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Much about college life is temporary — classes last a semester, majors change, living arrangements endure maybe a school year and friendships come and go. But pets should not be part of that flux.

Yet every spring, as thousands of University of Arizona students pack up and leave Tucson for the summer or for good, local animal shelters notice a spike in dogs and cats being dropped off, unwanted.

If you can't commit to an animal for its lifetime — which usually lasts more than a school year — don't get a pet. To adopt a dog, cat, pet mouse or tortoise requires responsibility, maturity and the decency to understand that animals are not disposable.

The season coincides with spikes in spring litters and families waiting until school is out before moving away from Tucson. Neither the Humane Society of Southern Arizona nor the Pima County Animal Care Center tracks how many students abandon their pets as school ends.

According to a story by the Star's Josh Brodesky, however, the county facility has recorded a jump in dogs being abandoned by city residents — where many students live — during the summer and again in mid-Dec-ember, when the fall semester ends.

The University of Arizona cannot be responsible for every action its students take. But we believe the UA should discourage students from adopting animals by reminding them of the responsibility and expense pet ownership requires.

Mike Tully, a media specialist with the UA's College of Education, is spearheading the effort to get the UA engaged in fighting the problem. But Jaime Gutierrez, UA assistant vice president for community relations, told the Star that the institution must determine how its students figure into the equation.

"It's not just a university issue, unfortunately," Gutierrez said. "Before the UA can do anything, we need to find out how extensive the problem is."

Both the local Humane Society and Pima Animal Care Center report increases in pet relinquishments when college semesters end.

"Amongst the debris, they leave their animals. It's a shame," Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll told the Star. He wrote to the UA asking it to address the issue, but has not received a response. "You don't have to be a dog lover to have some compassion for these little things that are left to fend for themselves."

Animal-welfare groups struggle with getting the general public to understand that animals are not disposable and about the need to spay and neuter dogs and cats.

Special attention should be paid to conveying the message to students who adopt or buy animals, very likely with good intentions. When circumstances change and it's hard to find a place to live that accepts pets, or parents don't want to take on another dog or cat, it's easier to walk away than to be responsible.

A few animals, bereft at being left behind, may be adopted into good homes. More likely, they'll be euthanized, as unwanted animals continue to outpace adoptions by the thousands.

Responsible pet ownership should be part of the message the UA conveys to its students. The university doesn't need to study the problem, it needs to start finding solutions.