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| Bosca loves it when people stay home and study all day. As long as they are happy to throw a walk or two in. |
I was chatting to a client last week who mentioned that
she has five weeks until she submits her PhD. Her next comment was “the dogs
have absolutely LOVED having me at home all of this time.”
We moved on to discuss her dog’s specific health issues,
but my mind kept coming back to the idea.
Exhibit A: the PhD student. SAT is based in Sydney, home
to multiple universities. Consider the number of PhD students in the greater
Sydney area, daily whittling away at their doctoral research. Even with a
scholarship, PhD students are usually surviving on a shoestring budget. They
might be living in a share house or accommodation with little space. Office
space at universities has become a scarce. When I started studying, even
honours students were guaranteed their own office. Now, not every PhD student
is able to have that space. PhD work often requires extended hours of research.
A comfortable, quiet space with wifi helps.
Exhibit B: Companion animals whose human companions go to
work, leaving their pets home alone for extended periods. It isn’t always an
issue – many pets sleep. But the presence of a warm body in the home is often welcomed.
A warm body that can provide a walk in the middle of the day might be even
better.
Eureka: “PhDog!” – what about a website or app where PhD
students could be matched with local people with a spare study and a companion
animal or two? Companion animal owners could benefit by having someone around
with their animals, and maybe even a dog walk or two during the day, AND the
good feeling of supporting scholarship. PhD students would benefit from a spare
study, and a companion – and, in the case of dogs, some exercise during the
day.
It would operate a little like Airbnb – the ID of all
parties would need to be checked and verified. But it seems like a nice way of
pairing up otherwise lonely souls who could do with some company. There would
probably be a gazillion variations on the theme – maybe some PhD students want
to work in their own home but have the space to foster a dog. Or maybe some
home owners want to offer free or cheap rent to a scholar in need.
My friend Tanya suggested that when the PhD student
graduates, the companion animal who they kept company could get a DOGtorate.
Genius.
Of course these things take time and money to put
together and we’re preoccupied at this end on some animal welfare and ethics
projects, so it isn’t going to happen here. And the thought of monetising this
feels like it goes against the spirit of the idea. Possibly, someone is already
doing this. There are limitations – it wouldn’t work for PhDs involving
extensive periods of field work, or lab work.
