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Not no. But HELL NO!
You need to have a stabling living situation and be financially secure. Pets are expensive. Dopn't do this. It's not fair to the dog when things don't work out.
my boyfriend of 2 years a I are both going away to college very soon. We will be living together in an apartment. we arn't going to the same college but we are in boston and you can imagine the closeness of different colleges to each other, so we are both very close by to our schools. both of us have always wanted to own a dog, but for reasons beyond out control both of our families have always been apposed. his mother is allergic, and my sister is deathly afraid.
im wondering about this. we both hope to spend our lives together, and i want to adopt a dog soon, but is college a good time to. i REALLy want to. but the thing is, its not like adopting one while having a roommate. this dog would be equally his and mine. and if a split happens, wouldnt that be a problem, would we have enough time between the two of us to care for a dog and school and keep our relationship alive?
advice? comments?
Please do not get a dog now. Go to school, enjoy college life and continue to build a relationship with your boyfriend.
i, too, always wanted a dog, desperately, even in college! i looked at puppies, and it was hard HARD to walk away. so, for that reason, i am not going to tell you a blanket no that you shouldn't get a dog now, although i understand well the other posters reasons for doing so.
a dog can change your life no matter how old you are when he/she enters it...the only question is... you have the desire...do you have the dedication and responsibility for everything that comes with owning a dog?
i don't know your financial situation, and i'm not inquiring...but dogs are expensive! monthly, you need heartguard and frontline, at a minimum. also, dog food and treats. puppy shots, for sure, when they're babies, and yearly boosters annually afterwards. toys and blankets and beds, and collars and leashes, and bowls, and shampoos and groomers, and pet sitters.
and the time requirement is staggering. you will never again travel around freely once a dog enters your life. you will wake up and come home based on his needs, and long stretches spent away from home will be a thing of the past. hey, just consider how you will feel tethered to your home, basically. and your entire schedule when he's a baby will be spent housebreaking...it takes hours, and wow!...will you wake up early when he still can't hold his bladder all night.
and pets can do one of two things to a couple, in my opinion, they can bring you together and make you realize how much you jointly love something else in the world...or they can emphasize any cracks already in the relationship, especially if you have different "parenting" techniques.
the best way to view it is this: many people say getting a new dog is very, very similar to having kids.
so, do you think you and your boyfriend are ready to bring home a baby?
in the end, it's really up to you. only you know where you are in your life and if you're ready to add a puppy or an older dog to your life with your boyfriend.
the only thing i would caution is you don't want to end up in a situation like mine: i was 22 years old when my ex and i brought barnaby home. we were in a stable relationship, had been together a couple of years, had intentions of buying a home and (maybe) getting married. and, man, i wanted a puppy! remember, i had been dreaming of one for a long time, like some women dream of babies. we were together three more years, barnaby, my ex, and i...and then one day we decided things weren't working out.
it broke my heart to leave my ex, because he really was my best friend despite our differences, and what hurt worse was taking the dog he loved just as much as i did.
so barnaby lived in joint custody for awhile...but, of course, that really didn't work. in the end, barnaby came to live with me permanently. but my ex grieved for a long time, which hurt me, too.
i wouldn't change anything b/c i can't...b/c then i wouldn't have my best friend and constant companion...but it came at a cost.
so, to answer your question about a split with dogs involved, it is brutal...one of you loses, and the other doesn't win.
BUT! it doesn't have to go that way...only you know the truth about you and your boyfriend and whether you're really ready. i DO think southernbelle has great advice, waiting a semester, or even a year, into your college career may give you great insights as to which decision to make.
Definately not! Wait till you graduate and are more secure in your lifestyle. A dog is a 13 year commitment at least. We do not need anymore showing up in shelters due to the irresponsibility of the owners. Well most. I realize some are turning up because of the economy now.
One way to have a pet is dog walking. Volunteer or work part time walking other peoples pets. In Boston, there must be plenty of dog owners who need help with exercising their dogs. Volunteering at a shelter is another great way to help without making a lifetime commitment.
I agree with everyone here college is not the time to be getting a dog as it is the time to be having fun with friends and having new adventures and of course studying. Dogs are alot of responsibility, expense and they require alot of your time. I am not saying students can't be good owners as I live in a town with a big university and several smaller colleges and I do see some students with dogs that are well cared for and I know a young vet that had her border collie with her all through vet school; However,She grew up with dogs, was into dog sports, had the dog for the years she waited to get in to vet school.She knew what having a dog meant unlike you who would be a first time owner. I think first time would be dog owners often have a fantasy about what owning a dog is like so they get one then learn the fantasy was wrong and that dogs are alot of work and that some dogs can be real challenges.
I also see the same thing others have mentioned dogs that are dumped when the year ends or a student gets too busy or transfers some where else. Life is just too unstable when you are a student.
If you want to enjoy the company of dogs do as someone suggested and be a dog walker( make money while you get to enjoy a dog!) Or be a pet sitter or volunteer at a shelter. I know a woman that just can not afford a dog right now and she gets paid to spend time with a busy couples two dogs so she is at the dog park everyday with the dogs and really gets to enjoy them without the expense and without being tied down because of them. Find a situation like that and you can have the same dog or dogs in your life everyday. I also have met people that were Nannies for rich people that ended up feeling sorry for the neglected dog in the family so got permission to take it to agility classes and practices. You might find some older person that has a dog but is no longer able to exercise it that would love to let you take the dog out on outings.Or even a younger person with an illness such as Cancer that suddenly can't get out with the dog and needs help with the dog.Or a neighbor that works long hours and would love having someone take the dog out for exercise so that when they get home they can relax rather then have to exercise a dog. There are alot of possibilities out there.
There will be plenty of time later in life to enjoy being a dog owner and I agree with the others that have said I think you already know all of this as you did ask . So enjoy college and get the doggie fix in one of the suggested ways for now.
I can only add my assent to those mentioned. Rentals around Boston are almost impossible to find with an animal. A dog is a 15-year commitment (if you get one young) and so much can change in 15 years.
I also think it'd be great to get some "dog time" by helping walk dogs at a shelter. MSPCA or Animal Rescue League in Boston itself.
Please, please do not get a dog who will end up in a shelter in a year or two.
As a recent college graduate who just got her first dog, I think I can offer you some advice here.
I, like you, never had a dog growing up for various reasons. So when I went to college I thought I would get one once I lived in an apartment. Well, once I got to college life kind of exploded between living on my own, making new friends, choosing and sticking with a major etc.
I felt the time was finally right when I was about 5 months out from graduation. I adopted a lab puppy from a local shelter. I had done a lot of research, but despite it all nothing could prepare me for life with a puppy. It was the equivilant to having a baby. I was up all night the first couple nights because Storm was going through the normal anxiety of having left her litter for the first time and being in a new place.
After getting over that hump, my entire schedule changed according to her needs- especially because she had to be house broken which I think makes raising a dog harder in some ways because you can't just stick them in a diaper for a few hours. Not to mention there were the vet bills for all the shots and the one trip we made to the emergency room after Storm got whipworm ($1000 later...)
So, I think you should definitely wait until you are at least 2-3 years into college, because between now and then your life is going to change a lot and its not the best environment to bring a new dog into.
In the meantime, you should absolutely volunteer at some animal shelters because they are always in need of help- and it will benefit you to be around a lot of different types of dogs.
Hope this helps and good luck in school!
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. Dogs are alot of responsibility, expense and they require alot of your time. I am not saying students can't be good owners as I live in a town with a big university and several smaller colleges and I do see some students with dogs that are well cared for and I know a young vet that had her border collie with her all through vet school; However,She grew up with dogs, was into dog sports, had the dog for the years she waited to get in to vet school.She knew what having a dog meant unlike you who would be a first time owner. I think first time would be dog owners often have a fantasy about what owning a dog is like so they get one then learn the fantasy was wrong and that dogs are alot of work and that some dogs can be real challenges. 
