Having a Puppy While Going to College
IS IT A GOOD IDEA?
by Kara A. Kline
Are you a dog lover? Have you always wanted a puppy of your own? Are you a college student? If you are all of these things,
you may want to think more about your school commitments and if you can really handle having a puppy while going to college.
Many college students have probably had a dog throughout their life. However, I would assume not many have a dog of their own
during their college years. I am an exception to that assumption because I recently purchased a little yorkie poo named Macy,
and I am a first-year college student. I love my puppy; there is no doubt about that. However, I don't know if I was quite
ready to handle such a big responsibility. Actually, I really don't think I realized how big of a responsibility having a new
puppy actually is.
People who have a puppy need to spend time with it in order to teach him or her obedience. Time is one thing I do not have right now. I made the decision to get a new puppy near the end of spring semester, which was not a smart idea. Any college student knows that homework starts to pile up at the end of the semester along with studying for finals. Plus I got a new job, which takes up my time at night. Therefore, I have a limited amount of time in the morning with my puppy, two hours in the afternoon before I go to work, and then one or two hours at night. My boyfriend does help out when I am away at work; however, he has a dog of his own so it is difficult for him to watch them both at the same time since his is an outside dog and mine is predominately inside.
Now, of course, I do spend time with her. I would not have gotten her if I didn't think I could care for her, and I would not be a very good pet owner if I did not. I have days off of work, so I get to be with her after I get done with school and on the weekends. I just wish I had waited until the end of the semester was over so I could spend time with her all day everyday. I am excited for the semester to be over so I can spend time with Macy.
The responsibility of having a puppy, especially a toy breed puppy, is a lot bigger than I had expected. I have heard that it is almost like having a child. I bet that is not too far off. For example, I did not realize I had to let her out in the middle of the night until about a week after I got her. So, for the last four weeks I've been waking up at two or three in the morning to take her outside to go to the bathroom.
I also did not realize the huge responsibility of potty training. Housebreaking is a very difficult task. I would guess it is because I do not get to spend that much time with her, but it is starting to become a problem. She has gotten much better since I first got her, but it is just frustrating when she goes when I bring her outside and then twenty minutes later she will go again inside! I know small dogs have tiny bladders but that just doesn't make sense to me. It's hard to constantly watch her when she is running around inside because I am always doing something, considering I have homework and I also have to maintain a house. She is only three months old, and I know this kind of thing takes time. Like I said, she has gotten a lot better, and I hope that eventually she'll learn.
Another part of having a puppy I never really considered is being home all the time to care for her. Before I had Macy, I was able to go out at night and stay out and come home whenever I wanted. However, that is not the case anymore. A puppy owner is expected to be home all the time in order to care for the puppy, which I understand. That is a bit difficult for me because I recently moved in with my boyfriend, so naturally I would like to go and visit my family since my job is in the same town where my parents live. Since the town I live in is about a half hour away, I can very rarely leave earlier to just swing by my family's house because my puppy needs attending to before I go to work. I am constantly worried about what time I will be home and how much time I will have with Macy. I have to plan my schedule around that so I am able to get home to be with her.
I definitely do not regret getting Macy. I love her more than anything in the world. I just wish I had waited until the semester was over with in order for me to have a little bit more time. However, I am making do with the time I have and expect it will only get easier.
Having a puppy is a huge responsibility, and I don't think people realize this completely. I know I didn't. You still may be a dog lover and still want to eventually get a puppy. Now knowing how much time and effort it takes to have a puppy as a college student would you still want to go forth with it? Some might say yes because they just want a puppy that badly. That is what happened to me. However, if you find yourself in my position let me advise you to please consider your time constraints and evaluate your other commitments. If you don't do this you may find yourself stressed out and you will probably realize you didn't have as much time as you thought you did.
