for 4 or 5 years, but that dog is with you for 14 years or longer if you’re lucky.

What happens when you go home? Are your parents going to want a new dog in their house? Or what happens when you find your dream apartment in your ideal city with your dream job just around the corner and find out doggo isn’t allowed?

Then what?

Look, we’re not saying all college students are bad, impulsive masterminds who don’t want the responsibility of an animal after college. We know you love your pets, and some members of the edit board have pets of their own that they love dearly. But those same members are constantly thinking about what they’re going to do with their “baby” after graduation and determined to make sure their “baby” never leaves them.

What we are saying is that life throws some unwanted curves, and there are consequences to every decision you make.

If you do want a pet, make sure you think long and hard about it. Sometimes, good things in life can wait.