Desiring nothing more than to fend off the inevitable boredom that accompanies the winter months at school, many students decide to take a stab at sustaining the life of a creature or two. From bearded lizards to sea monkeys, a wide array of creatures is represented throughout the hallowed Notre Dame Residence halls and surrounding area. For many, the idea of leaving home without a pet can be difficult, and perhaps that's why Fluffy the hamster was whisked away from his shoebox to spend some time in your apartment living on Cheetos and leftover beer.

That said, owning a pet while living on campus can pose many unsightly dilemmas. Students aren't allowed to bring animals into the dormitories, and for good reason I might add. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't be too thrilled with the idea of goats or swine roaming the halls, although from the smell of things, they already do. Perhaps even a moose or two would lay claim to your section's bathroom or a community of sloths would decide to nest in your roommate's desk. So unless you're planning on hiding your ostrich Oswald in your closet, you'd better leave him at home.

To help the dormitories avoid turning into zoos, but at the same time let a little creature cohabitate their rooms, some students have turned to aquatic life, allowing the emotionless stare of a fish substitute for a more emotive pet. These creatures can range from an everyday goldfish to unknown creatures swimming around in the mouths of certain bio-lab students. Not into fish? Caring for a frog can be easy and just as rewarding. Just name him Ed and feed the amphibian daily. Just don't get the notion to kiss him.

But, there is hope for land dwellers as well. Once off-campus, most students have the opportunity to have some sort of creature if they choose to do so. If the landlord permits or perhaps is ignorant of the fact, animals such as dogs or even snakes can enter the picture and be a part of the college experience.

I don't recommend going overboard on the matter and asking Michael Jackson to lend you a pet chimp, but then again that might be a cool pet too. If that doesn't seem like fun, a pet walrus shouldn't be too difficult to care for, and you'll be the life of any party with stories of how that blonde in French class made out with it. If you live in a house and want to flood a few rooms to give some needy crocodiles a second home, I'm all for any endeavor to break a water main.

When owning a pet, it goes without say that there is a lot of responsibility attached to caring for them. It's not like a hardy plant that will just need a gulp of water after being neglected for three weeks during Christmas Break. Most of these animals require attention many times daily. If this is too much for you, it's probably better off to get a little green leafy substitute and name him Ralph.

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