I would suggest you join the firm and see how things generally are. A lot of firms have flexible working hours, meaning you can leave early and continue working from home. Please consider the following things though:

1. A pet is a great stress buster when you get home from work.

2. Having a pet is like having a baby. Every decision you make (including thinking of going to a later night party or going for an office retreat) will need to consider 2 persons instead of 1 (yes - pets are persons, and have emotions).

3. If you're someone who's looking to enjoy bachelor / bachelorette life and the freedom you have once you get to Bengaluru - this may not be the best decision right now.

4. The initial phase at work may be tricky where you're having to work extra hard to impress your team. This may mean longer hours and more stress (not sure how you handle stress) which could also have an impact on your time / ability to take care of the baby.

You can of course consider fostering pets for a bit and take a call instead of adopting one on day 1 and try it out yourselves instead of asking a group here. If you think it's too much work - you can do this a couple of years later when you are more at ease with work.

Disclaimer - I have multiple pets and had the same issues you do currently. I got them 4 / 5 years after joining work. It's been 4 years and haven't regretted it for a day :)

If you won’t be living with family then it’s not a good idea to keep a pet. I work in tier 1 but I managed to keep a pet because I stay with family who act as a back up for the pet. Keeping your pet in an empty house or with house help will be very bad for the mental health and wellbeing of the pet (irrespective of whether you adopt a dog or a cat). Some people do manage to get a bonded pair( two pets of the same species who are attached to each other). However regardless of the specie or number of pets- you’ll have to spend time taking them for walks and/or to the vet. So if you decide to get a pet and if your partner or reporting senior hate animals, then you will be in a soup.

Hi, as someone in a similar position (albeit having been placed in Mumbai), I’ve been advised not to have a pet till I have been working at least a year on the job. It’s stressful, you’re unsure of the work timings at the time of joining and you’ll have a lot of fitting in to do, so bringing a pet into the equation right now isn’t advisable. If after a year, once you get the hang of the job, you feel like you’ll be able to manage the routine of a pet, do get one! Until then, I’ve been volunteering at animal shelters and if you’re not into volunteering, I’d suggest a pet that’s relatively easier to take care of, like a hamster or a fish. Hope this helps!

I’m from the graduating batch of 2026 and have always wanted to have a pet of my own. Unfortunately, my parents never allowed it, though I absolutely loving hanging out with my friends’ dogs. I’ve recently accepted a PPO from a top TMT team in bangalore, and I was wondering whether, as an A0, associates generally get the time and bandwidth to look after a pet, or if that would be too difficult to manage in the initial years of practice. Is it realistically tenable?

Do any of the associates have a pet of their own? Please do share your experiences.