For the dog himself:Would a 10 year old medium sized dog do OK on a college campus? (he'll be 10 when I'm done with community college and transfer to a 4 year)..
--stairs or slippery floors might be a problem, depending on his joint health
--he might have trouble with the number of strange people
--he might have trouble with other dogs (other people's emotional support dogs, or any pets)
--he might have to spend a lot of time in your room, when you go to places where he is not allowed (which might include classrooms, dining hall, library, etc)
--he might have to be crated when he is in your room without you (if he is destructive, or if you cannot trust your roommate to keep the door shut, or if the dog is not good with strangers who might knock on the door or open it, etc.)
For the college and what it permits:
A lot would depend on what laws are in effect at the time, and what a doctor says about your need for the dog. Since you clearly CAN do some things without the dog, it would not be honest to say the dog must be with you at all times. And if the doctor just says the dog needs to "live" with you, the college might decide the dog can be in the dorm room, walked for bathroom breaks, and nowhere else.
I am pretty sure colleges and other places are allowed to ban an emotional support animal if that specific animal has a record of causing trouble (growls at people or bites them, chews up the room, pees on the floor, causes trouble with any other dogs that might be around, etc.) So you would have to consider whether your dog would be able to behave acceptably.
If you worry about Deacon living with your parents, and if you are not able to have him live with you on the college campus, you might be able to find a kennel or a person who lives nearby to board Deacon, and then you could visit him every day to train and go for walks.
I am really worrying about living without a pet. I've never not had a pet. I really depend on deacon and my cat.
You might be able to function without a pet when you are a few years older, and when you are in a different environment like college. College only lasts for a few years, so this is not the same as trying to live forever with no pet.
You might be able to volunteer at an animal shelter, or work part time at a kennel or stable or pet shop, or walk dogs for people who live near the college, or some other way of still being around animals on a regular basis.
You might be able to find a college that will allow some other animal--maybe a guinea pig or a hamster, which are small and can live in a cage most of the time. Even if you prefer a dog or cat, you might be able to manage with a smaller animal while you are at college.
For many colleges, it is possible to live in an apartment or house off campus. This would let you keep any animals the landlord permits, instead of dealing with the college rules for their dorms.
There are some colleges that let you study online, so you can live anywhere and still study. Of course that means you do not live on campus and interact with the other students there. This might be a big deal for you, or it might be fine.
Different colleges have different policies about pets, so this is something to consider when choosing a college.
Some things cost more money (single room with no roommate). Some things might cost more or less (live off campus instead of in the dorms.)
I think it's good that you are thinking about this now, because you have time to consider various options. I see so many "maybes" that I do not know what to recommend, (other than more research.)
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