<p>I also think that if you really don’t need to use the scholarship money for educational purposes, you should donate it back to the organization so they can give it to one of the many students who are struggling financially and even are having to drop out of school because they can’t pay their bills.</p>
<p>Kristin, ask yourself if you are ready to have a child. Of course, puppies are not human babies, but they require almost as much care as babies for the first few months - potty training, obedience classes, etc. take up a lot of time. It is a huge responsibility and it takes a lot of work to raise the puppy right, or you’ll end up with an unruly, dysfunctional canine. Ask yourself the following questions. Who will take care of the puppy when you travel out of town or have to stay at school/work late? If you end up in grad school or taking a job in a place where there is no affordable housing for pet owners, what would happen to your dog? Dogs get sick, and sometimes treatment costs run thousands of $$$ - who will be footing the vet bills?</p>
<p>Agreed BB. I could argue that puppies are more work than babies since there are no puppy diapers and babies aren’t born with teeth.</p>
<p>No ethical breeder will sell you a puppy. No responsible shelter or breed rescue will let you adopt a puppy or an adult dog. (And if you are a true dog lover you would not consider getting a dog from any other source.) </p>
<p>Not because you aren’t a good person and a dog lover. Because you are a student who will without a doubt be moving multiple times in the next 5-10 years, and most likely to rentals, most of which do not allow pet ownership.</p>
<p>The chances that you would end up being unable to keep the dog are simply too great. </p>
<p>I love dogs, and I sympathize very much with your desire to have one. But this is not the time. The only alternative I see is if you can do what someone suggested upthread and foster a service dog in training for a limited time.</p>
<p>Being emotionally ready to do something is worlds apart from being financially ready. Surely you know that, even if you are hiding behind the idea that the only thing standing between you and a dog is your parents. </p>
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<p>That your parents are supporting you, that you would be seriously considering asking them for $1000 inspite of that to obtain an animal you cannot otherwise afford makes you sound exactly like an insolent 20 year old.</p>
<p>You cannot afford this animal. That is the bottom line. That you might be able to wear your parents down and gift you this money instead of graciously insisting they take all of it as a small token towards the cost of your education is another indication that you are not ready to own an animal.</p>
<p>Consolation, that is a great point. A breeder who readily agrees to sell a puppy to a college student will most likely be running some sort of a puppy mill. A huge puppy mill was just busted in our state a few weeks ago. The poor dogs (pugs, Maltese, and other small dogs -almost 500 of them!) were in terrible shape, sick, filthy, and malnourished. Would you want to support these types of operations by buying from them? Would you want a puppy with almost guaranteed health problems?</p>
<p>Yikes, wasn’t expecting some of the harsh replies I received with this one.</p>
<p>To answer some questions:
- Parents offered to let me keep some of the scholarship money as extra spending money.
- I will be in class from 8-noon fall semester, so will have ample time to spend with potential puppy.
- Yes, I do have a job that pays well for a campus job. Yes, besides car and tuition, I support myself. Yes, I have been planning on this puppy for quite some time and have a nice chunk of change saved for his expenses, but thought putting the part of my scholarship that my parents are allowing me to keep would be a nice addition.
- My townhome is a rental but is pet friendly. My roommates, as well as future neighbors, are thrilled with the prospect of the addition of a pet.
- Yes, I do run on a regular basis. I would love to have a new jogging buddy.
- I planned to rescue or adopt a puppy or dog, but am leaning toward puppy because I enjoy training new dogs. Yes, I am aware the older dogs can be easier to raise and make fabulous pets.
- Dogs do have quite long lifespans, which is part of what attracts me to them. I would like to raise a puppy and have a pet as a companion at this point in my life. </p>
<p>I know most college kids, and college situations, are not conducive to dogs/pets/puppies/etc. But really, I’ve done my research, talked to local shelters and rescue agencies, spoken with my roommates and landlords, saved money to support future puppy, and am definitely looking forward to this addition to my life. </p>
<p>Thanks for the advice though. I’ll definitely continue reading through these replies. Perhaps I will continue saving for puppy and will add “my” $1000 to my savings account so I can use it for other, even non-pet related, surprise expenses. </p>
<p>And to whoever suggested raising service dogs–that is a wonderful idea! I am definitely going to look further into that one.</p>
<p>It’s definitely cool to see responsible pet owners here too. Good job CC!</p>
<p>If you can afford to buy a puppy with your scholarship money, please donate it so that a student who really needs scholarship money can get it. Please know that there really are plenty of hard working, motivated students who are having to leave college because they can’t afford the costs. Clearly, you don’t really need that money, so donate it so it can help a student who does need the money to continue their education.</p>
<p>Pet sit or do other things to earn the $ to get a dog.</p>
<p>So what happens after fall semester? What if your following semester is jammed packed? I would suggest you get to college (are you there now?) and see how things shape up first. I have a very flexible work schedule and my dog still requires more time and exercise than I can ever provide.</p>
<p>So why did you bother to post? Sounds like you already made up your mind a long time ago, have already completely justified your plans, and apparently you know much more than the rest of us put together.</p>
<p>I second Northstarmom. Give the money back. Will you really feel good about keeping money you don’t need while other students are being forced to leave your university for lack of funds? </p>
<p>You’ll be in class from 8-noon. How many hours will you be in the library, study groups and meetings? How many hours do you work? And next semester? The semester after that? Once you leave school and have to log the hours of a new employee?</p>
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<p>Please reread this sentence. You are not supporting yourself. If you were, there would be no “besides.” </p>
<p>When your future is still divided into semesters and you are not supporting yourself, it’s not the time to adopt a pack animal. That you love dogs is clear. That you are not in a place in your life to be a the kind of owner you want to be is also clear.</p>
<p>Keep the money.</p>
<p>Keep the money and volunteer at a shelter to get your puppy fix. Many dog shelters need young, energetic volunteers to take the dogs for long walks.</p>
<p>I’d really like to apologize to anyone out there who thinks I am irresponsible for wanting a dog while in college and also to those who may think I am being obnoxious. I’m definitely not trying to offend anyone on any level…just looking for some outside perspectives.</p>
<p>Perhaps it would help if I just start over, and hopefully alleviate some of the confusion that this post may have brought up.</p>
<p>I grew up in a house full of pets and have always been excited for a time when I could have a pet of my own. I have worked hard to save money to support my future pet financially. I’ve researched breeds, breeders, mixes, and shelters. I’ve gotten referrals for local vets and for vets in my hometown. I’ve looked into the financial demands of a dog over its first year and the course of its lifespan. I’ve talked to roommates and landlords about this potential dog and all are in agreement that it would be fine. I plan to rent from this landlord for the remainder of my time here, and since I’m going to med school here too, I’ll likely be in the same complex for the next six years or so. I am already in school–a sophomore by years, a junior by hours–and have spoken extensively with my academic advisor about the demands of my academic future here and have found ways to plan my schedule accordingly so that I can have the maximum amount of time possible to spend with potential puppy. I’m not planning to do any extensive traveling after this summer (I’ll complete traveling before puppy is adopted), but will admit that I have not figured out any type of dog sitter or boarding situation should I go somewhere other than to visit my parents (which I somewhat doubt, but who knows.) I am open to adopting either a puppy or an adult, but prefer a puppy because I want to raise him and quite enjoy training a new dog, which I did with my dogs at my parents’ house. My townhome includes a yard and is less than a block away from a large park and numerous trails. I enjoy running and would like to train pup to run with me at some time too. I am not one to take a responsibility lightly, and I really believe that I have researched this pretty thoroughly and am quite excited to get a dog when the time is right over the summer/fall.</p>
<p>That being said, I would like to have some extra money available if something should happen to puppy (as is definitely possible, because those little guys can be quite unpredictable!). I just found out that I won a merit-based scholarship to the amount of $4,000. This was no small feat–it was a lot of work to find the scholarship, be nominated for it by various faculty, and to complete the application packet–and I am quite proud of my accomplishment. Last night when I posted, I was considering the notion of asking my parents if I could use some of this money (or, rather, have some of the money that this scholarship is saving them) to save for potential puppy. I asked this community because I find that many of you have different and well educated opinions, and I didn’t want to seem completely off base in my request should I decide to go through with it. However, this morning my parents told me that they would give me some of the money that they’re saving as a result of this new scholarship as extra spending money, which I now plan on using toward puppy, so perhaps my original question is now a moot point.</p>
<p>I must admit (and perhaps it is because I am young and naive) that I was a little surprised to read responses to the effect of “give it back–you shouldn’t use it for a puppy, and if you don’t need it for school, then give it to someone who does.” First, this scholarship was awarded to me need-blind, which was quite a relief to a student who has seen little in the way of financial reward from my school in the past. Yes, I do come from a family who has been fortunate enough to pay for my education, but that certainly does not mean that money is in excess for me or my family. I do not intend to offend, but there is absolutely no way I would give back my scholarship. I worked hard for it and actually think I have done a fair amount of work to deserve some recognition from my school every once in awhile. It really does feel nice to be rewarded for working hard, and I don’t think I should be asked to return this money just because my parents can afford to pay for my schooling with fewer loans than other families.</p>
<p>Med school and dog is a bad situation for the dog.</p>
<p>Do something shorter term like fostering or raising a service dog.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for the other posters, but I was not offended by anything you said. I’m sure you’re a smart and dedicated student. However, you probably have no idea how hard medical school is going to be. I can almost guarantee you that it is going to be a lot harder than you think. You probably know that your first two years you will probably be in class from 9-5 and then come home and study for hours. Your last two years of clinical clerkships you may be on call overnight and have long and unpredictable hours. Who will take care of the dog then? Twomules is right.</p>
<p>You are about to make a HUGE commitment to your education. You dont need another new LONG TERM commitment to a dog. No undergrad ever estimates correctly the amount of time or finances their academics or social life will entail. Real life always comes as a surprise. My advice…give it a year and see how you feel later.</p>
<p>I knew lots of people who had dogs in grad school. Some were science students who had to go to the lab at all hours to take care of their experiments, others were computer science students who were at school all hours working on projects. At Berkeley (a long time ago, don’t know if it’s still true), dogs were welcome on campus. Well-behaved dogs rode the elevator, sometimes by themselves, to get to their owners’ offices.</p>
<p>My brother-in-law had a couple of big dogs while he was getting his PhD in Boston. He did end up using doggie daycare during periods when he was too absorbed in lab work to take his dogs out for exercise. Later he took his dogs with him when he did a post-doc in Europe.</p>
<p>I think having a dog can work well, but I also think a puppy sounds like unnecessary overhead. You could get a young dog that has plenty of years left, perhaps a dog that is leaving another home because of allergies or housing difficulties.</p>
<p>In response to your original question - I don’t think you should use scholarship money for the dog. My kid got a $1500/year merit scholarship and although it’s a drop in the bucket in comparison to the total cost of attendance, I’m very happy she got it and it makes a real difference. Also, I think it would be more helpful to your relationship with your parents in the long run to make sure that you cover this discretionary expense on your own. It shows that you are grateful for their gifts but don’t take anything for granted.</p>
<p>Think into the future. I was a housewife with 3 small kids living in a hospital-provided apartment while H was a medical resident. Almost all of the (single) residents had dogs–large dogs locked up in small apartments all day and night while their owners worked long hours–Dogs that had accidents in the hallways and left funky scents in closets and carpet for the next residents who moved into their apartments. Dogs that barked and howled constantly–and I had to sit there in my apartment and listen to them. Those dogs were abused–they had sad and lonely lives.
The lawn, playground, and even the front steps of the building were covered with dog poop, which the owners were too darn lazy to clean up. . .</p>
<p>In a word. NO. Don’t get a dog. You’ll regret it. You just will not have the time and energy to take care of.</p>
<p>I hope the raising a puppy for service idea works out. </p>
<p>Sounds like you enjoy training. How about dog sitting?</p>
<p>If you do get your own puppy, there are more opportunities for service…pet therapy visits. And check out “Sit, Stay, Read!” </p>
<p>As a younger person, a renter and supporting myself, I would take in strays. Cats and dogs, run ads and find them homes. A couple of times I went to the city pound (a nightmare place back then) adopted puppies, housebroke them and found them homes.</p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>