Editor 's Note : Tess Malone is a writer for the The GW Hatchet , the leading news source for George Washington University . This article was brought to CNN.com by UWIRE , the leading provider of student-generated content . UWIRE aims to identify and promote the brightest young content creators and deliver their work to a larger audience via professional media partners such as CNN.com . Visit UWIRE.com to learn more . Students start groups on social networking Web sites to discuss the dogs they left at home . ( UWIRE ) -- For freshman Elise Chen , home is only a phone call away . It 's keeping in touch with Sammy , her collie-lab mix , that 's the problem . `` I can talk to my dog on the phone , but I do n't get anything out of it , '' Chen said . Chen is not the only student who misses her pet , an integral part of many families . According to membership in Facebook groups dedicated to the topic , at least 44,845 others are in the same boat . There are at least six groups dedicated to missing one 's pet on the social networking site ; the largest , `` I love college , but I miss my dog , '' stands at 31,056 members . The group 's wall is full of declarations of love for dogs at home , often accompanied by pictures and funny stories in the photo and discussion board sections . Chen , one of the group 's newest members , said she joined when she realized the forum was a literal representation of missing her dog . In some respects , Chen said , she actually misses her dog more than she misses her parents . `` My dog never says 'Go to bed , ' or 'You have to be in by two , ' `` she said . `` My dog just says , ' I 'm happy to see you , even if it 's 2:30 in the morning . ' `` GW 's Facebook network has its own group for pet lovers : `` I Miss My Dog . '' Its 89 members frequently post pictures of their `` four- and sometimes three-legged friends at home , '' as the group 's description states . The group 's active members use it as a way to further express themselves on Facebook and to cope with missing their animals back home . Like Chen , junior Jared Stone said he did not realize how much his dogs were a part of his life until he came to college . `` In the past , I had always been at home and always been around my dogs , '' Stone said . `` I was used to having them nearby and petting them while watching TV . So in college , their absence hit me and I found the group on Facebook an accurate representation of how I was feeling . '' Although a freshman like Chen is still adjusting to college life away from pets , Stone has learned that students must learn to deal with missing their pets . `` Friends fill the gap so much , but can only go so far , '' he said . `` I 've overcome it , but it 's still nothing you can really get over . '' Many students , including law student and `` I Miss My Dog '' member Rebecca Rodgers , hope to eventually have dogs of their own , but they know that college is not conducive to pet ownership . `` My studio is no place for a dog and definitely not with a crazy law school schedule , '' Rodgers said . When Rodgers misses her Australian shepherd , Missy , she turns to the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube . `` I tend to watch ( my ) particular breed of dog , Australian shepherds , '' Rodgers said . `` Seeing other people 's dogs makes me miss mine a little less . '' Chen also uses technology to cope , though in a more personal manner . `` I video chat with my dog , '' she said . Although she does not plan on getting a dog on campus any time soon , she jokes about adopting a `` hallway dog '' for Lafayette , where she lives this year . The Internet and hopes for the future , though good coping aids , can only help those missing their pets to an extent . Rodgers said , `` Sometimes I look over my shoulder and expect a dog to follow me around . ''
College student : I miss my dog more than I miss my friends . Missing a dog while at school is common for six months on average . Members post short , funny stories about their dogs .