i want a dog ...

shel_wny · Dec 3, 2004

There is nothing I want more than a dog right now. I love to go to petfinder.com and just dream.

However, I work 40 hours and go to school 14 hours per week (not including 16 hours in clinicals) and my husband can't really help me take care of the dog as he is sick.

Therefore...I'm waiting.

Plan is that when our rent goes up in July I'll be 50% nurse and we'll try to look for a new apartment that allows pets and is fairly close to a big park. Then by the time May comes around when I graduate maybe I'll get a surprise graduation puppy. I want a lab, doberman, rottweiler, german shepherd, or mix of any of the above. He will of course be adopted from the humane society, SPCA, or a breed shelter. Can't wait. :)

Shel

wonderbee, BSN, RN · Dec 3, 2004

I would love a canine furfriend too. Have given it some thought and decided against it because I don't want to leave him/her alone for hours and hours and then come home to ignore the poor thing to study. They're such social creatures. Maybe when I graduate and I can afford to have two to keep each other company while at work, then I'll revisit the idea. There's nothing like the loyalty and unconditional love that comes from a doggie. For a single woman who's secure in most ways, could be better than a husband! Oops, did I say that?:)

DZcarrie · Dec 3, 2004

i had a doxie as i was growing up and it seemed that she did better when she wasn't alone. she was also very hard to housebreak. now, i've got a little beagle whom i am just in love with. he needs A LOT of attention and suffers from mild seperation anxiety. also, as a hound, needs a lot of exercise and activity when we are home, otherwise he keeps me up at night, or pests me while i'm studying....trying to play.

anyhow, i am all for everyone having at least one dog. after a rough day of work and school, it warms my heart to have him waiting for me in the window. i'm here by myself a lot and he's very good company....a great stress-reliever.

my only advice would be to consider the breed beforehand. if you're not going to be home a lot, maybe some breed that is ok being left alone for long periods of time.

good luck!

carrie

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Dec 3, 2004

Taking care of a pet is a commitment that is hard to do with a busy schedule like nursing school...think about pets that do not take as much human time or do much damage if they are to be lonely.

I wanted to be a vet, and have always had many pets...but I gave up all of them when I went into nursing school to people I knew so that I could focus on studies. Then later I went nuts! LOL! So I got a quaker parrot...and he is my little buddy man! Yeah..he can be noisy, but very clean (he takes daily baths!), and I taught him all sorts of funny med phrases! He would sit on my shoulder when I studied and cuddled up to my neck! Petting his fluffy feathers was soothing...I am glad I got him! Soon enough I was taking him to rest homes to show him off to the elderly, and some children too (and when I worked as a camp nurse..he came with me and the kids loved him! THey thought "that nurse is sooooo cool!" that helped in talking with teens believe me!).

Some birds you do NOT want to do because they need lots of human attention or they suffer many probelms. My quaker was awesome, love birds in pairs are good too if you don't want a real "take em out and touch them all the time" bird. Finches are gorgeous to look at in a cage and very lovely to watch and zone! SOME conures are cool (small ones..the larger the louder on these...a green cheek is a nice one, sun's are a bit noisy but gorgous!). Cockitiels are too messy, parakeets too (unless you don't mind vaccuuming daily).

Another thing I did was I had a larger aquarium...but after years of maintaining them I didn't want all the fuss..so I made it a cold water one, got a nice back filter, and actually got some larger goldfish (like shabunkins...a relative of koi...not those lion head ones..they creep me out..LOL)..and it was so nice to zone out watching them swim peacefully! No can't pet em, but you can sure enjoy them!

Those are just a few examples..I know not too many folks are bird enthusists like me, or like to deal with tanks...but they were rather low maintance for me, and quite enjoyable. ANd they didn't eat my couch or pee on my floor when I was out of the house!

dazzle256 · Dec 3, 2004

There is nothing I want more than a dog right now. I love to go to petfinder.com and just dream.
However, I work 40 hours and go to school 14 hours per week (not including 16 hours in clinicals) and my husband can't really help me take care of the dog as he is sick.
Therefore...I'm waiting.
Plan is that when our rent goes up in July I'll be 50% nurse and we'll try to look for a new apartment that allows pets and is fairly close to a big park. Then by the time May comes around when I graduate maybe I'll get a surprise graduation puppy. I want a lab, doberman, rottweiler, german shepherd, or mix of any of the above. He will of course be adopted from the humane society, SPCA, or a breed shelter. Can't wait. :)
Shel

Oh pound puppies are the best. I got a 1 year old pit bull from the pound 5 years ago. She is the best dog we have ever owned... sweetest most loving and smartest dog ever.

She did take a lot of TLC and with help for an outstanding dog trainer we got her out of most of her fears.

hrrizen · Dec 4, 2004

Thanks for all of the replies.

I have 2 cats already ages 7 and 5 and 2 girls 4 and 12 . I checked out the daycare and it is 8 per day 7-5:30, food and all complete. ( I would send my children there if i could. it is cleaner (looking and smelling)than most daycares for kids. :chuckle ) So i dont think that is a problem. I will have the main responsibility for the dog care.

Do daschunds smell really doggy when clean? I have a friend that has a begale and when he is clean he smells really houndy and i have another friend with a chi and it doent smell unless it is filthy.

I only have 15 weeks of school left till graduation

Antelope · Dec 4, 2004

Thanks for all of the replies.
I have 2 cats already ages 7 and 5 and 2 girls 4 and 12 . I checked out the daycare and it is 8 per day 7-5:30, food and all complete. ( I would send my children there if i could. it is cleaner (looking and smelling)than most daycares for kids. :chuckle ) So i dont think that is a problem. I will have the main responsibility for the dog care.
Do daschunds smell really doggy when clean? I have a friend that has a begale and when he is clean he smells really houndy and i have another friend with a chi and it doent smell unless it is filthy.
I only have 15 weeks of school left till graduation

I have cared for quite a few Daschunds. They can smell houndy sometimes. Depends on the particular dog, as they are all different. But that smell is something with hounds. Bassets and Beagle especially.

The real concern with Daschunds is their long backs. They are very likely to develop back problems. Nearly every old Daschund I know, has some sort of back issue. Two of them are totally paralized in their back ends. They need to be cathed three times a day. It is very sad. They are cute dogs though. T

As for having a dog in general. I have two year old german shepherd/elkhound/mystery mixes. They are great. I couldn't imaging life without them, and I wonder how I lived so long before having them. For me, they repay me ten times over for any inconvinences they cause.

They are alot of work, and demand alot of attention. My dogs have alot of energy, because of their breed, and the food I feed them, they are super active. So you need to schedule time to fulfill their needs. You can run the energy out of a toothpick legged Daschund alot quiker then you can my two beasts. So that is a plus. Since you have children, they can take some of the responsibilities of excersising the dogs, so that would be a help.

Everyone is different. It depends on what all you have going on, and how important a dog is to you. I spend alot of time with school and work. But I can bring my dogs to work with me, so that is nice. What free time I have, I typically devote to my dogs. I take them everywhere with me that I can, and put alot of thought into their quality of life. So get a dog if you want to, but be prepared for the commitment. DO NOT GET A DOG IF YOU HAVE THE IDEA THAT IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT, YOU CAN GIVE IT AWAY OR BRING IT TO THE SHELTER. People who have that idea are one of the reasons there are so many homeless dogs. Adopting a dog is no less of a commitment then giving birth to your own human child.

Be sure you budget for the dog too. I am a broke student, and could never afford my two dogs, and four cats if I didn't work at a vet hospital. I basically get free medical care and drugs. Not many people have that benifit, and dog medical bills are more expensive then your typical cat bill.

Sorry to blab so much, but these are my thoughts. Hope it helps, and if you do get a dog, enjoy, otherwise it won't be long before you are out of school, and you can get a dog without so much on your plate.

On more thing... Get a mutt. They are much healthier. Centuries of eugenics have done some strange things to the health of dogs. Mutts have the hybred vigor, and I think they are smarter, more unique, and all around better. ANd oh yeah, spend the extra money, and buy your dog extra high quality food. They are worth it. Do some research, and see what they put in dog food, and the corporate profit mongers that choose what to put in mainstream dog food. It is appauling, and one of the major causes of all the health conditions seen in dogs. "You are what you eat," applies to dogs too.

RNNoMore · Dec 5, 2004

Well, I have 2 Great Danes and also volunteer for the local Great Dane Rescue society. It's been tough on the dogs since I've been at nursing school, they don't get walked as often as I'd like and have to spend several hours a day alone until my daughter gets home from school, but they cope with it (good job Danes are couch potatoes LOL!).

My best advice would be NOT to get a dog right now, but to explore options on how you could get the benefits of pet-ownership without the time commitment. Some options would be:

1. Volunteering a few hours a month at the local pet shelter, walking & petting the animals there.

2. Offering to walk other people's dogs in your neighborhood.

3. Volunteering at your local vet office.

I don't think fostering would be a good idea, many dogs that have to be fostered have training/behavioral/medical issues, many have been abused or neglected, and they require a lot of patience, re-training and vet visits. There are often distinct reasons why they were given up for adoption by their previous owners (usually not the dog's fault, but the owner's lack of training or care). One of the main jobs of a foster home is to re-train the dog and make it adoptable.

If you really, really want a dog then go to a reputable rescue society (not a dog pound, because they don't really try to match the dogs with owners and will basically just give a dog to anyone that's willing to pay the fee. I'm not against dog pounds, but I think you need to be a fairly experienced dog-owner, able to assess the dogs and willing to make the commitment to deal with whatever problems might arise. It's really a case of 'buyer beware'). A reputable rescue will ask questions and will really try to find you a match that will work. Most people have jobs, so you won't be turned down just because you are at college full time. What is important is that you get a dog that is fully house-trained, doesn't require too much exercise, won't rip the house apart when you're out, and is crate-trained too. It will probably be an older, quieter dog. You may have to wait a while, but it will be worth it to get the 'right' dog. Pound dogs are not necessarily healthier - they get a quick vet check over and are then put up for adoption (quick turnaround). 3 years ago we adopted a 6month old mix-mutt from the pound and a few weeks later found she had cancer. There was nothing that could be done (we took her to the foremost animal cancer veterinary university at Fort Collins, CO). She was costing us $500 to $800 every month in just palliative care vet fees, which we paid for over a year until she finally passed away at just 2 years old. Now we get veterinary insurance for all our dogs!! A rescue society will have done more thorough veterinary check ups on their dogs, and most will not put a dog up for adoption until any medical conditions have been resolved. They will be perfectly honest with you about any medical conditions or potential medical conditions too, because they really want the dog to have a 'forever home' and need owners to be prepared.

And a last plea: Never, ever buy a dog from a pet store. Despite what the salespeople will tell you, MOST pet store dogs come from puppy mills. If you don't know what a puppy mill is, do a search on the internet. You will be horrified.

Best of luck,

Paint.

sdzta · Dec 6, 2004

Hi,

I have a 4 yr old dachsund, and i had one as a child. They are very loveable and loyal, but do require a good bit of attention. (meaning just for you to be with them, not necessarily walked a lot etc, just companionship). Unless you have someone who lives with you and can also spend some time with the dog, I'd wait until you are finished school. As far as the comment of them "smelling" my dog never smells...possibly b/c he stays inside and has short hair. I know a lot of people's dogs who smell and honestly mine doesn't. Good luck!

akcarmean, LPN · Dec 6, 2004

I have 4 dogs and 2 cats. I would recommend waiting until after you are done with school

LeashRN · Dec 7, 2004

I'm a full time nursing student I carry 17 credit hours and am in clinical rotations, and I have 4 Jack Russell Terriers and a parrot. I also have indoor/outdoor kennel runs and a husband that in a pinch will care for the little monsters, it's do-able. Two of my dogs are therapy dogs and go to class with me some times to visit Pts after class - that's alot of fun!

Do what you think will work for you - remember a dog is a lifelong committment.

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 7, 2004

Far as I am concerned, its not much different than deciding to have a baby in nursing school. Some will say it was fine, others a horrible stress. Given a CHOICE I w89ld not do it.

Raising puppies is like having babies. They need a LOT of attention, love and training. They need you there at home for them when very young. To be fair, do you have that kind of time to give to a puppy while in school? If not , you should wait. The animal deserves consideration here, too. Good luck making your decision and in school.