Top Law Schools

There might already be a forum about this but I have pretty specific questions about having a dog in law school. I have a Siberian Husky. She's not huge but she's definitely not a chiwauwaa (sp?) either. So this forum goes out to those who have medium/large dogs in law school? How has it worked out so far? Did you have trouble finding a house/apartment/people to live with (that's probably my biggest concern)?

Any info would be great. Thanks!

I was very surprised to find many law students at my school had pets, I found it somewhat amusing to see so many professionals in nice suits with a smattering of pet hair.

But, finding nice housing that is pet friendly is always difficult, especially if you add a roommate to the equation. To find what you need, most "apartment finder" websites have search criteria for pet friendly housing, and your admissions department should be able to help you find other law students who are also seeking roommates, hopefully some of these will be pet friendly as well. If you expanded your roommate preferences to include serious undergrads or master students, you would have greater luck though.

Thanks! I appreciate the advice.

I've heard law school students are not as attractive as other students, but calling them dogs is over the top, in my opinion.

ben4847 wrote:I've heard law school students are not as attractive as other students, but calling them dogs is over the top, in my opinion.

before reading the thread i thought the same lol aren't you worried about the expenses of having any pet as far as food, vet etc? I have two rabbits luckily I share vet expenses with my fiancé.

ben4847 wrote:I've heard law school students are not as attractive as other students, but calling them dogs is over the top, in my opinion.

Haha. I'm at work and this made me laugh. Thanks!

Jante05 wrote:

ben4847 wrote:I've heard law school students are not as attractive as other students, but calling them dogs is over the top, in my opinion.

before reading the thread i thought the same lol aren't you worried about the expenses of having any pet as far as food, vet etc? I have two rabbits luckily I share vet expenses with my fiancé.

Expenses aren't really my worry. Just living arrangements and having enough time.

ucbkenn wrote:

Jante05 wrote:

ben4847 wrote:I've heard law school students are not as attractive as other students, but calling them dogs is over the top, in my opinion.

before reading the thread i thought the same lol aren't you worried about the expenses of having any pet as far as food, vet etc? I have two rabbits luckily I share vet expenses with my fiancé.

Expenses aren't really my worry. Just living arrangements and having enough time.

I think it mostly depends on the location of the school and whether you have someone who can share responsibility. Obviously if you end up at Northwestern or CCN, it's a very different situation than if you go to Michigan or UVA. And having an SO to help out when you're at the school for long stretches is definitely helpful. The thing is, except for during exam period, law school should be treated as an 8-10 hour per day thing. Tons of people manage working full time and having a pet. As long as it can stand being cooped up and alone for several hours and is well-trained enough not to go to the bathroom everywhere, you should be OK.

tl;dr: yes, but there are so many factors it's hard to really say.

how much exercise does the dog need?

I've got my lab as a puppy the spring before I started. (at a CCN). I commute ~25 minutes so I can't pop in to take care of the dog. Size is not the issue, it is the time needed for exercise. It has been a significant time-suck and was definitely difficult. Would've been ridiculous if I'd been doing it on my own, instead of split with my SO.

BUT again that's also b/c the dog needs serious exercise...seems like a Husky would be similar in that regard.

Upshot is that I think it is doable but you will have to take the dog into consideration when deciding where to live, etc. Being a short walk from your school would be a good idea.

Some students have families that we manage to juggle. A dog should be straightforward if it can be left alone for a reasonable portion of the working day, and you are good at managing your time.

Some concerns I have are about things like spring/fall break and Christmas - do you pay for boarding or have to fly home with the dog. Also, what about summer of 2L if you end up summering somewhere else.

Finally, having a dog might mean you can't easily live in the apartment complexes most your classmates will be living in. You'd need to be okay with that.

Jante05 wrote:

ben4847 wrote:I've heard law school students are not as attractive as other students, but calling them dogs is over the top, in my opinion.

before reading the thread i thought the same lol aren't you worried about the expenses of having any pet as far as food, vet etc? I have two rabbits luckily I share vet expenses with my fiancé.

You take rabbits to the vet?

My dog is in a better law school than I am.

ucbkenn wrote:There might already be a forum about this but I have pretty specific questions about having a dog in law school. I have a Siberian Husky. She's not huge but she's definitely not a chiwauwaa (sp?) either. So this forum goes out to those who have medium/large dogs in law school? How has it worked out so far? Did you have trouble finding a house/apartment/people to live with (that's probably my biggest concern)?

Any info would be great. Thanks!

They can cost lots of monies for travel, food, pet fees, health concerns, that you may not have in lawl school. But you might be loaded and wipe your ass with franklins and brush your teeth with cristal.

Also, if exercise is a concern, be mindful that you won't be able to go back to take him for a walk during the day. My dogs at home are okay with that though (they're not breeds that need a lot of play time to be happy). My friends at cls with dogs say that having to take them out, go buy doggie food/snacks, and groom them actually provide a great way to get away from petty law school stress, and are a healthy way to procrastinate.

I love my dogs, and there are times--especially during the more stressful parts of the year--that I would kill to see them for a few minutes. But alas, my apartment is no pets and my dogs live with my parents across the country

Guchster wrote:

ucbkenn wrote:There might already be a forum about this but I have pretty specific questions about having a dog in law school. I have a Siberian Husky. She's not huge but she's definitely not a chiwauwaa (sp?) either. So this forum goes out to those who have medium/large dogs in law school? How has it worked out so far? Did you have trouble finding a house/apartment/people to live with (that's probably my biggest concern)?

Any info would be great. Thanks!

They can cost lots of monies for travel, food, pet fees, health concerns, that you may not have in lawl school. But you might be loaded and wipe your ass with franklins and brush your teeth with cristal.

Also, if exercise is a concern, be mindful that you won't be able to go back to take him for a walk during the day. My dogs at home are okay with that though (they're not breeds that need a lot of play time to be happy). My friends at cls with dogs say that having to take them out, go buy doggie food/snacks, and groom them actually provide a great way to get away from petty law school stress, and are a healthy way to procrastinate.

I love my dogs, and there are times--especially during the more stressful parts of the year--that I would kill to see them for a few minutes. But alas, my apartment is no pets and my dogs live with my parents across the country

It shouldn't be too hard to find a dog walker though.

ETA: This thread might be a better place to ask dog related questions - http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 0&t=155452

bmore wrote:My dog is in a better law school than I am.

I think Cooley would reject my dog.

So is there anyone currently in law school who can comment on what it is like to have a dog during law school? I am desperate to take my Papillon with me, but everyone is telling me that I will have zero time for her. She doesn't need a lot of attention or exercise, but I just want to know if anyone else has had a successful experience with their dogs. I'm not worried about finding an apartment, CA is notorious for being fairly dog friendly, so I don't think I will have any issues.

Jante05 wrote:

ben4847 wrote:I've heard law school students are not as attractive as other students, but calling them dogs is over the top, in my opinion.

before reading the thread i thought the same lol aren't you worried about the expenses of having any pet as far as food, vet etc? I have two rabbits luckily I share vet expenses with my fiancé.

So what do you propose? sending her dog to the gas chamber?

.

I have a maltipoo (pictured in my avatar) and a goldendoodle that I will be bringing with me to law school. If you have pets and can afford pet insurance, I would highly recommend it. It costs around $600/year to insure both of my dogs (I have Pet Plan), but now I never have to worry about getting stuck with a huge vet bill.

My dogs are fairly low energy and other than the fact that they like to bark a lot, my biggest concern is the added expense. Per dog, I am planning a budget of $300 for pet insurance, $300 for vaccines, $250 for heartworm/flea/tick preventatives, $200 for food/treats/toys and $200 for grooming. Total is around $1250 per dog per year. I put $100 per paycheck into a dog fund and will be putting my tax return money into this fund as well. Seeing as I won't be working full-time once I start law school, this is quite a daunting figure.

I mainly applied to schools on the East Coast because if I need to go to my parents' house for Christmas or other holidays, I'll be able to drive with my dogs. I have a friend who bought a Puggle while attending Boulder and she was never able to bring her dog with her when she visited her parents because it was always too cold to fly her dog in cargo. I think my parents would seriously be devastated if my dogs weren't around for the holidays. Sometimes I think they are more excited to see my dogs than me lol.

Sherlock1708 wrote:I have a maltipoo (pictured in my avatar) and a goldendoodle that I will be bringing with me to law school. If you have pets and can afford pet insurance, I would highly recommend it. It costs around $600/year to insure both of my dogs (I have Pet Plan), but now I never have to worry about getting stuck with a huge vet bill.

My dogs are fairly low energy and other than the fact that they like to bark a lot, my biggest concern is the added expense. Per dog, I am planning a budget of $300 for pet insurance, $300 for vaccines, $250 for heartworm/flea/tick preventatives, $200 for food/treats/toys and $200 for grooming. Total is around $1250 per dog per year. I put $100 per paycheck into a dog fund and will be putting my tax return money into this fund as well. Seeing as I won't be working full-time once I start law school, this is quite a daunting figure.

I mainly applied to schools on the East Coast because if I need to go to my parents' house for Christmas or other holidays, I'll be able to drive with my dogs. I have a friend who bought a Puggle while attending Boulder and she was never able to bring her dog with her when she visited her parents because it was always too cold to fly her dog in cargo. I think my parents would seriously be devastated if my dogs weren't around for the holidays. Sometimes I think they are more excited to see my dogs than me lol.

Some dogs (brachiocephalic, aka the kinds with the squished in noses) can't fly. They will literally suffocate. So needless to say, my pug will also have to be a drive away from wherever I need to go.

puremorning wrote:

Sherlock1708 wrote:I have a maltipoo (pictured in my avatar) and a goldendoodle that I will be bringing with me to law school. If you have pets and can afford pet insurance, I would highly recommend it. It costs around $600/year to insure both of my dogs (I have Pet Plan), but now I never have to worry about getting stuck with a huge vet bill.

My dogs are fairly low energy and other than the fact that they like to bark a lot, my biggest concern is the added expense. Per dog, I am planning a budget of $300 for pet insurance, $300 for vaccines, $250 for heartworm/flea/tick preventatives, $200 for food/treats/toys and $200 for grooming. Total is around $1250 per dog per year. I put $100 per paycheck into a dog fund and will be putting my tax return money into this fund as well. Seeing as I won't be working full-time once I start law school, this is quite a daunting figure.

I mainly applied to schools on the East Coast because if I need to go to my parents' house for Christmas or other holidays, I'll be able to drive with my dogs. I have a friend who bought a Puggle while attending Boulder and she was never able to bring her dog with her when she visited her parents because it was always too cold to fly her dog in cargo. I think my parents would seriously be devastated if my dogs weren't around for the holidays. Sometimes I think they are more excited to see my dogs than me lol.

Some dogs (brachiocephalic, aka the kinds with the squished in noses) can't fly. They will literally suffocate. So needless to say, my pug will also have to be a drive away from wherever I need to go.

Your pug is cute!

Sherlock1708 wrote:

puremorning wrote:

Sherlock1708 wrote:I have a maltipoo (pictured in my avatar) and a goldendoodle that I will be bringing with me to law school. If you have pets and can afford pet insurance, I would highly recommend it. It costs around $600/year to insure both of my dogs (I have Pet Plan), but now I never have to worry about getting stuck with a huge vet bill.

My dogs are fairly low energy and other than the fact that they like to bark a lot, my biggest concern is the added expense. Per dog, I am planning a budget of $300 for pet insurance, $300 for vaccines, $250 for heartworm/flea/tick preventatives, $200 for food/treats/toys and $200 for grooming. Total is around $1250 per dog per year. I put $100 per paycheck into a dog fund and will be putting my tax return money into this fund as well. Seeing as I won't be working full-time once I start law school, this is quite a daunting figure.

I mainly applied to schools on the East Coast because if I need to go to my parents' house for Christmas or other holidays, I'll be able to drive with my dogs. I have a friend who bought a Puggle while attending Boulder and she was never able to bring her dog with her when she visited her parents because it was always too cold to fly her dog in cargo. I think my parents would seriously be devastated if my dogs weren't around for the holidays. Sometimes I think they are more excited to see my dogs than me lol.

Some dogs (brachiocephalic, aka the kinds with the squished in noses) can't fly. They will literally suffocate. So needless to say, my pug will also have to be a drive away from wherever I need to go.

Your pug is cute!

Thank you! So is your maltipoo!

My girlfriend and I have three dogs (one ~20 lbs, one ~50, and one ~160) and finding housing was and is very difficult. If you're going to be in a metro area like NYC, DC, Chicago, etc., you need to understand that housing is probably (1) is going to be very limited compared to what's otherwise available; (2) going to cost you more (often a sizable pet deposit), and (3) probably be less convenient. Aside from that, if your primary concern is time, you need not worry too much unless you have a very active dog that requires multiple walks/runs...I spend a ton of time on campus right now because of my schedule (classes starting at 8:30 and finishing close to 5), but I still have plenty of time to walk my dogs and love on them in the evenings. As another poster said, law school really is about 10 hours a day outside of finals month and the occasional-super-hectic-must-finish-my-brief/memo/casenote days.

FWIW, owning a small dog is exponentially easier than owning a medium or big dog. Many apartments will take pets up to 25 lbs or so; small dogs can fly as carry on baggage for virtually nothing; small dogs require less exercise in most cases; etc.

Also, dogs are a great way to escape the pressure of law school. They don't care if you're median or Order of the Coif, and they are responsibilities that you cannot ignore--they force you to take time to be a regular person.

Thank you all for the insight, I feel a lot better about bringing my little dog with me to law school .

Taking care of dogs/cats/snakes/small children/etc. is not especially hard.

Depending on where you go, finding housing can definitely be... especially for medium and large dogs.