I grew up living in a household that consisted of more than just my parents, my brother, my sister and me. Our five animals -- three cats and two dogs -- were always a huge part of my family and part of the reason why I am such an animal lover today.

College has been the most amount of time I have gone without owning some sort of pet. Obviously, in the dorms, pets are prohibited, unless you have fish, but I also now live in an apartment that does not allow pets as well.

Next semester, however, I decided I wanted to live in a pet-friendly area and finally have a pet of my own at school. The biggest setback is that college is not the ideal lifestyle for students to have pets. But if you are willing to give sacrifices and dedication, it can happen.

A pet is a big responsibility. Not only are there the daily costs, but it also requires lots of time and care from its owner everyday. They require food daily, being bathed and other grooming, and space.

There are certain issues that a student would have to consider before even thinking about taking on this task.

For instance, a lot of students like the idea of living close to campus, which obviously makes their daily life routine easier to get to in walking distance.

The process of finding an area to live in and places that would let me adopt a pet made me realize just how difficult it is to get a pet here. It also made me understand why many people think college students and pets do not go together very well.

Although there are those few apartment complexes that allow their tenants to own pets, they are few and far between in this area. And I understand where realtors and landlords are coming from. Pets can damage furniture, stain carpets, leave an odor and be disturbing to others.

For example, a dog's barking can pose a problem for adjacent neighbors who are trying to study or sleep. Many realtors that do permit pets even charge extra rent or an extra deposit to make sure these potential problems are compensated for.

But most apartments that do allow animals are those that are further off campus, places where the animal would have room to run outside. It is also these complexes that normally have bigger living facilities to accommodate for the animal. So for the most part, those students who do not have a vehicle here are basically already out of the picture. Therefore, after I searched for a place to live I had to begin the chore of getting a pet. Then, the biggest problem. My friend visited a shelter last semester in search of a pet rabbit when she was ultimately denied the moment they found out she was a student at Penn State. It came to my attention that many shelters in this area have a policy about restricting students from adopting.

I probably could just go to a pet store; however, my funds do not allow for that course of action. I like the idea of helping an animal at a shelter find a good home better anyways.

Some students are upset at this fact, but the true animal lovers, the ones who will take proper care of their animal and give it the love and attention it needs, would find other means in obtaining a pet.

There is a lot that most students do not realize that goes in to making a "happy pet" environment here. This is why most shelters are worried about giving students pets. It really is all about the neglect factor.

Now, as I said before with landlords, I know that shelters are afraid of the stereotypical college student that wants a pet, yet does not have the necessary means to take care of it properly. This problem is definitely justified because no shelter is going to give a 19-year-old kid living with three other roommates a St. Bernard and not have the suspicion that there may be some kind of neglect or problem.

No one would give someone the responsibility of a dog if they thought they would never take care of it. That would just be animal cruelty itself.

Although it will be a lot of work, I know that in my last year here I will be able to take full care of a pet while I am at school. If I would have tried to have a pet any sooner however, I know that my school lifestyle would not have let me, like many students here.