Pets in law school Forum

[angiej]

If I end up renting a house with a fenced yard during LS, I might consider a dog.

What's the word on taking your dog to LS classes? I mean presuming it's trained enough to just kinda nap during class.

I would love to do this because my dogs are so lazy and quiet, except they are both Great Danes, weighing 130 lb +!

[holdencaulfield]

If I end up renting a house with a fenced yard during LS, I might consider a dog.

What's the word on taking your dog to LS classes? I mean presuming it's trained enough to just kinda nap during class.

Completely unheard of for me.

[joebloe]

Don't think that just because you have a yard, your dog will not need as much attention. It is true they won't have any accidents while you are gone but my dog mostly sleeps in the yard. I still need to take him on walks and to the dog park for him to not get depressed. If I have a really busy week and we don't go to the dog park for 4 or 5 days he will literally spend all day laying in the middle of the floor like he is dead and it is the saddest thing ever.

However, if you have a dog park close by that has benches that you can sit at and study while your dog is crazy (and you can concentrate through the dog barking and random strangers trying to make small talk with you even though you are CLEARLY TRYING TO READ A BOOK), they can get a lot of exercise while you study. And everyone wins because you go home having your reading done and your dog thinks you are the most wonderful thing in the world for taking him to this magical place where he can pee everywhere and hunt squirrels with all his best friends.

I wasn't considering just leaving my dog in the back for weeks on end. But it's a lot easier to let him out back to do his business than having to take the dog for a walk. Especially if you're right in the damn middle of studying.

And for squirrels, all you need to do is set up some bait in your yard and they'll keep coming, even if the dog's always right around the corner. At my folks' place, we send our Bichon thundering out the back after squirrels at least 3 times a day, and it's recent development without a lot of huge trees. And if there's no squirrels, he chases birds. Even if they just violate his airspace.

I wouldn't care too much for studying at a dog park because I like to interact with my dog too much. I'd be out there running around with him, throwing a ball, etc. Also, I don't intend to neuter my dog if he doesn't need it. Those places tend to be eunuch-only, I think.

[viking138]

If you want to get a dog, I would just suggest doing your reading on the weekends. I prefer that system anyway because then I can relax a bit on weekday evenings and I think it led to me being less burnt out. Having more time on weekdays is important if you want a dog because you'll need a bit of time to walk it.

But seriously, the bigger concern is money rather than time. People forget how much pets cost. My boyfriend and I live together and he works so we're not just living on my loans...if we were, I might have thought twice before getting my cats. That said, they're worth every penny

[kmap]

Chiming in on the pro-cat front. You cannot go wrong with a cat (as long as it's an adult ... kittens are a pain). They are affectionate as hell but nowhere near as needy as dogs, and they pretty much take care of themselves (mine will nag me when I forget to empty the litter box). A cat is a great low-maintenance buddy to get you through law school.

[akili]

Also, some apartment complexes have their own built in (small) off-leash dog parks. That's a HUGE selling point for me!

[fuzzypeach]

Don't think that just because you have a yard, your dog will not need as much attention. It is true they won't have any accidents while you are gone but my dog mostly sleeps in the yard. I still need to take him on walks and to the dog park for him to not get depressed. If I have a really busy week and we don't go to the dog park for 4 or 5 days he will literally spend all day laying in the middle of the floor like he is dead and it is the saddest thing ever.

However, if you have a dog park close by that has benches that you can sit at and study while your dog is crazy (and you can concentrate through the dog barking and random strangers trying to make small talk with you even though you are CLEARLY TRYING TO READ A BOOK), they can get a lot of exercise while you study. And everyone wins because you go home having your reading done and your dog thinks you are the most wonderful thing in the world for taking him to this magical place where he can pee everywhere and hunt squirrels with all his best friends.

I wasn't considering just leaving my dog in the back for weeks on end. But it's a lot easier to let him out back to do his business than having to take the dog for a walk. Especially if you're right in the damn middle of studying.

And for squirrels, all you need to do is set up some bait in your yard and they'll keep coming, even if the dog's always right around the corner. At my folks' place, we send our Bichon thundering out the back after squirrels at least 3 times a day, and it's recent development without a lot of huge trees. And if there's no squirrels, he chases birds. Even if they just violate his airspace.

I wouldn't care too much for studying at a dog park because I like to interact with my dog too much. I'd be out there running around with him, throwing a ball, etc. Also, I don't intend to neuter my dog if he doesn't need it. Those places tend to be eunuch-only, I think.

Thats an awesome idea about squirrel bait! He might run around a bit more out there with some more squirrels.

And I know you wouldn't leave your dog out there but I was thinking with a yard he would run and be merry all day and sleep all night. WRONG. Ha maybe my misconceptions are an isolated case!

Also true about not having to take them on a walk. If I move somewhere with no yard this will be an adjustment. I suppose I won't be able to just get up in my pjs and let him out the back door anymore!

In general, I agree with everyone about having a companion while studying. Nothing better than having a dog laying under your desk with his head on your feet! Or just having another creature be excited to see you everyday, not matter what. He even gets excited when I let him in after he goes out to pee for 5 minutes!!!

[Holly Golightly]

I don't have a dog, but I'm a 1L with cats, so I'm going to weigh in here. I haven't read all 3 previous pages, so my apologies if I'm repeating stuff people already said.

Not having my cats was never an option for me. I'm sickly attached to them, and even brought one with me when I moved to Europe last year. They also help to de-stress me and make me incredibly happy, and I am so thankful that I have them.

That said, there are definitely sacrifices you have to make, even with cats. During finals I was basically only coming home to sleep, and a lot of times I would have to adjust my study schedule/when I was going to come home based on when I needed to feed them. I also totally neglected them attention-wise during exams. When finals were finally over, I woke up every morning to both of my cats laying on top of me because they were so happy I was home.

Another consideration is, if you're not from near where you're going to law school, you will need to figure out what to do with the pets when you go home for breaks.

And finally, money. Pets are expensive, and loans don't really give you a ton of money to life on.

That said, if you have really thought over everything and know you can do it, go for it. My cats definitely help with my mental health.

[OnlyLivingBoyinNY]

I'm sending my dog to Barkley in the fall.

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[123xalady]

I'm considering bringing my dog to school- a 2 year old chocolate labrador- but what worries me more than the day to day commitment is what to do when I'm going out of town. Also, if you're going to have a dog you will most likely need a car for trips to vet and also to bring them home for vacations. I'm deciding btw Penn and Michigan and I've heard that it's a total headache to have a car in both places. Ugh decisions.

[northwood]

as much as its going to suck, my dog wont be attending law school with me. He will be happily residing at my parents house, where he will be spoiled beyond belief. He needs a lot of attention. Plus my parents have told me often that the dog is always welcome at their house, and can come over for visits every day, and that they like the dog more than I ( because he doesnt talk, and does what you tell him to immediately without question). They have been talking about getting one for themselves, but dont want to do the puppy stage all over, so thats another plus.

Will it suck- absolutely. Is it the best option for me and rocky- yes.

[lvsmithmarsh]

Some thoughts:

An adult dog is the best choice if you're going to be busy - +1 to all the comments about shelter pets.

Even so, our dog was a year old when we adopted her, and because of her breed (a shepherd/?? mix), it took her several years after that to mature. Know the personality and exercise needs of a dog before you adopt it.

A yard is fantastic, but we've discovered that as long as our dog gets exercised daily (usually she runs with us 45 minutes to an hour every day), she is perfectly content to snooze at home during our full work days. Exercise is totally key, though. After a couple days of slacking off the walks/runs, we find that she is bouncing off the walls. This is something to consider in law school, especially if you're going to be studying at home sometimes. When I was in grad school, I found that I couldn't focus at home if the dog hadn't been walked yet.

Having a live-in spouse/partner makes a dog a lot easier, since you can share duties. My husband and I are going to be living apart during law school, so I'll be looking for a place where I can have the dog part of the time. I'll have her with me when my husband's traveling, or I'll ship her home to Charlotte during exams weeks, etc.

Listen, it's a lot to consider, but honestly I can't imagine not taking my dog with me to law school. She's awesome.

[magicman554]

Ocelot. You just need the relevant permits.

[Capitol A]

I'm sending my dog to Barkley in the fall.

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Best post I've ever read on TLS.

[snowpeach06]

When I came back from winter break, I brought my cat from home. If you are going to get a pet, I would suggest a cat, not a dog, not a kitten. Law students probably aren't home enough to take care of a dog, and kittens require a lot of breaking in. While having my cat is def. time consuming and a tad annoying (I have to wake up early to feed her, because she gets annoying when she's hungry, and i have to change the litter which is gross, and generally think about someone else, take her to the kennel when I leave for break, have to think about her in making my plans for the summer, and because she likes to swat my highlighters out of my hand and sit on my books when I'm trying to read, and i have additional cleaning because she sheds a lot) they are friggin' adorable, and having her sit on my lap and purr makes me absurdly happy.

Additional bonus: my friends love her, and they get some pet time and my cat gets some attention (she's a total attention whore) when they come over.

[gothamm]

A cat is the perfect law school pet.

[DeeCee]

dogs are awesome, although they need so much attention.

[Pizon]

Dogs can't be left alone for more than a few hours.

[123xalady]

this thread is making me miss my dog

[Patriot1208]

Dogs can't be left alone for more than a few hours.

Don't worry, this is 100% wrong. It is true for puppies, because they aren't trained yet. But adult dogs can safely and humanely be left alone for a day at work or similar.

[sarahh]

Dogs can't be left alone for more than a few hours.

Don't worry, this is 100% wrong. It is true for puppies, because they aren't trained yet. But adult dogs can safely and humanely be left alone for a day at work or similar.

Obviously it is somewhat correlated to the size of the dog. Small dogs need to be walked more often. You can get pee pads, but, personally, they creep me out. I volunteer at an animal shelter, and I see first hand that there are plenty of cases where people get a dog and it does not work out. It can be very stressful for a dog to go to a home for a few months and then get returned to the shelter. You definitely want to think carefully about whether you can truly commit to a dog before getting one. Choose the dog carefully. I have had many people tell me they want a certain dog before actually interacting with the dog - all they are focusing on is the breed/look. If the shelter or rescue group tells you a particular dog may not be a good fit, listen. Also, don't get a cat just because you don't have the time for a dog - get a cat because you want a cat. And remember that cats need attention too.

[pleasepickme]

Cat in law school= best decision ever. When you're super stressed about LRW or can't figure out Civ Pro or proximate cause, there is nothing like coming home to a happy, cuddly, fuzzy ball of love!

[Patriot1208]

Obviously it is somewhat correlated to the size of the dog. Small dogs need to be walked more often. You can get pee pads, but, personally, they creep me out. I volunteer at an animal shelter, and I see first hand that there are plenty of cases where people get a dog and it does not work out. It can be very stressful for a dog to go to a home for a few months and then get returned to the shelter. You definitely want to think carefully about whether you can truly commit to a dog before getting one. Choose the dog carefully. I have had many people tell me they want a certain dog before actually interacting with the dog - all they are focusing on is the breed/look. If the shelter or rescue group tells you a particular dog may not be a good fit, listen. Also, don't get a cat just because you don't have the time for a dog - get a cat because you want a cat. And remember that cats need attention too.

I have a twenty two pound dog that is regularly fine from eight to six. I try to come home at lunch but don't always make it and he never goes in the apartment.

[Dippy]

this is what you need

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[joebloe]

this is what you need

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Fresh cat storage?