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Our tails are wagging over plans by the University of Arizona to raise students' awareness about the responsibilities of owning a pet. It's a paw-sitive (Sorry, we couldn't resist.) step that has the potential to significantly help Tucson animals.

While neither the Pima Animal Care Center nor the Humane Society of Southern Arizona keeps track of how many UA students abandon their pets, they report spikes in the spring, coinciding with the end of the college year.

Too many students, living off campus and on their own, adopt or buy a dog or cat without thinking beyond the immediate gratification of having an adorable friend. They don't factor in that caring for an animal costs money, makes it harder to find rental housing and complicates vacation plans or summer breaks.

So many pets end up, if they're lucky, at a shelter in need of a new home or at risk of being euthanized.

In May, we urged the UA to take a more active hand in ensuring that its students think about the responsibilities that come with pet ownership and we're glad that, according to a story by the Star's Josh Brodesky, the university will begin a campaign to hammer the message home to students.

The UA is partnering with the student chapter of FAIR, the Foundation for Animals In Risk. Getting students involved is a great idea.

The UA also plans to partner with Pima Animal Care Center and the Humane Society and have pet-ownership booths on the UA Mall. They'll also distribute materials during orientation and — we believe this is extremely important — give talks in the dorms at the beginning and end of the school year.

While pets aren't allowed in the dorms, save a small fish tank, talking to students while they're still on campus about how to navigate living off-campus is a big help.

Cautioning students against pet abandonment before they can adopt or buy an animal will hopefully prevent bad decisions.

Many UA students live in dorms on campus, but most don't. Getting the word out in broad ways — via booths on the Mall, talks, pamphlets — is a good way to help both students and the animals they might later acquire but not truly be in a position to keep.