Your Opinion
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I want more than a Shiba Inu.
But I'm going to be a junior in high school next year and i'll have to study for SATs and I'm taking 3 AP college courses plus I'm playing lacrosse, and it seems that Shibas take a lot of work.
Do you think that i will have enough time to take care of a Shiba Inu?
But I'm going to be a junior in high school next year and i'll have to study for SATs and I'm taking 3 AP college courses plus I'm playing lacrosse, and it seems that Shibas take a lot of work.
Do you think that i will have enough time to take care of a Shiba Inu?
Comments
NO
and NO
I would suggest waiting until you are WELL out of college. Your life is going to be only getting busier for the next 5-10 years. Possibly longer depending on your chosen career.
Getting a shiba now would be a catastrophically bad idea. I cannot convey that enough. If you need further explanation I will gladly go further. But honestly, getting a shiba is like having a child. Do you have time to raise a child? Then you don't have time for a shiba. Or any other dog for that matter.
I would advise you to wait, and make the shiba inu a future goal to work for. It is worth the wait!
Is it you getting a shiba or is your family going to get a shiba? Often my students' families end up taking care of the dog while the student is in college. It either becomes a point of contention or stress or becomes a family dog and no longer "theirs".
College can be a crazy time and the demands can be pretty stressful. If you live on campus, you will typically NOT be able to bring the dog. If you live off, you may encounter the same problem. I helped sit for room-mates animals when I was in school. I would say one did ok with their pets, but the other was a horrible situation.
It is as Jessica said, "do you have time to raise a child?". Dogs take lots of time if you want one that is well-behaved and happy. Many college students do not have enough time for themselves, let alone for an animal. Also, if you are living off-campus and are going to have room-mates, you HAVE to factor that in. One friend of mine's room-mates fed her pug beer and french fries when she was gone. They thought it was funny and would do no harm to the dog.
Another factor to consider is budget. Many college students live on a pretty tight budget. Will you have enough money to provide for yourself and the animal?
Your career choice should also factor in. My pre-med friends know they will have some travel during med school. They have NO LIFE! They are also at the mercy of their residencies. Even in the visual arts, my professors truly expected 3 hours outside of class time for every one in class.
If you are planning to continue sports in college, it typically only gets busier as well... Here is an example of a schedule I had in undergrad:
up by up by 8:00am for 9 am class...9:50 head to work...11:00 head to next class...lunch at noon...class at 1 pm...work until 3 pm...practice until 5 pm or so...dinner at 6pm...homework till finished (between midnight and 2 am for me...crazy visual arts student
During season, I typically had 2 games a week and at least one on the weekend. The closest team we played was 30 minutes away. The farthest was 8 hours. We were gone for several weekends. This is also something you will have to consider.
but never having any dogs before, my mom and i are both wondering why are dogs so much work?
call me naive, but i thought that you need to feed the dogs, take them on walks, brush them, go to training school with them and love them and that's about it.
are mature dogs easier to take care of then puppies?
does training take a long time?
- because they have a heartbeat and depend on you, like a child, forever and always
call me naive, but i thought that you need to feed the dogs, take them on walks, brush them, go to training school with them and love them and that's about it.
- well, yeah, but no at the same time. Its a full time job - every single day.
are mature dogs easier to take care of then puppies?
- not necessarily, sometimes they require a lot of "catching up" work depending on their background
does training take a long time?
- it never ends if you are doing it right!
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Has your mom considered a cat? That you can visit when you come home from college here and there?
Mature dogs can have their own set of special needs and training can last the whole life of the dog. It's not like you go to 6 classes and your dog is perfectly behaved.
Only you can make the final decision but since your asking it sounds like you already know the answer.
I think that the worst thing, besides not getting a shiba right now, is getting one then not having enough time for her.
I think that i will stay a part of this forum and wait until after college (depending on my career choice) to get one.
Tsukitsune- we already have 2 really skittish cats... that are terrified of me.
and another question that my mom was wondering about- How do people work and still have a shiba?
what I wrote - [Cats also require a lot of work, but I think are a good step to dog ownership down the road (as cats live quite a long time and require many of the same things a dog does). Check out your local shelter for a cat, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Talk to cat owners, your chosen vet and the shelter manager about what is required.]
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http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/rightdog/rightdog.html
I like how this website puts it:
"Next to getting married, having kids, buying a house or running a country, caring for a dog is the biggest commitment you'll ever make. You know why: because a dog is a living thing. Dogs feel pain, fear, loneliness, joy, love, and loyalty. Dogs also occasionally feel the need to shred Gucci loafers. It's all part of the dog-owning experience."
Its all so freaking true, too.
Does your mom understand what kind of a dog a Shiba is? Is she prepared to be manipulated and ignored by such a cute animal?
As I really missed my dogs but knew I couldn't care for any long term while doing irregular clinicals and early/late rounds in the hospitals while in school, I intermittently house sat for people on their ranches and cared for their dogs/cats/horses as my schedule allowed so I got part of my animal fix that way. One of the shop keeps in town who I had known for several years also had a tiny ranch in the boones and they brought their little shop dog, Charlie with them. Charlie stayed with me in my dorm sometimes and went around town with me. He was great! That isn't necessarily something I would expect from someone out here in Seattle, but it was really nice to be able to borrow a good friends dog for a hike in Big Sky Country every now and again.
Maybe you could meet up with some people who have dogs while you are in school and offer to pet sit or dog walk for them to gain some good dog experience?
I won't be getting anymore dogs until I am out of college and have my own place.
The way I see it, when I am done college and I am ready to move out, Toby will be older and more mature so he won't be destructive like a puppy, but he is almost 2 years old and he still chews everything and anything he can grab with his mouth.
We might still get another dog... one that is maybe a little less difficult to take care of.
Thank you everybody! I'm glad i asked, because i wouldn't want an unhappy shiba.
Lots of people don't really understand how much work it takes to raise a dog responsibly and well. In addition to training and daily exercise, for example, when I tell my friends that I really can't go up to NYC this weekend because I have to stay home with the dogs, I'm really not joking! They are just like little kids, and if you're going to go away then you need to get a pet sitter or board them, and short notice mostly means that you end up nowhere. This applies even if you expect your mom to take care of it when you're busy. What about when she's busy?
If you want to take a vacation, you have to think about shelling out a few additional $100s to either board or take them with you. If you won't be home for 8 hours a day, who's gonna let the dogs out? We live in an apartment so we can't even really take day trips unless we can hire someone to come by (we don't have family around, either).
Another thing is cost.. dogs cost a lot of money. You want to give them the vet care they need, for one. Then you need to make sure you have enough for emergencies. Then the daily things like food, toys, etc. Even if raw is pretty affordable and one of the best diets IMO, then you need to take time to shop and probably need an extra freezer. When a dog gets older sometimes they get even more expensive in terms of special diets or needed prescription medications.
Last thing is as you know, time. You can give a dog the bare necessities such as vet care, exercise, and food, but you won't truly make him or her happy if you just don't spend enough time with them. I won't say that it's not possible that you are able to do all this by juggling schedules and working something out with your parents, but it's something to think about very, very carefully. I had 2 dogs throughout college and added one more after college.. it's a lot of work and a lot of money. Unless you're as much as a homebody as us, you'll also very much miss going out with your friends, too...
Might I suggest you volunteer at your local shelter and spend some time with those dogs to get a better understanding of what is required. You will also meet many many dogs that were dumped (and will likely die) there because their owners didn't realize how much time, work, and money dog ownership require.
I am not trying to be mean. But I work in shelters. I have watched hundreds of good dogs get killed because their owners didn't have time for them (regardless of breed).
In all seriousness, kenneling a dog for 8 hours a day is just as unacceptable as leaving your 5 year old locked up in his room while you go to work all day. My partner and I are lucky enough to usually have overlapping schedules, and also lovely neighbors and --as a last resort-- reliable services in town that can do afternoon breaks. We consider our situation pretty much the bare minimum of attention that dogs require, and we do everything we can do make sure the time we DO get to spend with them is quality and progressive. I would consider someone with commitments like yours as having inadequate time to care for a dog.
There ARE, however, many many pets that require less attention than a dog and are as equally rewarding. I've cared for many a rat in my day, and while it takes a little bit to overcome the creepiness factor, they are VERY smart little creatures and can learn basic tricks and commands. They also happen to be very clean, quiet, and if they have a friend with them they require minimal attention every day. If I felt confident that my shibas wouldn't eat them, I would have rats again in a heartbeat. Consider the alternatives to dog ownership, and you may be surprised to find a pet that fits you perfectly.
With my shiba, someone is home with her 95% of the time. The most time that she is left completely alone is about 3 hours - while I'm at church on Sundays. Shibas can be sneaky, but they are totally worth it.
I would recommend taking the money that you would be spending on the dog (anticipated vet check-ups, shots, bedding, food, pet deposit, etc) and putting it in a savings account. It will give you a very nice cushion for when it's time to get your dog.
Long story short, the first year of Pong's life consist of being with my parents more than me. Granted, my parents weren't the most experienced (she's addicted to human food, learned how to beg, an excellent escape artist and toy finder, etc etc), they were still able to take care of her more than I could.
Now that I'm living on my own (school's done), it's still takes up a lot of time. Even with Jon, it's hard to put aside time to walk the dogs. When ya get home from a long day, you don't really want to do anything except veg out in front of the tv. But your dog's day just started since he/she probably slept while you were gone and expect you to entertain him/her. Also, I have roommates who are home all day that can let the dogs out to do their dirty business.
On weekends when you do have free time, you feel guilty if you aren't doing an activity with your dog(s). They stare at you..with their puppy eyes!!
Like LJ said, money is also a big issue. Most of us here are big on the best food for our dogs (which is like 60-70 bucks for a 30 pound bag) and the best vet care for our doggies. Pongy and Jada recently got into rat poison and that emergency visit cost us 500 bucks. Then the follow up a month later which was today, was $214 as Jon informed me. Imagine a $700 expense that isn't even part of their routine checkup and shots. IMAGINE what you can BUY with 700 dollars!!
I'm not going to say don't get a dog now since it would be awfully hypocritical of me. But if you have a great support system such as parents or friends who are good dog caretakers and have the funds to get a dog and take care it, then consider all of the responsibility and time YOU have to put into it.
I would definitely ask someone who already owns a dog to allow you to dogsit for a week or a month and see if you still want a dog now.