Student poll: dogs vs. cats

Deena Jacunski chose dogs instead of cats without hesitation.
Libby Keith, however, said she prefers cats over dogs saying cats offer a more rewarding relationship.
Out of a group of 11 students surveyed on the Castleton University campus, six preferred dogs over cats, while five said cats are better.
Eve Lapre, a senior, has two dogs and one cat. She said that one of her dogs, Copper, is a black and tan coon hound.
“He is trained to tree raccoons. My dad put the scent of a real raccoon on a toy and then, eventually upgraded to a live raccoon,” Lapre said.
But Lapre went on to say that in the future, when she has her own place, she is not going to own any pets. She feels that having a cat or dog would be too much work and responsibility for her. Nevertheless, if she had to choose a dog or cat, Lapre chose dogs.
“Dogs 100%,” Lapre said, adding that she “despises cat litterboxes.”
Rachael Lee, also a senior, used to have three dogs; Harley, Louie and Roxie, and two cats; Charlie and Smoky. However, only two of the three dogs remain, Roxie and Louie.
Roxie is a beagle and pug mix. Lee took her high school senior photos with Roxie saying she is very photogenic.
“Roxie is also a sassy teenager,” Lee said with a laugh.

Roxie the puggle shows off how photogenic she is in front of a beautiful sunset. Photo courtesy of Rachael Lee.

Jess Bickford, a music student, has three cats, all of which she randomly brought home to her family. And they all came from the shelter.
Bobby, one of Bickford’s cats “eats Twizzlers in his free time,” she said.
Bickford said she likes cats better than dogs because she is more accustomed to them.
However, Toby Duke, a senior in the music department and Danielle Solomon, a junior music student, both chose dogs.
“Dogs 100%,” Duke said. “Cats can just exist, but dogs are actual companions.”
“Cats are evil, I’m convinced they will murder me,” Solomon said.
Adsel Sparrow, a second-year student, has a cat named Pedro. Pedro is an orange short haired cat. Sparrow has had Pedro for almost 10 years. He is really loud and loves to be around anyone and everyone, he said. However, he is very territorial when around other cats. Pedro also loves Cheese Wiz.

Pedro, posing elegantly in the sunshine. Photo courtesy of Adsel Sparrow.

Sparrow says she prefers cats over dogs because dogs jump too much and can be rather annoying. Cats are easier to manage than dogs. People know about Pedro before knowing Sparrow.
“Pedro is God’s gift upon this earth,” Sparrow said.
But some students, like freshman Kai White, can’t choose.
“You can’t; they’re both adorable … If I were to choose dog over cat or cat over dog, I would be biased against my children,” she said.