Should we get a dog out at work till 4pm each day

moneysavermum_2

My eldest daughter is begging me for a dog. I am swaying towards getting a jack russell pup but we are out of work in the day. So would be home alone, it would be well cared for and walked morning and night. My children are 10,9 and 3. All you dog lovers out there what do you think?

jrrowleyws

Jack russell pup? No. Not when your at work during the day. You'd have no house left to come back to, they are rather lively dogs! You might be better with a rescue dog which isnt so young, but leaving it alone all day is still not great.

davetrousers

Is your daughter prepared to pick up its !!!!!!?

Errata

Try shutting yourself in the kitchen from 9 until 4 with nothing to do, nothing to play with, nobody to talk to. It will give you some idea of how a dog might like it.

thatsfabulous

I dont think this is ideal no. Its not fair to the dog- the odd day yes but not 5 days a week every week. I think you are better waiting a few years or until your situation changes so that the dog wouldnt be on its own as much.

foreign_correspondent

No way - a pup needs watching and supervising pretty much 24/7 for the first months, to get it toilet trained (without that, you may well end up with a dog that gets so confused about tiletting that it still messes in the house as an adult) - it will also be cruel, frustrating and boring for the dog, to keep the dog alone for that amount of time.

Terriers in particular are bundles of energy and need a lot of stimulation - without stimulation and company I can almost guarantee that the dog will either bark continuously (cue complaints from neighbours), or chew your house to bits, probably both. Some dogs end up really stressed and neurotic as a reault of being left alone too much.

Also, bear in mind that all pups go through a stage of mouthing and nipping, they all tend to chew, and poo wee on your carpets - if you are not with them a lot, these can become established, problematic behaviours - and your kids may well find the pooping, chewing, nipping, sharp-toothed reality does not live up to the fantasy of a cute fluffy pup!

Getting a dog in these circumstances, especially a terrier pup, is a recipe for disaster.

There is the possibility a dog could fit in with your family circumstances, providing it was older, happy to be left alone, house trained, and a steady laid back breed, with low exercise needs (eg. greyhound) and if you employed a dogwalker to take the dog out every lunchtime for a good walk (about £10 plus a day I believe).

crank_girl

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

There is the possibility a dog could fit in with your family circumstances, providing it was older, happy to be left alone, house trained, and a steady laid back breed, with low exercise needs (eg. greyhound) and if you employed a dogwalker to take the dog out every lunchtime for a good walk (about £10 plus a day I believe).

Totally agree with this.

We have a 6yr old rescue Jack Russell. I work from home right now which suits him fine. I'll probably be working full time away from home in a month or two, in which case I'll get a dog walker in.

cyberbob

As FC said a Puppy really wouldn't be suitable. An older dog may work but you would have to look at Dog walker too

missmontana

How about you try them with a hamster or something first? Kids ask for things all the time and its always great for the first 5 minutes then they soon get bored!!!

rlfan82

Lots of negatives on here, but here's a different way of looking at it. A puppy? No I wouldnt get one. But an dog over the age of 1 or 2 is a possibility, don't go and buy a pedigree though.

We have had dogs for years and worked. When our old dog passed away, we wanted another as we always keep them in 2's. The Dogs trust were useless as the view was that anyone who worked was unsuitable, anyone who didnt was more than welcome.

We ended up going to the local dog rehoming centre, a harrowing experience, but its much more rewarding in the end. From a dogs point of view, would you rather be in a kennel, or at home with a family, even if they have to work some of the day. (PS, The rehoming place we went to is rumoured to have a 28-day put down policy, so even more important that they find a new home quickly)

We got a 1 year old lab, She's now 2 and is a completely different dog.

SailorSam

Growing up i always wanted a dog but my mum wouldn't let us have one.
Her excuse, 'the house is empty all day, we're all out, it's not fair on the dog.
I told her the real reason was, she hated them (she hated me as well).
So roll forward twenty years, i still want a dog but now have my own house. Went to the dogs home and came home with a Dulux.
I'm out at work all day but the dog will be fine,
didn't take me long to realise that mothers sometimes know best.
The dog had to go, it's unfair to lock him in, and just as unfair to lock him out.