having a dog while in nursing school?

[sophie<3]

i got a pug for christmas last year, her name was Sophie and she was the sweetest dog ever and very low maintence (she would sleep all day and not tear anything up or pee or poop in the floor)..basically she was a blessing! unfortunately, this past october my boyfriend and i took her to get her spayed and she passed away during the procedure..to make it worse, the surgery was on her first birthday i felt terrible and miss her so much! i knew that sophie would be a great dog to have during nursing school because she could go long periods of time without needing to go outside. she was a very happy dog and every night and on the weekends i would play with her and give her lots of attention. i love dogs and although i miss my sophie very much, i want to get another dog. i am starting nursing school next semester and am considering getting a dog next summer. just wondering who else owns a dog while in nursing school? what kind of dog do you have? do they handle being left alone during class and clinicals okay? thanks in advance :redbeathe

[jo'ee]

Wow, I thought I was the only one who is worried about my dog while I am in school. She is a 9 year old lab mix. I have had her since she was a puppy and I was a stay at home mom. I love my dog with all my heart...we spend alot of time together and we take long walks every day. I started my pre requs and had a long summer away from her, but my teens and husband were with her so she wasnt lonely. I am finished my pre reqs and start clinicals in the fall. I am worried about her terribly. She is not used to being alone. She is sooo well behaved and never ever messes anything, but I am worried she will be lonely. Now as it is when I come home from 4 hours of school she cant get enough of me. poor girl. When I started this journey..my husband worked from home, but now although he works from home...he travels alot.

So I worry about her being lonely.

Thanks for letting me vent and allowing me to see others miss and worry about their pets too.

[Feathers]

aww, I am sorry about Sophie.

We have a 15 y/o beagle (hubby's dog that mostly sleeps). Hubby helps me out by letting him out early & we also keep him in an area that's easy to clean up if he were to have an accident. I live close to school & most of my clinical sites, so if it's nice out I leave him outside in the yard w/a big bowl of water, fresh air helps gives him a boost of spunk. If it unexpectedly rains, he can go under the porch & hide out.

My cat is actually more demanding of my time. lol. I rescued him when he was only weeks old & he's been my boss ever since. He's laying on my lap/arm as I type this. He's a loyal kitty though, pulls all-nighters with me all the time. :) Cat is strictly indoors, I occasionally take him out to the yard to explore/eat grass, but that's about it.

[D.R.A.]

So sorry about your Sophie (((hugs))). I think getting another puppy during the summer is a great idea! It will give you plenty of time to get to know one another and potty train. Perhaps since you loved your first pug so much, you should try another!

I have a Shih Tzu/cocker spanial (sp?) mix, almost 1 year old. She does okay alone, but likes to be outdoors ALOT more than I'd prefer. I believe that is the cocker in her. I hear Shih Tzu's are bread to be lap dogs. Her temperment is AMAZING!! I have 4 children and I was concerned that she might get snippy as many small breed dogs do, but she absolutely lavishes the attention they give her even if they are luggin' her around the house like a doll. Downside: Long haired breeds require way more hair care than I like. They need to be brushed a minimum of 3x a week, thouroughly, or they will matt like crazy!! Her hair is a nightmare!

Good luck with your new puppy!

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

I haven't started yet, (start in January.) But, at the beginning of orientation, one of the first things that was said was, don't get any new pets, use birth control, don't get into any new relationships, or end any, and don't plan any weddings, and no divorces. Of course this wasn't said to live by exactly (if that makes any sense.) They just explained how stressful and hard things will be and making any changes such as those listed above, could cause some harm. One of my friends recently dropped out of nursing school due to a break up with a boyfriend. She just couldn't handle it all together. I ended things with my boyfriend a few weeks ago, due to the fact we were having some serious relationship problems and he wasn't willing to change, so I made sure I ended that before it had a chance to mess me up in the middle of school. Oh well, turns out like I made the right decision after all!

OMG were you at my orientation? They said the same thing at our orientation, in a kinda tongue-in-cheek, "oh we're just kidding but no seriously, don't do it" way.

To the OP- I'm so sorry you lost your dog. My mom's dog died just over a year ago and she was devastated. She ended up getting an older puppy from a rescue to fill the void and the dog turned out to have major issues (very aggressive towards other dogs, destructive, etc, and my mom lives on a boarding school campus where you really can't have a territorial dog running around trying to fight with the dogs she didn't like). She ended up having to give the dog back to the rescue group she adopted her from.

After a few months to let things settle, my mom got a new puppy (a corgi) who has been so sweet and easy going and naturally well-behaved and social.

I know you must really miss having a dog, but you won't really know the dog's personality until you get it. It might not be as rough as my mom's first dog, but dogs are high maintenance pets (need regular walks and exercise, will miss you) even when they're perfectly well-behaved. I think it's probably best to wait.

[thinwildmercury]

first, i am sorry to hear about sophie. i lost my baby, lily, to a car accident in june and she was the best dog ever. my cousin got a dachshund and all he would do is sleep all day. but he was bad at being potty trained and cried for attention when he was awake lol i have had great luck with dogs. they have pretty much potty trained themselves which is great (all rescued 'mutts'). i think your best bet would be adopting a grown dog from a family that can no longer care for it, raising a pup would be too much work. good luck!