Owning a dog in PT school?

[ptlover]

Hello I am looking to possibly adopt a dog this year because I will have a full year before applying to PT school. I recently acquired a full time job as a rehab aide, and feel that I have a little more time since I will finish classes this summer. I was wondering if some of you applying to the 2014 cycle had a dog? Thought about getting one? Or would live with someone who had a dog? I really want a smaller one that is house trained etc and plan on taking it to obedience class. I would hope to have roommates but I am not sure how people typically feel about having dogs in their apartments. Some feedback would be great as I look into adopting.

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[DocBallerina]

I have two little dogs (ages 7 and 10) that I brought with me to PT school. I've had them for quite a while and they are potty trained. I had a heck of a time finding an apartment that would allow me to have them. (And of course, there's not only one...but two) They're both shih-tzu mixes.
Having a dog in PT school is doable, but requires a bit of flexibility. For instance, sometimes my classmates want to meet over lunch to go over projects and I can't because I have to go home at lunch to let my pups outside.
Because I do not have a yard, I walk them twice per day and let them out on the leash about 4-5 times. Getting up at 5am to walk the dogs and then at 5:30 pm when I'm dead tired from school can be a challenge, but they're worth it.
The last thing would be you now need to be really cognizant of any weekend/overnight plans. Either you go somewhere that you can take the dog, or you have to board the dog...which can be expensive. And yes, makes finding a place during clinicals challenging if you're not at home.
Hope that helps!

Oops...forgot to mention that coming home to their little faces sometimes keeps me going!!!!!

 

[greco13]

I love animals and someday want to own a variety of'em but not now. They're too much $ and an inconvenience. I am going to be living on loans and don't need to be worrying about animal food, animal health care costs, additional monthly rent charges/deposit. Also when you get to clinicals you might not be able to stay local and will need to find short term housing.

 

[goyo1010]

Got a bunch of classmates with dogs and/or cats! During midterm/finals/stressful times, our FB page would get flooded with them posting pics of their pets... So... apparently it's very doable to have a pet during PT school. Although, I did hear a few of them keep their pet at their parents/significant other's place... The majority care for them during the school year, though. One of the dogs just had his birthday party, and his owner invited other dogs to come over and play lol...

 

[ptlover]

These are all really great suggestions! I have a lot of thinking to do. I am just curious if there are any single DPT students who currently have a dog and a roommate where this is working out for them!