Hi everyone,

Some of you may know about the current housing situation for students with pets. There is no pet-friendly subsidized housing offered by Mount Sinai for students. I’m sure that a great amount of medical students do not have any four-legged companions, but there are some of us that do. If you don’t, I only ask that you empathize with the situation and hopefully you will see where I am coming from.

I have a dog – I raised him on my own and have had him for years. So the following will be based on my experience but I’m sure it will apply to anyone who has ever had a pet or currently does. My dog is my best friend - he has always been right by my side, through the good and bad. His name’s Jack – he’s a 15-lb papillon who is pretty hard to win over -I rescued him from a pretty horrific environment. Once you gain his trust, he’s warm, empathetic, and truly supportive. He always greets me at the door like he hasn't seen me in years. He’s been one of my few sources of constant support.

As we all take on the next few years and pursue our dreams of helping others in the field of medicine, it’s important that we keep our heads on our shoulders and keep stress levels as low as possible. This is where our animals can help. It’s hard to find the loyalty provided by an animal. When you truly love an animal, you experience a bond that can’t be described in words. Their primary goal is to accompany us on a journey and be there for us when we need it. That’s truly hard to come by in this world. Simply put, they're family. They give meaning to the word love. 

I’ve spoken to various people at Mount Sinai about this situation, particularly in the Real Estate Division – there are no pet-friendly subsidized units offered…in any of the Mount Sinai owned apartment buildings. This is a hard pill to swallow. This means that instead of the highly affordable student housing, people with pets have no other option but to go off-campus where the average rent in the area is more than double.

I understand that this is a choice to many who are reading this. People choose to have a pet and must deal with the consequences. Understandable. But for those who have had a pet in the past, you can understand that saying that is comparable to putting conditions on having a family member. 

I’m not asking you to sign in order to make all of student housing pet-friendly. But I really think that there should be at least one floor designated for people with pets (which will help isolate them from people with allergies). Mount Sinai owns many apartment buildings in the area, and could even make one of the buildings pet friendly.  

Now how could people without pets benefit from this at all? Well, a study by Virginia Common Wealth University showed that dogs in a workplace environment significantly decreased stress levels and increased productivity. We all know the next few years will be stressful. Imagine walking back from a tough day and your friend is exiting the building with their four-legged companion – tail wagging, tongue out, and ready to say hi. How couldn’t you walk away with a smile after this?