Thoughts about my future- life on my own. Without dogs?

I'm 19 years old, as some of you may know. I've been attempting to get a job- I have a lot of community service under my belt, as well as club leadership positions in college, so I'm hoping it's only a matter of time. Once I can get enough money for it, I want to be on my own, live away from home in an apartment or condo, learning to support myself.

Surprisingly, it's not being on my own that makes me nervous. It's being alone- without a dog.

I have a hunch that once I'm in graduate school with a job and my own place, I just won't be home enough for a dog, unless by some miracle I can work from home. I think it's mostly watching my mom and my brother work from 6am to 4pm every day that assures me of this, more and more by the day. It has me really down, as I have grown up with dogs and can't imagine being without one of my own. I'm going for counseling psychology, so I've got a chance of setting my own schedule once I get the next degree. Once I get through graduate school, I imagine it will get easier and more possible to devote time to a canine friend.

Does anyone have any experience with this, or any advice for me?

Well, I've been living away from my dog off and on for about three years now, and it's been difficult at times. Luckily for me most of my time away was spent working at horse barns and now my grooming salon so I had plenty of other animals to occupy my time. Could you maybe volunteer at an animal shelter or a place like that?

You could, once you are on your own, get a small pet that doesn't require as much time as a dog - a guinea pig, maybe, that would sleep much of the time you are away from home, but be awake and interact with you when you are. They are not dogs, but they are delightful little furry personalities on their own!

I think you will adjust, especially if you have as busy of a life as you describe. I have been without a dog since Casey went to the RB two years ago. However, I have the cats.

How about getting a cat?

I hesitated about adding a new dog to my family since Binx went to the RB in 2004, for the reason you mentioned- time/commitment. I work a lot. I felt it not in a dog's best interest, as I am not home enough. Then, along came Jasper. (Well, Jonah came along first, in 2004). Jonah really, really, really wanted a dog. Something about kids and dogs, I guess. After fostering Jasper for 2 months, I realized he was the right dog for our house. And, I am still not home a lot. I leave at 830 am and return at 4. I walk Jasper to the bus stop each morning, and then leave for work, and he is let out the moment we get home at 4. It works for us. Jasper produces the least amount of excrement of any other dog I know. For instance, last night, I last walked him at 730. When I got up at 6, he stayed in bed until I called him to eat at about 620. I took him out after that. He just doesn't produce much, LOL. There ARE times where he will nudge me awake if he has to go out, so it isn't as if I ignore his calls, or that I refuse to let him out. That is just the way he is. And, that was a BIG plus for us keeping him.

But, having said that, if I am going to be late getting home, I stress. If we are tied up a lot on the weekends, I stress. I try to alter my schedule at any opportunity to provide more interaction with him. I stress when my son says he is too tired to walk to the bus stop, or it is raining, and we 'have' to drive. Having a pet like a dog is a huge responsibility. I think we hit the total dog jackpot with Jasper, as he totally works in our lifestyle (with the exception of his carsickness!!!).

So, that is our experience.

I think it really depends on your school/work schedule and your dog. I'm a grad student, and I have 3 dogs, 3 cats, and a daughter (but I also have a husband to help me out). If you are planning to work more than part time AND do grad school, I'd say don't get a dog, get a different kind of pet (like a cat) instead. School has always been very "easy" for me so I was surprised how much work a PhD program actually is.

However, despite all the work, most of it can be done at home (which is why we can have 3 dogs without any problems). I'm home most of the time, except for class time and when I work out of the home. For paid work, I don't have anything very time-consuming because I would not have time for school then. I work one night a week as a piano teacher, and do some work from home when I get projects, as well as some work as a researcher occasionally (out of the home). I feel like I have more flexibility as a student than if I worked full time, but in your field you may need to do internships, etc. If you're unsure, you should probably wait on a dog. Are you going to go for a PhD in counseling psych or a PsyD?

My good friend was in a similar situation as you. She decided to get a hamster while she was in college. Later, after she was finished with college she moved to Chicago and adopted 2 rabbits from a rescue there. She lives in a pet-friendly apartment and her bunnies have a room of their own where they can stay, cage-free, when she's not home (they're litter box trained).

I've never thought of getting anything smaller than a cat (besides a small dog, ha). Never had a rabbit or a hamster before, although I've had friends who have had them. That's a good alternative.

A cat is something to consider. They're certainly much more independent, and would not suffer so much in the absence of a person.

I am a volunteer with our Greyhound group with my mother, and once my mom gets the Hartford Dog Pound group going, I'll have that to volunteer with too.

I have no clue what my schedule will be- who knows, I may have time after all, but I can't dismiss this as a possibility. I'm iffy with it because I'm so close to all my pets, but I just began to think about this. I tend to contemplate things like this ahead of time (sometimes, it ends up working out and I worry for nothing...). We'll see what happens years from now, but thank you all for your insight.

I was "Dog Free" for 15 years. Similar to your situation: completed school, got my first job, commuting from my folks home didn't work, got my first apartment.

Did I miss a dog? ABSOLUTELY!
I made regular visits home to see "my" dogs, lol. My folks would come to visit and bring the pups, or drop the dogs with me for a weekend while they spent the weekend elsewhere (but near me, so no extra driving involved).

BUT I also got time to adapt to having my own place, making MY own schedule, developing friendships in the new place. Trying out various after work activities, to see what I liked, what I didn't like. Because a relocation was involved ( just an hour, and to an area we'd spent LOADS of time), I had time to learn my way around.

Funny thing: one bit I missed most was having to clean my kitchen floor! Ha haaa, with dogs in the house, we really didn't ever get crumbs, and suddenly I had to sweep after meals now and again! I still comment on it now, here w/ Dad and the flock of fluffs.

It will be a change, but that is all part of life. And with time, your life will change AGAIN and you will have dogs in your life again.

You need a ferret. I'm in about the same boat once Autumn dies. Do I have time for another dog right away or not? Probably not.