Indeed it WAS a long 9 months for me. I also had to leave my beloved Chihuahua, Jewel, behind. She's fine because she lives with my parents who have another dog so they keep each other company. They refused to take care of Dimitri because she requires handling and it just plain creeps my mom out to handle a reptile.
Luckily I do not have to leave Dimitri behind anymore. No more dorms with stupid "no pet" policies. Off-campus apartment, woohoo!