Any Dog Owners?

[Groove]

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I grew up with dogs and have been wanting another one for years but residency and attending life has really not been conducive since I'm single and live alone. It's easier with a gf but they seem to change every year or so for the past few years and although family is near, I can't rely on anyone consistently to help me out. Anybody in a similar situation and made it work with a dog? Part of me is up for the challenge but at the same time, I don't want the pet to be neglected and I'm not sure the unpredictability of our specialty is the most compatible environment. When I say unpredictability... I'm referring to the volatile nature of ED contracts. Things seem pretty stable at the moment, but in our field you just really never know and in a worst case scenario I would find myself probably flying to TX to do locums work part time or permanently though I have no reason to think that at the moment. That being said, I don't see how a locums doc could possibly take care of a dog. My situation now is that I live about 5 mins from work and am giving up most of my moonlighting for the convenience. Thoughts on owning a dog? Bad idea?

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

I grew up with dogs and have been wanting another one for years but residency and attending life has really not been conducive since I'm single and live alone. It's easier with a gf but they seem to change every year or so for the past few years and although family is near, I can't rely on anyone consistently to help me out. Anybody in a similar situation and made it work with a dog? Part of me is up for the challenge but at the same time, I don't want the pet to be neglected and I'm not sure the unpredictability of our specialty is the most compatible environment. When I say unpredictability... I'm referring to the volatile nature of ED contracts. Things seem pretty stable at the moment, but in our field you just really never know and in a worst case scenario I would find myself probably flying to TX to do locums work part time or permanently though I have no reason to think that at the moment. That being said, I don't see how a locums doc could possibly take care of a dog. My situation now is that I live about 5 mins from work and am giving up most of my moonlighting for the convenience. Thoughts on owning a dog? Bad idea?

I'm not EM, but my wife and I got our first dog when we were both still in residency (IM and FM, both still doing 30 hour calls). There were more than a few days where the puppy spent 10 hours in a crate, but she turned out OK.

EM (barring locums) seems like it could be a pretty good deal for a dog. You, on average, have more days off than on (and less hours per week than average docs). So while your on days will be a little boring for a dog, overall you'll have more time than many of us regular folks. Just make sure you get a breed that is easy to exercise, train, and not prone to separation anxiety. We survived by throwing a tennis ball in the back yard for 30 minutes every evening. Wiped the dog out with minimal effort on our part. Plus, we found a really good training class in our area.

I think you're right in that locums would really suck for trying to own a dog assuming you don't have friends or family that could watch the dog for you while you're out of town. That said, you might be able to negotiate that as part of the locums contract - require pet friend accommodations for example.

 

[styphon]

I have a purebred doberman. He is good with me being gone for 14 hours and only has an accident if he is sick. I have moved with him multiple times and he seems to adjust after a week or so. The bonus is he keeps people away from my house and has scared off Jehovah witnesses.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

I have a purebred doberman. He is good with me being gone for 14 hours and only has an accident if he is sick. I have moved with him multiple times and he seems to adjust after a week or so. The bonus is he keeps people away from my house and has scared off Jehovah witnesses.

Our second dog is a dober and I do love that scare effect.

 

[njac]

I had 2 corgis in school, the older one died my first year of residency, the 2nd moved across the country with me to my first job. He died summer 2014.

Later that fall I adopted a 7 year old corgi who is the best. I can be gone 14+ hours (my usual days are 12.5-13) and he's a rock star. I don't think I'll ever get a puppy again.

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[CraftyMed]

I adopted the devilish dog in my profile pic about 2 months into medical school. She made it thru many moves and long work hours. I adopted a 2nd dog during residency. Time has passed and both of those dogs have headed up to doggie heaven. But we've adopted 2 other knuckleheads at various points. It just seems better with 2 dogs to keep each other company. I'd gotten married too, so it's awesome to have another person to split the work with. I'd always been lucky to have great friends and neighbors to help out with walks and/or exercise. Even now, our super awesome neighbor takes care of our dogs when we go out of town or have crazy work schedules. I highly advocate for crate training in the early years and a good training class after you get a dog.
Knucklehead #1 and Knucklehead #2:

 

[Petypet]

Doggie daycare (if you live in a decent sized city. Some days my dogs are crated 8-9 hours but i justify that by telling myself I rescued these guys off the street, literally, and they have spoiled lives. On the days my wife and I are busy, they goto daycare for $20 a day and come home completely drained of all energy.

 

[StephBee]

It'll be interesting cause I have 4 that are coming with me to residency. I had a boyfriend of 8 years who has now been kicked out of my home so I'll be doing it alone.
My plan was to try and hire a dog walker to take them out once a day if I'm on off service or gone for long hours.


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[medimedimedi]

A huge difficulty I've come across is finding pet-friendly housing. Most places that say they're pet friendly only allow cats or small dogs <25 lbs or they have breed restrictions. Requiring pet friendly housing cuts off 90% of your housing options.

 

[dchristismi]

I have a pack, which at the moment is a border collie, a heinz 57, and a standard poodle. While the constituency has changed over the years, I think that 2 do better than one. Three is a good number. Five starts to get unmanageable. (I fostered and was very active in rescue for several years, so there were often temp pack members.)

I was married in residency, but separated and divorced right after. My girls have always managed and while I hated the idea of being in a crate all day, it is better than being in a shelter, on the street or dead. I don't crate now unless it's going to storm (one very storm-phobic girl who gets destructive with her panic), but they do just fine. Doggie daycare is more a way to manage my guilt for not being home, but mine love it.

EM is a great lifestyle for a dog. Or two. Or three. I would, however, rescue an adult than start with a puppy. When I went looking for my first dog, I went to a shelter and told them I was looking for a great big teddy bear. I'd always had little dogs growing up, but thought a big one would be more chill, and a better running partner. They brought out this big scary looking brindle shepard mix, thinking he might fit the personality I was looking for. Well, he was a mushball, and perfect for me. And no one ever bothered me on our runs again. Never would have guessed in a million years. So go check out your local shelter or contact a breed-specific rescue if you have certain needs.

 

[dchristismi]

A huge difficulty I've come across is finding pet-friendly housing. Most places that say they're pet friendly only allow cats or small dogs <25 lbs or they have breed restrictions. Requiring pet friendly housing cuts off 90% of your housing options.

Or you decide that a dog is important enough to you to justifying buying a house. That's what I did. Depending on the location and housing market, it might be an option. Is it the most sound financial move? Your call. But having found my 2009 VW parked between a Tesla and a Porsche yesterday at work, it really comes down to what your priorities are. My dogs happen to be high on the list.

 

[Petypet]

Or you decide that a dog is important enough to you to justifying buying a house. That's what I did. Depending on the location and housing market, it might be an option. Is it the most sound financial move? Your call. But having found my 2009 VW parked between a Tesla and a Porsche yesterday at work, it really comes down to what your priorities are. My dogs happen to be high on the list.

Amen, fenced in yard = instant 10-20 minute energy dump daily.

 

[NERDY]

It'll be interesting cause I have 4 that are coming with me to residency. I had a boyfriend of 8 years who has now been kicked out of my home so I'll be doing it alone.
My plan was to try and hire a dog walker to take them out once a day if I'm on off service or gone for long hours.


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My friend during medical school would dog sit for a resident, our flexible scheduled allowed her to visit the dog several times a day. She was a big dog lover so the dog was taken care of and our resident friend did not have to worry about her dog while she was away at work. You may find a medical student at your new residency who can do the same.

 

[Tenk]

Get an older dog that is up for adoption. You won't have to deal with training/time commitment and they will be happy to have a home.

 

[doggydog]

I have a pack, which at the moment is a border collie, a heinz 57, and a standard poodle. While the constituency has changed over the years, I think that 2 do better than one. Three is a good number. Five starts to get unmanageable. (I fostered and was very active in rescue for several years, so there were often temp pack members.)

I was married in residency, but separated and divorced right after. My girls have always managed and while I hated the idea of being in a crate all day, it is better than being in a shelter, on the street or dead. I don't crate now unless it's going to storm (one very storm-phobic girl who gets destructive with her panic), but they do just fine. Doggie daycare is more a way to manage my guilt for not being home, but mine love it.

EM is a great lifestyle for a dog. Or two. Or three. I would, however, rescue an adult than start with a puppy. When I went looking for my first dog, I went to a shelter and told them I was looking for a great big teddy bear. I'd always had little dogs growing up, but thought a big one would be more chill, and a better running partner. They brought out this big scary looking brindle shepard mix, thinking he might fit the personality I was looking for. Well, he was a mushball, and perfect for me. And no one ever bothered me on our runs again. Never would have guessed in a million years. So go check out your local shelter or contact a breed-specific rescue if you have certain needs.

Border Collies are my thing. I've been wanting one since I started medical school but always felt/have been told that such an active dog was unmanageable in the clinical years of medical school/residency. It's good to see that at least one EM physician rides for border collies.

I'm hoping to get one after my MS4 year but I might settle for a more chill coonhound.

 

[dchristismi]

Ah, border collies. My Heinz 57 has some BC in her, but my Zoe has the eye. I've never had the opportunity to try her on sheep, but she has the crouch and the eye. And she herds tennis balls and the Flying Squirrel like nobody's business. She came from death row to rescue, had (ahem) some issues, but nothing a dog psychiatrist, a great trainer and a crapload of prozac couldn't fix. Well, I jest. But she's finally settling down as she's 9 now. Ha! Look into rescue, but it's not an easy breed to manage.

I never thought I'd have a poodle. (His dog, now ours.) Gotta say, she's won over pretty much everyone she's ever met, and will admit I'm impressed with the breed. At least the standards. We keep her clipped really short so there's not a lot of froufrou. She doesn't shed either, unlike the two others who generate a LOT of hair.

This is Zoe

 

[doggydog]

She's adorable. I had a border collie when I was a kid and she would herd me and my siblings, those instincts. I check the local rescue website on a month basis in case the perfect one pops up.

I bet the poodle gives the border collie a run for her money re: intelligence. They must have some interesting interactions.

 

[maniacmed]

I've got 2 myself. I'm single and about to start residency in a new state where I don't really know anyone. They keep each other pretty busy but I'll be doing twelves in the ED my first year so Im a little nervous how they are going to handle it but couldn't imagine life without them. Plus side I'm moving to the beach and they've never seen the ocean, I think they are going to love it!

 

[DarkHorse22]

any suggestions for a good portable crate/car carrier? puppy now but will be ~100 lbs as an adult.

 

[engineeredout]

Grew up with golden retrievers my whole life. Wife and I finally got one during our first year of residency. Best decision we ever made. With two different resident schedules the dog actually has someone home a decent amount of the time. The other times we have a dog walker come by 1-2 times per day depending on the need, and occasionally board her overnight at the walkers house if things are really bad.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Not a resident, but have two mutts with a crazy schedule over the years. When I was doing night shift then commuting 2 hrs for grad school all day the next day, I had a dog walker group let them out once during the night while I was at work. Then I'd get home, let them out, feed them, eat my own breakfast, and then drop them off for doggy daycare while I went to class all day. Then I got back, picked them up, and we all got home and crashed together. That was about 2-3 days/wk.

When I switched to day shift, I would drop them off at daycare before work on days I had class and a dog loving friend of mine would pick them up right before daycare closing time and bring them to my house.

Doggy daycare is around $11-20 / dog each day here. I'm not doing class anymore, so we don't do that now but I feel pretty guilty when I got stuck at work for more than 10 hrs. One does fine out and about, the other gets a little destructive. I know people say dogs can go a long time without a potty break, but I'm of the mindset that that doesn't mean they should go that long.

I don't think it'd be find hard to find a dog lover college kid to let the dog out for you while you're at work.

 

[Birdstrike]

I grew up with dogs and have been wanting another one for years but residency and attending life has really not been conducive since I'm single and live alone. It's easier with a gf but they seem to change every year or so for the past few years and although family is near, I can't rely on anyone consistently to help me out. Anybody in a similar situation and made it work with a dog? Part of me is up for the challenge but at the same time, I don't want the pet to be neglected and I'm not sure the unpredictability of our specialty is the most compatible environment. When I say unpredictability... I'm referring to the volatile nature of ED contracts. Things seem pretty stable at the moment, but in our field you just really never know and in a worst case scenario I would find myself probably flying to TX to do locums work part time or permanently though I have no reason to think that at the moment. That being said, I don't see how a locums doc could possibly take care of a dog. My situation now is that I live about 5 mins from work and am giving up most of my moonlighting for the convenience. Thoughts on owning a dog? Bad idea?

Single, living alone, erratic work schedule?

Not dog time.

 

[takeurmeds02]

I adopted the devilish dog in my profile pic about 2 months into medical school. She made it thru many moves and long work hours. I adopted a 2nd dog during residency. Time has passed and both of those dogs have headed up to doggie heaven. But we've adopted 2 other knuckleheads at various points. It just seems better with 2 dogs to keep each other company. I'd gotten married too, so it's awesome to have another person to split the work with. I'd always been lucky to have great friends and neighbors to help out with walks and/or exercise. Even now, our super awesome neighbor takes care of our dogs when we go out of town or have crazy work schedules. I highly advocate for crate training in the early years and a good training class after you get a dog.
Knucklehead #1 and Knucklehead #2: View attachment 201321

How did you keep her in medschool? I've been strongly considering but I really don't think it's feasible.

 

[CraftyMed]

How did you keep her in medschool? I've been strongly considering but I really don't think it's feasible.

During the first two years, I had an apt that wasn't too far from campus so it was pretty easy to get back to let her out/feed her. I would take her out with me to dog-friendly outdoor seating coffeeshops and restaurants to study. She went on runs with me to get her exercise. Once I got into the clinical years, she was already old enough to do some longer hours alone. As for overnights, I'd have someone come by to let her out/feed her. You just have to plan ahead, make it a priority, and always have pet-friendly housing. Don't lie to your landlord.

 

[Daiphon]

During the first two years, I had an apt that wasn't too far from campus so it was pretty easy to get back to let her out/feed her. I would take her out with me to dog-friendly outdoor seating coffeeshops and restaurants to study. She went on runs with me to get her exercise. Once I got into the clinical years, she was already old enough to do some longer hours alone. As for overnights, I'd have someone come by to let her out/feed her. You just have to plan ahead, make it a priority, and always have pet-friendly housing. Don't lie to your landlord.

And friends that live at the coffee shop 2 blocks from your place. That helps too. d=)

Semper Brunneis Pallium

 

[Birdstrike]

I have a boxer. Second one. Next to perfect dogs.

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[Groove]

White GSD pup is now 5 mo old and was the best decision. It's not easy while living alone and having erratic hours, but I make it work. The 9wk-onward phase was rough. I just kept him in bed while sleeping and set my alarm every 3 hours to take him out to use the bathroom. Lots of messes and carpet cleaning in the beginning but not anymore. He's the best.

If I could only keep him away from the mud though...

 

[MSmentor018]

if your doing locums, housing an issue, having to fly...etc get a small dog <20lbs. thats the airline carry on weight. plus finding housing maybe easier. when my king cav was a pup and working long hours/overnight call, i put up a baby gate in the spare bathroom, taped OR drapes on the floor, bed/food/water that way they're not stuck in a cage for long periods of time.