Spring Break
Pets can strain tight budgets
COURTNEY SMITH
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Athens Living
"A lot of the time when residents who have pets move out there is a lot of scratch marks and flea or urine damage that our $150 pet deposit would not cover," said Kimberly McKenzie, property manager of Cambridge Apartments. "So we charge a non-refundable monthly pet rent fee to cover for these damages that the refundable deposit wouldn't."
In addition to deposits and extra rent, some pets can be an extra financial burden to students during the initial setup of necessary items and visits to the vet that can lead to costly medication prices.
Megan Lowry, a junior from Atlanta, has a rag doll kitten whose care takes up about one-eighth of her monthly budget.
"Especially with Princess Miko being a kitten, there are all the initial purchases such as bowls and things that don't often need to be replaced but are a hassle and big expense," the 20-year-old agriculture and applied economics major said. "She also needed three sets of one shot to be tested for feline leukemia, and she gets sick and I have to buy all of her medication."
But the heavy financial burden some pets place on students who are often on a tight budget is deemed a low price to pay for the companionship of an animal that will always love them and be affectionate. Steven Boos, a senior business major from Miami, said he thinks it is this kind of unconditional love that makes having an animal such an amazing experience.
"When I come home he is always happy to see me, and when I just want to chill he is the perfect company," he said. "My roommate Melvin even wrote a jazz song about him which I think is quite an honor for a dog to have a tune named after him."
In addition to deposits and extra rent, some pets can be an extra financial burden to students during the initial setup of necessary items and visits to the vet that can lead to costly medication prices.
Megan Lowry, a junior from Atlanta, has a rag doll kitten whose care takes up about one-eighth of her monthly budget.
"Especially with Princess Miko being a kitten, there are all the initial purchases such as bowls and things that don't often need to be replaced but are a hassle and big expense," the 20-year-old agriculture and applied economics major said. "She also needed three sets of one shot to be tested for feline leukemia, and she gets sick and I have to buy all of her medication."
But the heavy financial burden some pets place on students who are often on a tight budget is deemed a low price to pay for the companionship of an animal that will always love them and be affectionate. Steven Boos, a senior business major from Miami, said he thinks it is this kind of unconditional love that makes having an animal such an amazing experience.
"When I come home he is always happy to see me, and when I just want to chill he is the perfect company," he said. "My roommate Melvin even wrote a jazz song about him which I think is quite an honor for a dog to have a tune named after him."
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Natalie
posted 11/13/08 @ 5:04 PM EST
I think that apartment complexes should inculde a pet fee in the rent. I lived in an apartment complex that made you pay a deposit or a monthly fee for an animal. (Continued…)
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