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There are questions on here about getting married, having kids, and other major time commitments during graduate school. But one thing that I haven't seen posted -- but that I've seen come up with some frequency (at least in the US) -- is concerning people getting pets during their PhD. Yea, I know certain pets (e.g. fish and reptiles) take less time to care for than others (e.g. cats and dogs), but I'm specifically wondering about what to consider in the latter case.

Pro: Pursuing a PhD can be a very lonely process, so having some companionship can be worthwhile and perhaps even lead to increased focus and productivity.

Con: Cost and time commitment, particularly early on with a pet.

What are other things to consider in getting a pet during the PhD? Does the timing make a big difference? That is, should I wait until I'm ABD, or should I get one over a summer?

Does having a companion, like a dog, for example, often help students' productivity when they were otherwise adrift in isolation?

Also, I'd be interested to hear from a faculty perspective as to whether it's ill-advised to get a pet during the PhD. I assume most don't care as long as the student stays productive, but I'm curious if there are any anecdotes that support either the pro or con I listed above. Same goes for anyone who got a pet during grad school.

NOTE: The help center explicitly states that questions pertaining to "Life as a graduate student, postdoctoral researcher, university professor..." are on topic (emphasis added). Thus, this question appears to be fully within the stated guidelines.

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marcman
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    In my experience the biggest issue isn't time. As long as you're willing to give up some of your free time most students can handle taking care of a pet. The biggest issue is often flexibility. Depending on the pet, they can make it harder to travel, work extra-long days right before deadlines, etc. – Roger Fan Mar 14 '16 at 01:54
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    We're starting to veer into boat programming territory here. There isn't much specific to pet ownership that wouldn't apply to someone in almost any other occupation. – aeismail Mar 14 '16 at 02:06
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    Another issue can be housing as either you may be charged extra for pets or (in university housing/dorms) they may not be allowed at all - though it can certainly depend on the type of pet – LinkBerest Mar 14 '16 at 02:07
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    @aeismail: Looking at StrongBad's quote in the marriage question I think his point applies here as well. – marcman Mar 14 '16 at 02:17
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    Also, there is plenty to pet ownership that's unique to a PhD. Other occupations aren't necessarily as time-limited or as self-driven a task. While it's not quite the same permanence, I think this falls under the same category as "pros/cons/consequnecy of/etc... getting married/having children during a PhD" and there is a precedent for those questions in this forum. Thus, I don't agree with the down-votes, particularly since they did not come with close-votes either. – marcman Mar 14 '16 at 02:23
  • I'm going to paraphrase JeffE and say that not only professors are people too, but phd candidates are people too. Almost everybody is busy, doesn't mean you can't do something you really want. It just means it is harder... – Fábio Dias Mar 14 '16 at 02:31
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    @marcman: Those downvotes may have come from users without closing privileges. – aeismail Mar 14 '16 at 02:32
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    @aeismail: Fair enough I didn't think of that. Regardless, there is precedent for this question in this forum. I see your concern, but this question is one that arises pretty commonly among grad students (again, I can only speak for the US). I do think that other users will benefit from it. Furthermore there are specific questions raised in the post and that can be addressed in an answer. – marcman Mar 14 '16 at 02:36
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    Dogs require much more time commitment than cats. The litter box alone makes a huge difference. The fact that many cats can be trusted not to overeat permits using bowls that self-fill from a supply tank; their small size means that solution can go a considerable time before refilling. In a pinch, many adult cats after settling in can look after themselves unattended for multiple days, limited mostly by how long they are willing to put up with an uncleaned letterbox. Of course the cat and the human will be happier if they spend more time interacting. – keshlam Mar 14 '16 at 03:10
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because boat programming. – David Richerby Mar 14 '16 at 07:51
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    Despite the obvious concerns about living space and day-to-day care of the animal (which depends on what sort of pet you get!), perhaps most important is how you'll care for the pet when you travel. Make sure there is a suitable commercial facility available in case family, friends, or housemates cannot do it. – Moriarty Mar 14 '16 at 12:04
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    I agree with the boat programming votes... sure there's frequent travel and the chance of having to move to a different state or country, but these problems are not really unique to academia. – Moriarty Mar 14 '16 at 12:06
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    I think either the marriage and kids questions are off topic as well, or this one is not. Hence my vote to reopen. – Cape Code Mar 14 '16 at 14:19
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    Unless someone can explain in very clear terms on how the marriage and kids questions are on-topic, and this one is not, then I think this question should remain open. I vote to reopen. – Mad Jack Mar 14 '16 at 17:59
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    The fact that something else didn't get shot down is not a defense – keshlam Mar 14 '16 at 22:07
  • @keshlam: Yes it 100% is. If those are on topic, then this is on topic. If this is not on topic, then those are not on topic. If A->B, then ~B->~A right? The cumulative 75 upvotes on those linked articles seem to support that those are within the guidelines for this site. – marcman Mar 15 '16 at 13:11
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not really about academia. – Pete L. Clark Mar 15 '16 at 13:32
  • A better question might be what to consider when selecting a pet for someone working PhD-like hours and living in PhD-sized housing, and that would seem to be be a good fit for the pets discussion. Better fit than Academia, anyway. – keshlam Mar 15 '16 at 15:05
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    With all due respect, until there is a good explanation why this is off-topic, but all of the other balancing-personal-life-with-a-PhD questions (basically anything with the "work-life-balance" tag) are valid, it seems only natural to conclude that we are operating under a very whimsical and arbitrary definition of "on topic" on this site. – marcman Mar 15 '16 at 19:37
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    @keshlam: Also from the help center: "What topics can I ask about here? ...If you have a question about...

    Life as a graduate student, postdoctoral researcher, university professor... ... then you're in the right place!" (emphasis added)

     – marcman Mar 15 '16 at 19:41
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    To object to a closing decision , bring it up on the Meta discussion, and/or try to edit into a form likely to attract Reopen votes. – keshlam Mar 15 '16 at 20:10
  • (and yes, reviewing is less than perfectly consistent. understandings evolve, and the dividing line is a high-order fractal, and we don't always get it right as a community but mechanisms like meta let us refine it as we go. note that by "we" here I mean the community; I'm just an opinionated user who has one vote like everyone else, not an admin, and I've been wrong before and will be again.) – keshlam Mar 15 '16 at 20:14
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    I don't think this question should be closed. The two answers provided not only answered the question, but gave me several new things to think about as a soon-to-be graduate student who wants a dog (and already has a cat). Granted there is a lot of overlap with other occupations, there are unique things to consider in academia, and therefore the question shouldn't be considered boat programming. – Chris Cirefice Mar 15 '16 at 20:26
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    I second @RogerFan's comment about travelling. As a grad student, you should be flexible to go to a special semester and going to lots of conferences. Of course this doesn't mean you shouldn't get pet, but you should factor this in to your decision. (I am usually overseas with my family for 2-3 months out of the year, and this is one reason I don't consider getting a pet now, though my kids would love one.) – Kimball Mar 26 '16 at 17:25
  • I got a Pomeranian and gave it a haircut so that he can look and feel like a little lion. The only problem is that he loves the attention so much that now he always wants that haircut, which is done by a well-known, but very expensive, dog-stylist. So if you get a pet, say, a dog, and you intend for him or her to be somewhat fashion-forward, you'll be paying a lot of money to maintain the dog's lifestyle – User001 May 05 '16 at 13:34
  • I got a dog during my MS, and it's the best thing I ever did. It was too easy to blow off exercising, but he needs to go out for runs on a regular basis. That makes me run as well, and that stress relief is the only way I got through some classes. – Kathy May 05 '16 at 14:31

6 Answers6

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I bought a cat recently - I'm in the 4th year of my PhD, but I wish I had done it sooner. Particularly if you are working at a very high intensity, a pet provides 3 incredibly useful things:

  1. A reason to go home. Many students, particularly international PhD students working at top-tier institutions where 18hr work days is not uncommon, tend to spend their entire life at work - after all there's nothing else to do. If you have a particularly one-sided work-life balance, a pet will force you to break up your day into work time and home time.

  2. Time management skills. Before I had a pet, I would go to sleep when I was too tired to continue working, and so it doesn't really matter when I go to bed or when I wake up, so long as that period of time spent asleep is short. However, doing this for several years can enforce some pretty bad habits! With no strong circadian rhythm and poor eating schedules, you get worn out faster. Having a pet forces you to adopt a healthier schedule, for your pet's sake. New mothers/fathers often say the same thing, although a pet is certainly less work. It's not just sleep though, it filters down into everything you do - because you're responsible for two now.

  3. Perspective. If the other two were wishy-washy answers, this one certainly is - however it's also the most important. I don't know about other pets, but cat's don't live all that long, depending on the breed. Mine has about 10 years, which means for every day I am alive, my cat burns up 7 or 8. 'Is he getting the most out of his life?' quickly becomes 'am I getting the most out of my life?'. Another similar but slightly different emotion that you get when you are the only person responsible for something else is, "am I being responsible with his life?". If I was to get hit by a bus today, there's a good chance the cat would also perish. Asking yourself how responsible a pet-parent you are, forces you to ask yourself how responsible you are being with your own life too.

There are obviously a bunch of practical reasons like time, energy and money (although honestly its not so bad), but im sure you have considered all those things already.

Wetlab Walter
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    As an international PhD student at arguably a top-tier institution, an 18h workday seems to me like a terrible exaggeration. If you consistently work that much you are more likely to die of heart attach than to graduate on time. – Drecate Jun 10 '16 at 04:42
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    I agree it's not healthy - but if you're the sort of person that can't help but say "yes" to unreasonable demands..... then a cat is for you ;-) – Wetlab Walter Jun 10 '16 at 11:31
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    Also in the "perspective" category is that a pet gives you unconditional love. Your pet won't judge you by how smart you are or how well your research is going. So when you come home after a bad day in the lab and see how happy your pet is to see you, it helps you realise that your worth as a human being hasn't changed. – mhwombat Jun 11 '16 at 19:14
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I'm going to presume in my answer you're looking to stay in academia post-Ph.D.

One of the biggest concerns you're going to have isn't now, but after the Ph.D. Consider if you get a super playful mega cuddlebug kissing dog, there are many places with ignorant breed-specific legislation that would mean you couldn't bring your dog with you.

Unlike in other fields where you probably have a good idea (or decent say in the matter) of where you'll be living at, jobs in academia are scarce, and if you're only offered a job in, say, Denver which bans the aforementioned nanny dogs, are you willing to leave your dog behind to advance your career?

If you're in a field that may require a lot of traveling (public health, foreign languages, anthropology, ecology, marine bio, etc), I would absolutely not recommend getting one unless you have someone that you can consistently and always count on to be willing to watch your animal for extended periods of time. Let's face it, you're not going to be able to afford boarding on a GTA stipend. OTOH, if you're needing to be in the same on-campus lab virtually all year, that might not be a concern at all.

Lastly, consider something else: fostering. You get all the benefits of pet ownership without the long-term complications (unless you become a decide to become a foster failure and decide to adopt). You can also often workout with the foster coordinator to give you dog/cats that are a year or two or older to reduce the initial time commitment because even if not house trained, they can hold it for a work day.

user0721090601
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    A similar consideration is that you may find that after the PhD, you want or need to take a job in another country. The regulations and logistics for transporting a pet internationally can be daunting (6-month quarantines, etc). – Nate Eldredge May 02 '16 at 13:49
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When I was an undergraduate (engineering) , I wanted a dog. The summer before my senior year I got a large blue-heeler mix from my cousin. Immediately my life changed because my dog was a bright smiling face for me to return home to at the end of the day, which cured alot of loneliness that I had during that time. In addition, my dog would require 2-3 walks per day of about 20 minutes each, so I got much more exercise than I would have if I did not get a pet. 6 years later I still have my dog and she still provides the same benefits as when I got her. I enjoy the responsibility and companionship of a dog and it definitely helped me during school because of the social aspect. I would walk her around my university and people would often stop to pet her, compliment her, etc.

J. Roibal - BlockchainEng
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There is a middle option you can take between having a pet and not having one: you can volunteer at a local animal shelter for a few hours a week. I've listed some pros and cons compared to getting a pet.

Disclaimer: I have neither worked at an animal shelter nor have I ever owned a pet.

Pros:

  • Contact with animals: Although you won't spend as much time at the shelter as you would with your own pet, you still have many animal friends.
  • Social element: You can bond with other volunteers and like-minded animal lovers.
  • Cost: Both your time and monetary investment are much lesser compared to actually owning a pet.
  • Less direct stress: If your pet falls sick, you have to take care of it all the time. At the shelter, there are other people helping out with the work, so it's less stressful for you.
  • Flexibility (possibly): While a shelter will most likely ask you to give a regular schedule, you might be able to ask for different dates etc. if you have extra work or have to attend a conference. Asking somebody to take care of your pet at short notice might be relatively difficult.

Cons:

  • Compassion fatigue: If most of the animals are usually kept in poor conditions or if most of them are sick, and there isn't much you can do about it (lack of funding, poor management), then taking care of the animals all the time can take a toll on your mental well-being.
  • Possible "break-up": If your favourite animal at the shelter is adopted by somebody, you might not be able to stay in touch (of course, this depends on the owner).
  • Lack of intimacy: If you have a pet, you are probably best chums. You can cuddle them, take silly pictures, take them for a walk anywhere etc. However, if you don't spend much time at the shelter (say 3-4 hours a week or less), it may take a much longer time (and it will be more difficult) to bond with the animals.

Other factors to consider (depending on your priorities and opinions):

  • Animal welfare: You are helping a large number of animals at the shelter. Even if you are adopting one animal as a pet, you are just improving the life of one animal.
  • Young animals: A young animal like a puppy or a kitten will demand roughly the same amount of time from you as an infant (of course this also depends on the breed/infant in question). This can be difficult to manage unless you have a partner helping you out. At the shelter, there are others helping you out.

Note: Some shelters do not keep young puppies/kittens but give them out to foster parents who take care of them for 8-10 weeks or more.

Guifa has mentioned fostering as an option as well in the answer here. With fostering, you have the pros of "Contact with animals" and "Cost" and the cons of "break-up" where it might be difficult for you to separate from the adopted animal and possibly "lack of intimacy" depending on your fostering duration.

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typesanitizer
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I have always wanted a dog, then I started my PhD and thought it is better now, the first year is always a bit calmer... So I got a puppy, a whippet puppy, indeed the first 2 months my productivity went waaaay down because I could sleep and had to go home many times and was worried. But after those 2 months I had the most perfect dog - does not chew, was house trained (after much effort xD), did not bark, did not scratch and I let her loose on the house (this took many months, increase one division of the house per month).

Now, half-way through my PhD, I actually want another :)

nothing helps more those awful tired days than that dogs smiley face. I force myself to have lunch at home and never do more than 6 hours morning 6 hours afternnon because she needs to potty, so I never work more than 12 hours, and my productivity is higher, my lifestyle too! and social stuff, I try to take her!

is great to have a best friend living with you during the PhD, and I would chose a dog everytime!

pat
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Recently, I rescued a cat, and he is the best thing that could have happened to me. I am getting prepared for my Ph. D. journey, and I am taking him with me. On commencement day I plan to have a cap and gown for him. Interestingly, we both will be PH. D.s!

Keith D Ford
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