<p>Good luck finding an apartment that will let your D keep a German Shepard or Rottweiler cooped up all day, even if it were a good idea for her or the dog…some of this is just laughable.</p>
<p>My nephew bought a dog but had a very tough time getting any landlord who would allow him to keep it in a rental. He ended up giving dog to GF. Got a 2nd dog and had same rental issue and had to give dog to his dad. </p>
<p>That is why rescue organizations do not like to adopt dogs to students and apartment-dwellers.</p>
<p>when S went to college, only protection my wife gave him was box of condoms.</p>
<p>My roommate senior year got a small dog. She could not take care of it properly and it made a mess of our apartment. Then she found she was really unable to care for her dog the following her (her senior year) and ended up giving the dog away after only one year. Sure, girls need some sort of protection system and ways to defend themselves but having a dog may not be the best solution to this issue, just like having a stun gun or switchblade (is it legal in any state?) may not be the best solution.</p>
<p>^^^And really, how is a small dog going to “protect” anyone?</p>
<p>Doesn’t it take very vigorous, specifically focused training to get a dog to the point where he would actually be able to protect an individual? If someone broke into our home, our dog would go berserk with the barking, but he would essentially be useless for actually stopping a physical attack. If the perp had a weapon, he’d be even more irrelevant.</p>
<p>I saw a show recently which tested many guard dogs on their performance in the event of a burglary. The dogs were Rotties, pit bulls, German Shepherds, and some other kind of dog I can’t recall. Every dog owner said their dog would attack an intruder. Not one of the dogs actually did when the “perp” broke into the house. A couple of them barked, but most were actually submissive (very large guy, wearing protective gear). Only one (a Rottie, I think) made physical contact, and it was simply a nip at the heel.</p>
<p>Given the responsibility inherent with owning a dog, I think if the sole reason is for protection, the downsides are going to really outweigh the benefits.</p>
<p>I didn’t say my roommate got <em>her</em> dog for protection. I told this story to show that 1) it’s not so easy for a college student to take care of a dog in an apartment; and 2) circumstances change from year to year so it’s more unfair to the dog </p>
<p>As a dog lover, I don’t think it’s very fair to the dog to have it if someone’s not going to be home full time or close to full time with it. I also think a dog is a big responsibility - bigger than one thinks.</p>
<p>My last two dogs have been pits. Before that, we had a Rott/GSD. </p>
<p>People on here know how much I love my dogs and I treat my dog like royalty. Even <em>I’m</em> not stupid enough to think that I could properly take care of one while I’m going to school. Having a dog, especially a high energy dog, is like having a toddler. Every single plan would be so much more complicated if you had a dog. Want to go somewhere for the weekend? Need to find a dog sitter. Traveling home? Better hope your school is within driving distance. Dogs are expensive and big dogs eat a LOT of food. That’s an additional burden on your child- getting food, vet care, etc. Dog gets really sick in the middle of the night? Well, we’re off the vet ER. </p>
<p>Plus, with dogs who are trained, they need maintenance training in order to remain “effective.”</p>
<p>And, really, @HarvestMoon1. I am all for protection. However, I also realize that random crime is extremely rare in this country AND I think getting a dog for this purpose is dumb and short-sighted. If you want to protect your child, put them in a gated apartment complex or make sure they have a home security system or something other than relying on a dog to protect you. </p>
<p>My bad, @slackermomMD.</p>
<p>As has already been said, most college campuses (and especially campus housing) do not allow weapons on campus. Even schools that allow concealed carry on campus, I’d be willing to bet, do not allow weapons in campus housing.</p>
<p>Furthermore, if (God forbid) there were ever an active shooter on campus, police are trained to stop the shooting first and foremost. They’re not going to stop to ask if you’re the shooter or someone trying to defend themselves. I’ve heard this from campus police at now 3 different campuses in CA, CO, and VA. (for reference, the campus I work at currently does allow firearms on campus, but they have to be checked in and stored with campus police.)</p>
<p>There is no reason for anyone to have a weapon on a college campus, IMO. Pepper spray is the only thing I view as acceptable.</p>
<p>Hold on…I am being attacked. I have to take out my knife from the case, and then unwrap it.</p>
<p>Maybe I should get my handgun out of it’s locked case…but please wait for me.</p>
<p>ARE YOU CRAZY…sorry, over reacting. You want to send guns to college. You want to send knives with a kid who might not be sober all the time? Or others may not be sober?</p>
<p>Learn self defense. Learn how to assess a situation.</p>
<p>And I know that this will surprise all of you: I, and the rest of the Ellebuds (not all together and at different times of life) have learned how to shoot. I never thought I would shoot a gun. I have…learned. And no, we do not have a gun in the house. We do have a few knives…for chopping onions.</p>
<p>^I worked as an Orientation Leader for 2 years at my undergrad. A lot of parents (and some students) would ask about acceptable weapons. The school allowed blades 2.5" or shorter, unless they were kitchen knives. But, the police officers would always say, “If it’s not being used as a kitchen knife, that’s going to be a problem.”</p>
<p>If you’re going to get in a knife fight…make sure you have a gun. Best defense usually in any confrontation is using your feet to run away.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Doesn’t have to be a GS or Rottie. But, even so, I guess we live in an odd area. Most of college apts allow virtually any dog as long as the deposit is paid. And, many here do have large dogs. So, not at all laughable. </p>
<p>But even smaller dogs, like doxies, have a big dog bark and will alert LOUDLY if anyone attempts to break in. The intruder hears the “big dog bark” and moves on. </p>
<p>I think of situations where the woman had “no notice” and woke to an attacker literally on top of her. A dog would have alerted LONG before that.</p>
<p>Jugulator wins, with bevhills in 2nd.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t send mine with a gun unless they were on the shooting team. And I would expect those were locked up and under the coach’s control. I went to college in a then rural area and used to joke that, in hs shop class, while my brother and friends made lazy susans, boys near my college were making gun racks for their fathers’ trucks. Never saw a gun in a rack there, except when guys were en route home from hunting and also had a deer slung over the car or in the truck bed. </p>
<p>I lived with other female roomates in college. I lived alone in an apt after college. It NEVER occured to me that I needed a gun, dog, or switchblade. Unless you lived in a high crime neighborhood, I don’t understand the mindset that expects the worst all the time. Bad things happen, but pepper spray and self defense classes seem like wiser preparation. Or for that matter, staying aware of your surroundings, not walking alone at 3 am, and locking your door securely.</p>
<p>I’m reminded of my mother when I got my first full time job. We lived in the burbs, and the job was in the city. It was in a reasonably safe, busy, business/high rise area. Maybe if you sauntered down the street at midnight by yourself there might be a problem, but not during business hours. Yet my mom thought it was so dangerous for me to work downtown. And then one day she went to a local mall the same day as a lunatic who walked in with a machine gun and killed three people. My mom was fine, but had to hide behind a cash register at Macy’s. </p>
<p>So danger can be anywhere. Yet I will always reject the mindset that you need a weapon everywhere you go. </p>
<p>LookingForward: I’m second? I don’t like being second…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And being careful with respect to drunken parties.</p>
<p>I carry a knife, it is pretty useful.
Haven’t used it as a weapon, yet.</p>