<p>I’m moving to a new townhome in August and plan to get a puppy this summer. Yes, I’m aware that I’m a college student, and that they require large amounts of time, energy, and money, and I’m pretty familiar with what it takes to raise a dog since I’ve had one for the past decade.</p>
<p>My question for you: last week I won a merit scholarship through the biology department (I’m a bio major). Of course, my parents are very proud of me and happy that I have another scholarship to add to the list since they’re paying for school for me (and I am very grateful for this, trust me). The scholarship is for $4,000. Do you think it would be “out of line” to ask for some of this money–say, $1000–to spend on the costs associated with my new pet?</p>
<p>Part of me says: It’s money that I earned through a completely merit-based scholarship, so I should get to use it as I please and it would be great (as well as very useful) to have some money for the pup.</p>
<p>Other side says: My parents have paid for my education and continue to do so, and it’s my duty to help them if I can–which this entire scholarship would definitely do. Plus, it’s a scholarship, and it’s designed for use against my tuition.</p>
<p>Parents are lukewarm to the idea of my puppy, and not to sound like an insolent 20 year old, but I’m not going to let them talk me out of adding a new dog to my life.</p>
<p>How would you reply to your kids if they asked what I’m proposing? Thanks!</p>
<p>I would tell my daughter that I think she is not ready for the responsibilities of pet ownership and that it would be very selfish to adopt a puppy. Do you have a job? If you need money for pet care, then it should come from your earnings. Scholarship money is intended by the people who award it to go toward your studies.</p>
<p>I am an animal lover as is DH, we would not be happy without our critters, but it is a mistake to get a puppy in college, unless you are living at home with your parents so their are more people around.</p>
<p>If you cannot spend a ton of time with a dog it may not turn into a great dog. My Dd adopted a mature cat in university and that was too much for her, then she had the burden of finding a new home for him, it was sad and stressful. If you are ‘away’ at college I would recommend a fish ;)</p>
<p>Don’t wait to get a dog because of your parents! Don’t wait because of you! Wait because if is the right thing for the dog. We once adopted a dog that needed a home, the problem was that though we had other older dogs at that point in time both DH & I were working outside the home and we did not have the requisite time to spend with the new dog, she was insecure her entire life and I know that was my fault!</p>
<p>Ask your parents what kind of dog they like because this dog will most likely be spending a lot of time (if not find a permanent home) with them over the years.</p>
<p>“My question for you: last week I won a merit scholarship through the biology department (I’m a bio major). Of course, my parents are very proud of me and happy that I have another scholarship to add to the list since they’re paying for school for me (and I am very grateful for this, trust me). The scholarship is for $4,000. Do you think it would be “out of line” to ask for some of this money–say, $1000–to spend on the costs associated with my new pet?”</p>
<p>Given the economy, which is hurting virtually everyone including the wealthy, yes, I do think it would be out of line.</p>
<p>The cost of taking care of your pet should come out of your funds. Your scholarship money should be used for your scholarly pursuits. If your parents are paying for your schooling, pretty much all of your tuition, this really needs to offset that. Yes, you earned it. But having it go toward the expenses of a puppy, I don’t agree.</p>
<p>Is this a purchased townhome or a rental? Do they allow dogs? You mentioned new. Nothing will reduce the value of a new townhome in a college/university town more than a student living with a puppy. They need to be taken out at all hours of the day and night. They chew on wood trim and corners. Did your parents purchase the townhouse?</p>
<p>And finally, have you called to estimate the vet bills for the first year of a puppy’s life, one that is healthy? This is not including food, toys, etc. and any boarding for when you want to take off for spring break, a weekend to a friend’s house.</p>
<p>No to the puppy for many reasons. The Bio. dept. didn’t give you a scholarship to buy a dog. There are prob. lots of kids at your sch. who (they or their parents) are struggling to pay their bills. They would love to have the money you want to spend on a dog. </p>
<p>I’m sure your parents are proud of you for winning the scholarship. If they are paying for sch. for you, it would seem that they could use the scholarship money to help with your bills or do they just have lots of extra cash so their paying the extra $1000 for you to have a dog is no prob? </p>
<p>What about all the bills associated with townhome living?
My S is on a full scholarship and lives off-campus. He is expected to pay his bills fr. the scholarship $$. He uses it to pay rent, utilities, cable, internet and food. Off campus lving can be more expensive than you think. Are you expecting your parents to pay all those bills while yu are asking them for $1000 for a dog? Will you have roommates in your townhouse? If so, you should talk to them. Even if it is “your dog” others living with you will have to put up with it and may not be willing to. One of S’s three roommates wanted a dog but was voted down by the other three.</p>
<p>You say you have plenty of dog experience since owning a dog for a decade. If you are 20, that means you got the dog when you were 10. I have a feeling a ten yr. old was not totally responsible for the car and training of a new puppy. It can be hard and frustrating.</p>
<p>Remember, dogs have long lifespans. Our dog is 13 yrs. old. He has been on medication all his life for a chronic prob. It is expensive. Think of all the opportunities/possibilities for your life over the next 15 years that having a dog could really complicate. Just going off for weekend trips with friends can be expensive to board the dog. Do you have a job? Will your parents be paying for that?</p>
<p>I love dogs too but this just seems like a bad idea for you right now.</p>
<p>Do your parents live near the school you attend? </p>
<p>The chances of your leaving the dog with someone else (or dumping him) are unfortunately very high. Several of my friends work for colleges/universities and some of their pets have come from student housing, after the students who got these animals left them behind, and I won’t even mention the hugely pregnant cat that was found in a dorm and ended up at my house. </p>
<p>Of course, none of the students who left these unfortunate animals behind expected to leave them behind, yet they all did.</p>
<p>Young animals are time intensive. It took almost a year for our new dog to be able to go 3 hours without being let out. (There goes your lab time.) And yes, she was in a crate. Crate training works well but can’t make a bladder mature. The nonstop energy is unbelievable. She just doesn’t tire out for very long. She needs at minimum to play outside twice a day for half an hour each in order to keep the house from being torn apart from wild games of “see how fast I can run”. I am constantly buying chew toys so that she doesn’t g after my daughter’s shoes.</p>
<p>A townhouse has shared walls. If the dog ends up a barker or a lonely heart aroo-singer, your neighbors are not going to thank you.</p>
<p>But I know how great dogs are. Maybe you are a runner who can take the dog out for a three mile run in the morning. Can you take the dog on campus with you?</p>
<p>Would you be willing to not get a puppy but a senior dog? With the foreclosures and economic situation many shelters and rescue groups have older family pets that have been given up and are heartbroken. An older dog would not be as time intensive and grateful for a home. Or you could foster dogs until the rescue group can find them a home.</p>
<p>Ooo, I just had an idea. Would you raise a dog that will be a service dog? They need homes that will take them to all kinds of situations. Maybe under that scenario you could take the dog to classes, into the dining hall, to the campus center. Someone on here has probably done this.</p>
<p>Well, I had two cats all through college–against the rules in my dorm room–and my daughter took her cat to school with her. Cats, being more independent than dogs, cope with that situation more easily.</p>
<p>BUT… why not get a DOG instead of a puppy? A nice ten-month-old house-trained and energetic lab mix who would love to live with people but still be capable of spending four or five hours resting in her crate while you’re in class, once you’ve gotten up and done the morning romp?</p>
<p>I think buying a dog is very impractical. Even with your parents paying for school…There are just an endless number of unexpected costs (they were unexpected to us, lol). Everytime we turn around, the kids need money for something or other. We too pay 100% for them to go to school. I think I’d be upset if one of them used a scholarship to get a puppy. First of all, I would want them to adopt a pet…not go out and buy one. But I wouldn’t even want them to do that to the puppy at this point. They are constantly out at classes, practices…etc. They simply don’t have the time to devote to a new pet. Even an older pet would need alot of time and love. The actual care of 1 puppy isn’t a whole lot different then a baby (ok…it is different). But just when you are starting to fall asleep…when you hear that lil whining crying thing…you have no choice but to get up and take the puppy outside. Its not like you can ignore it…that would be your repsonsiblity 100%. Others have mentioned the costs of dog ownership. Vet bills are expensive. A single dog needs lots of toys to keep them occupied, they need regular walks.</p>
<p>I would seriously re-think this if I were you. I think your parents would actually be really surprised if you throw this idea at them, lol.</p>
<p>I’m not a parent, I’m a young alum, and while I agree with most of the parents that you should wait on the puppy, I have a different take on why.</p>
<p>Use the money for tuition. Why? Because the less financially dependent you are on your parents, the better off you are, and the better off your relationship with them is. The less they are paying of your expenses, the less leverage they have to control you with. This is better for you, better for them, and better for your relationship. And here you have some free money to help with this, not even something with horrible long-term effects that might negate the positives, like a big loan. The puppy can wait, cute as puppies are. You have many years after college to have a puppy. :)</p>
<p>I agree that you should wait to get the puppy. You really have no idea the responsibility involved. Were you the one who got up with it every few hours every night until it was house trained? Most 10 year olds don’t do this. What arrangements will you make for overnight, weekend trips or vacations? Boarding is expensive. What arrangements are there for a big unpredicted expense? Puppy eats aluminum foil - thousands for surgery. My D went to visit a friend who lived off campus at a townhouse last semester. One room mate had a puppy and someone let it out by accident - the puppy ran straight into the street and was hit. Hopefully, the dog will be around for a long time. You will have to find places to live that allow dogs and most rental units do not. That is one reason so many dogs are being abandoned. You really seriously need to rethink this. I could go on and on. If, however, you decide to go ahead with this puppy, do not get a breed that is a working dog or herder by nature. Those dogs either need lots and lots of exercise or they will take every opportunity to run off and get it themselves. Dogs that are bored or not getting enough exercise are destructive. It is not the dog’s fault when it eats your sofa - it is yours. Crate train, crate train, crate train! This will protect the dog and the surroundings and is the most humane way to do so.</p>
<p>I’ve not a chance to read the whole thread so I apologize if I’m being redundant in my advice:</p>
<p>Taking care of a dog in a family environment is very different than caring for a dog by yourself.
Taking care of a puppy is extremely challenging compared to taking care of a full grown dog.</p>
<p>I know from where I speak. We have two dogs. When one turned 3 we decided to get him a companion. As experienced dog owners, we were sure it would all be fine, after all we loved our dog so what would be better than another one!? </p>
<p>Well despite it being only 3 years ago and despite there being three peopl ein the house ot help with the new puppy, we were overwhelmed! We had forgot how much work it is!! My god, had we known - no, had we remembered- I’m not sure we would have gotten the second one.</p>
<p>We forgot you can’t leave them alone. That they will cry and cry at night. That they have to go out of the house to the bathroom, not on schedule, many many times a day until they are potty trained. That they chew up furniture. And books. And earrings. And pull out everything from everything. The crying, the poop, the mess. It is NOT AT ALL LIKE HAVING A DOG! </p>
<p>That is why god makes them cute, so you don’t KILL them in the year or year and half until they are full grown. </p>
<p>It’s a ton of work you can not appreciate, and not fair to either the dog or to you. Do college and THEN have the dog to look forward to. or please, at least do a year of college so you can see for yourself what your life is like and then consider a dog. You don’t yet know your schedule. You don’t realize how much you will be in class, at clubs, out and about wanting the full college experience. And instead you’ll have to stay at home A LOT or it will really be cruel to your puppy.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether you get a puppy or not, the scholarship funds are specifically supposed to be used for educational purposes. It is not ethical to use those funds to pay for the costs of a puppy.</p>
<p>Everyone I know is having some financial concerns – major financial concerns-- due to the economy. Even if your parents haven’t told you about their concerns, more than likely they have some very serious worries. I know that my H and I, for instance, have been discussing our financial issues, but we haven’t let our college student son know about this.</p>
<p>This is not the time to get a pet. If you want to be around animals, then start a pet sitting or dog walking business. I’m sure your parents would be overjoyed at your needing less money from them, and you’d also be able to fulfill your desire to be around animals.</p>
<p>You should use your scholarship money for school related expenses. Instead of buying a puppy, use the $1000 for books. Science books are expensive. I’m sure your parents would appreciate it. I agree with the other posters that you should not get a puppy, or even a dog. Unless you’ve had sole responsibility for taking care of a dog, you can’t truly say that you know what it involves. Having a dog as a child and having one as an adult when you are truly responsible for it are two different things. Do you have a car so that you can take the dog to the vet? Do you know how much a vet visit and pet medications can cost? Do you have the funds to pay for these on short notice? Does you townhome have a fenced in yard? If not, are you able to take the dog on multiple walks everyday including early every morning? Wait until you finish college and are established in a job before you get a dog.</p>
<p>Kristin5792, I hope you’ll think about what is best for the dog and whether or not you’ll be able to fulfill the dog’s needs, before you think about your own need to have a furry friend.</p>
<p>Scholarships are given to help pay for educational expenses, not puppies. I think that if you choose to have a pet, you should pay all of the expenses with your own money.</p>
<p>Like most of the posters on this thread, I urge you to consider really hard whether or not you’ll have the time to properly care for a dog. At the very least, you will have to return to your townhome several times during the day to walk and spend time with your dog. They are pack animals and don’t do well if left alone for long periods of time.</p>