japlanet Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 To those wondering about having a dog in med school - It depends on the school, and on the dog. My dog is CRAZY and I'm going to have to get rid of him before clerkship. At the moment, taking care of him means always trying to come back in the middle/end of the day to walk/feed him, which is difficult some days at mac (ex. lecture 9-12, tutorial 1-4, clinical skills 5-8, all at different hospitals requiring driving time). This will vary depending on your group's schedule though. The only way it's worked so far is because I live about 30 seconds from school so I can pop back when I have a free half hour. But still, he's alone in my 1 bdr, 2nd floor apt for a good chunk of the day and I can't recommend that to other dog owners. Basically, unless your dog is more like a cat, if your school has much more rigid scheduling, you're not interested in doing electives, going to conferences, and otherwise planning your life around feeds and walks, or you have a house full of people willing to help you take care of it, I would really not recommend it. Also keep in mind, clerkship, 30 hour call days, and moving around potentially for electives. Not convenient with any sort of animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemesis Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 ...Basically, unless your dog is more like a cat, if your school has much more rigid scheduling, you're not interested in doing electives, going to conferences, and otherwise planning your life around feeds and walks, or you have a house full of people willing to help you take care of it, I would really not recommend it. ... This is what I was afraid of... Thanks for the info! EDIT: What breed of dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted May 27, 2010 Report Share Posted May 27, 2010 My girlfriend and I have a Basset hound. If you get a dog as a puppy it is a TONNE of work for the first couple months. Our dog was amazing and is super friendly and well trained. He was house broken within a month and would sleep 7-8 hours through the night. So all things considered he was a breeze as far as puppies go but still a lot of work regardless. We were feeding him 4 times a day to start, he never went more than 4 hours alone. The crate training really helped. He's now 9 months old and great. He has such a personality and is very friendly/socialized and one of the goofiest looking dogs. However, looking back on it I wouldn't have got him if I were on my own. Between the two of us it worked out well. Ottawa's pre-clerkship curriculum will be good for me to take care of him (Come home to take him out and give him some attention). But when clerkship roles around we'll likely have to hire a dog walker to come in every afternoon, unless my girlfriend has a job that allows her to pop in at lunch. So long story short, I absolutely love my dog, he's an amazing companion. However, it takes a lot of work and attention to get a dog to be well trained, properly socialized and fun to have around and probably isn't a task I would have taken on unless I wasn't in school last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japlanet Posted May 28, 2010 Report Share Posted May 28, 2010 This is what I was afraid of... Thanks for the info! EDIT: What breed of dog? I have a Jack Russell Terror . .. er, Terrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mei_Mei_girl Posted May 29, 2010 Report Share Posted May 29, 2010 My landlady has two large huskies who I walk/run with all the time. It makes life worth living ...lol. Not that bad, but seriously its nice to have the company. And plus I don't have to pay for their food or worry about them later on with electives when I move around etc. Its a nice deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rach Posted May 29, 2010 Report Share Posted May 29, 2010 To those wondering about having a dog in med school - It depends on the school, and on the dog. My dog is CRAZY and I'm going to have to get rid of him before clerkship. At the moment, taking care of him means always trying to come back in the middle/end of the day to walk/feed him, which is difficult some days at mac (ex. lecture 9-12, tutorial 1-4, clinical skills 5-8, all at different hospitals requiring driving time). This will vary depending on your group's schedule though. The only way it's worked so far is because I live about 30 seconds from school so I can pop back when I have a free half hour. But still, he's alone in my 1 bdr, 2nd floor apt for a good chunk of the day and I can't recommend that to other dog owners. Basically, unless your dog is more like a cat, if your school has much more rigid scheduling, you're not interested in doing electives, going to conferences, and otherwise planning your life around feeds and walks, or you have a house full of people willing to help you take care of it, I would really not recommend it. Also keep in mind, clerkship, 30 hour call days, and moving around potentially for electives. Not convenient with any sort of animal. Just wondering, if you're going to "get rid of him" before clerkship anyhow, why not find him a good home now and save yourself the trouble, and him the loneliness? It can't be easy to know that he's home alone all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemesis Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 My landlady has two large huskies who I walk/run with all the time. It makes life worth living ...lol. Not that bad, but seriously its nice to have the company.And plus I don't have to pay for their food or worry about them later on with electives when I move around etc. Its a nice deal! ...a sweet set-up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japlanet Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 Just wondering, if you're going to "get rid of him" before clerkship anyhow, why not find him a good home now and save yourself the trouble, and him the loneliness? It can't be easy to know that he's home alone all day. I'm currently working on finding him a home. It's an ongoing process, because he was abused as a puppy and has some behavioural issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resumedocket Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 In all seriousness, I am intersted in getting a dog, possibly a puppy. Resume Writing Services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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