Isla Vista is a small community right next to the beautiful UCSB campus. Isla Vista is full of college students, many of which own pets. We set out to learn more about the lives of these pets and their owners. 

We focused our story on two dogs, Romeo and Emry. We spent a day with each of these pets, learning their daily routines and manurisms. We chose to focus on Romeo and Emry’s lives because their stories parrallel many of the lives of pets in Isla Vista, however they have been more fortunate than others in how they have been treated and taken care of.

College students often don’t understand the responsibility of owning a pet, and many pets in Isla Vista face mistreatment, are abandoned, or end up lost. We’ve gained insight from veterinarians in the area of their thoughts and experiences with college pet owners as well as done research to understand the benefits of owning a pet in college.

Our goal is to raise awareness of the responsibility that comes with owning a pet and to show the positive aspects pet ownership brings to the lives of pets and owners.