Having 2 dogs during first year

[aalexisvet26]

What’s the verdict on adopting a second dog before even getting through your first year - absolutely insane or somewhat manageable? I’m considering younger rescues to adopt as a walking/running/hiking companion by the end of 2nd semester. I definitely plan on training/working with a new dog in some capacity on whatever behaviors may need work, so that’s definitely a consideration for time commitment. I will say I did struggle with grades my first semester, but after chatting with my professor we determined it was because I wasn’t using the right study methods for me to retain everything, not because I couldn’t manage my time. I really value taking advantage of any time I have where I’m not doing schoolwork, and would love a second adventure buddy - but know that I need to hit the books hard this semester. Has anyone else been in a similar situation and have advice?

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[JaynaAli]

In my opinion, this is like anything else (distance relationships, working out, cooking, whatever)…if it’s a priority for you and you’re willing to put the time in for that activity, then you’ll probably be fine. Would life be easier with only one dog? Probably. Will you be fine with two? Probably. Can you financially support two pets? What if you get a dog and school ends up keeping you more busy than you expect? Is your priority school or adventuring with a dog? I’d personally probably wait until you’re more settled and you know your schedule requirements. Can you not train or adventure with your current dog? Why do you need or want a second? Since you say you’re interested in a rescue, one option to consider would be to foster…that way if life gets too busy you can stop fostering without the responsibility of two dogs of your own.


You didn’t mention career goals but for anyone even remotely interested in heading down the internship or residency training, my advice is to keep pet numbers low and think about what breeds you have. If you have >3 pets it can be hard to find a place that will let you have that many animals, especially if you’re wanting a roommate who will also likely have a pet or multiple. And Pitbulls can be wonderful but they can make finding housing so much more difficult. The specialty road is nomadic and you’ll probably be in rental after rental so think ahead and don’t make life unnecessarily difficult for yourself. It’s not impossible to find housing with multiple pets and the “aggressive breeds” (insert eye roll), but your choices do become limited compared to the person with one cat, one small dog, or even just one big dog like a lab.

 

[DVMDream]

What’s the verdict on adopting a second dog before even getting through your first year - absolutely insane or somewhat manageable? I’m considering younger rescues to adopt as a walking/running/hiking companion by the end of 2nd semester. I definitely plan on training/working with a new dog in some capacity on whatever behaviors may need work, so that’s definitely a consideration for time commitment. I will say I did struggle with grades my first semester, but after chatting with my professor we determined it was because I wasn’t using the right study methods for me to retain everything, not because I couldn’t manage my time. I really value taking advantage of any time I have where I’m not doing schoolwork, and would love a second adventure buddy - but know that I need to hit the books hard this semester. Has anyone else been in a similar situation and have advice?

I agree with everything @JaynaAli already said, but wanted to add in how did your professor determine you weren't studying effectively first semester? Has this been put to the test? I mean second semester hasn't even started or has barely started so have you had a decent opportunity to change your study habits and confirm that was the cause for struggling with grades? I'd probably take the time to be sure you are going to be set this semester with grades, studying, etc since there's already a known problem before adding in an additional responsibility.