Getting a dog in college

[JuniorHorn11]

I am thinking about getting a dog this summer and I wanted to hear some opinions. Did anyone else get one while still in school? Good/bad decision? I am living in a house and I have a fenced back yard. I am thinking about getting a golden retriever.

 

[LonghornCatholic]

If the little fella can do calculus - go for it

 

[Smurfette]

wait till your out of school. Having a dog ties you down-- and Goldens are hard to keep placated if you have to leave them overnight-- I know, I have one. You have to either have friends who will stay w/ a dog or enough money to pay for boarding and stuff if you want to go away.

Wait till you're out of school and have steady income. The job market sucks right now, and the last thing you need is a dog tying you down.

I know it sucks. Get a cat.

 

[PFD]

Where's the dog gonna' come up with the scratch for the admissions applications?

 

[kmac30]

i had a dog my last 2 yrs in school. i wouldn't do it unless it's special circumstances. i didn't mind it, but you have to put the dog before drinking sometimes. staying out all night is tough. just wait. you'll be glad you did.

 

[HornOnTheBayou]

Bring him to class so that when he barks, class can get dismissed. No, wait, that's silly. No institute of higher learning would ever allow that.

 

[accuratehorn]

All he has to do is matriculate in the top 10% of his obedience classes, and he is in. I say go for it.
Really, you have more time while you are in college for trips to the hike and bike trail, the lake, and neighborhood walks, than later when you are working full time. But that time approaches sooner than you think. Where will you be after college, and what will become of the dog? Consider this in the equation.

 

[Hornswaggled]

How'd he do on his SATs?

 

[bluto]

SATs are of no matter to his entrance, just enroll him in an inner city high school and he can sit/speak/shake/roll over his way to the top 10%... HE'S IN!

serious note, i thought about getting a pooch in college. it seems like such a good idea in taht you have so much free time, its good for attracting ***, another 'hobby' and friend, people around to f w/ it etc etc. but when it comes down to it, it's just not worth it. cant tell you how many friends i know that got a dog in the middle of college years and sent that f'r packing back home to their folks. sucks for all parties involved.

think about how much of a hassle it presents when finding a place to live. what to do w/ it when you go on a wkend roady. who feeds it when you are out all night. if you get a job in a new city, you gotta take that f'r into account. plus most college kids are barely able to wipe their own ***, much less play the role of parent for a dependent being.

 

[Napoleon]

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[Brisketexan]

We had a fraternity house dog. She was sweet and loving, and everybody loved having her around.

She was also an alcoholic who lived to lick up spilled beer off the floor at parties and passing out in the middle of the room, which eventually led to her lapping up some spilled antifreeze in the alley out back and dying of kidney failure. So that kinda sucked.

 

[hornian]

Don't do it.

I adopted a dog between my Sophomore and Junior years. I love my dog to death, but it was hands down one of the worst financial decisions I've ever made - living on a college budget with a dog is not a good idea. Also, as mentioned before, it really cuts down on the number of spontaneous road trips you can take, because you have to make sure you have someone to watch your dog or board it while you're gone (expensive).

 

[SunBurntOrange]

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[pulque]

My dog wants to go to law school...

 

[HoustonHorn93]

We had 2 dogs in college and it was great. However, we also got married very early and were in a very different place than most other college students. If I was single I would not have done it. We had one for 12 years and the other for 14 years, including law school and the birth of 3 kids. We have some new dogs now but miss those two all the time.

 

[Mistadobalina]

I couldn't take care of a plant in college, let alone a dog.
If you're responsible and don't drink much, go for it.
If you're neither one nor the other, don't be an idoit.

 

[WhoseHouse]

If you don't drink, it's fine. Otherwise, don't do it. If you're at happy hour or having a beer out at a bar, and you decide you'll just go out to dinner and to the bars from there, you have to figure out who is going to go let your dog out to pee, feed it, etc. Spontaneous weekend trips will be no more. It's not fair to roommates or friends to just dump your dog on them if you need/want to go somewhere. You don't want a "backyard dog" that you just leave out there for days at a time. That's not fair to the dog, especially if it's young. You'll end up with a bad dog that chews your **** up, digs, etc.

I am 27 and married (no kids) and we have a dog. We still have to rearrange our evening sometimes so that we can take care of her, and if we want to go to an away game or a wedding for the weekend, we have to find someone to keep her or board her for about $120/weekend.

 

[beencounting]

what is the annual cost of a dog?

 

[GHoward]

If you take him to the vet like you should, a minimum of $300 a year.

I wouldn't do it unless your roomates agree to chip in responsibility wise, and your parents agree, to act as dogsitters.

 

[beencounting]

$300 includes food and other supplies? Seems really low.

should it be tax deductible, like your child?

 

[bluto]

sister has a somewhat high maintenance breed that requires grooming. cost of grooming alone last month was around 100$. throw on emergency vet bills, regular vet bills, meds, toys, leash/collar, food, 'fixing', etc etc and **** gets real REAL quick.

 

[GHoward]

I probably spend $200 on vet bills a year, that includes shots, heartworm and flea medication, and the $30 or so for the Vet to come and pet him and look in his ears. His food is about $20 a bag and a bag lasts maybe 2 months. My dog is fairly low maintenance: no grooming, no training, no health problems, doesn't eat a lot. $300 was a minimum, It's probably close to $500. That doesn't include the $200 I paid for pet deposit.

On a related note, I got pissed because you can't buy the flea/tick/heartworm drops without a vet prescription, and of course you can't get that without going in for a visit. I bought them online from a store in Australia. The price was a wash after shipping (which wasn't outrageous considering it was from Australia) but I saved probably $60 from not having to visit the vet.