Getting a cat, when I know I want a dog

Person_one

Person_one wrote: »

There are definitely plenty of people though who think its wrong to have a dog when you work, and aren't shy about expressing it!

JennyW wrote: »

you just cant go and get a dog, expect it to be left alone all day with a dog sitter/walker popping in at lunch time. The dog will be anxious/bored for the 4/5 hours before and after the walker.

Many, many dogs cannot be left for long periods and even if they can be, they have to be taught to be left alone, especially with new owners, new home etc and this takes a long time to do. Plus the OP says she works FT so she wont even have the time to do the training.

This is also why many dogs are returned to rescue because they are destructive when left home-alone.

I think cats (or other furries) are the best option for now and if circumstances change then perhaps there will be room in their lives for a dog.

OP - I'm just glad you have thought this through

Thanks for illustrating my point. I must let my dogs know they're supposed to be miserable. :T

pawsies

I wouldn't say that just because you have a small garden that it is not suitable for a dog. In fact I think it is better!

It forces you to walk the dog, you can't just let it out like some people do who have big gardens. The dog therefore gets stimulation from outside (dogs, people, cats etc) and is less likely to have behavioural issues as you can 'correct' them as they occur. I use the word 'correct' but not to mean physically punish, but to guide the dog into a more appropriate behaviour.

As for dogs being cooped up all day when people are at work. All I can say to that is that rescue dogs kept in kennels are going to inevitably have a worse quality of life being stuck there 24/7 than a dog left for 8/9 hours who then gets hours of human companionship.

gettingready

Person_one wrote: »

Thanks for illustrating my point. I must let my dogs know they're supposed to be miserable. :T

I have to let Zara know that too. She must be very confused not knowing she is supposed to be miserable.

My dog walker does not "pop in" at lunchtime. My dog walker takes Zara out for 1-1.5 hour (excluding the pick up/drop of) walk to different places where she has fun with 4-10 dogs (sometimes dog walkers meet and all dogs have fun together) off all breeds/sizes/temperaments, has a swim, has a roll in a fox poo (not my fav but hey - Zara is happy), chase balls/carry sticks etc ... Ad photos from walks are uploaded to a FB page.

I thought Zara looks at me from a horizontal position with a slight wag of her tail and goes back to snoring on the armchair when I get home as she is happy tired - but perhaps she is miserable as Jenny suggests?

Beetlemama

I had a dog when I worked, but I was on shift and my other half wasn't so she was only really on her own from 8 to 1 or 2 I guess. It was still a big change for her though, I adopted her when my next door neighbour died, none of his family wanted her, and she was a precious little girl, just 3 years old. Died laying on my lap at 14. She was my best buddy for a long time. Our next was a rescue but by then my husband had retired and I was working full time - to be honest, I got the dog to stop him sitting on his own all day looking out of the window, you can't hire a husband walker!

Our current dogs couldn't be more different, I could leave Dallas all day and when I got home she'd have probably tidied the house and made the dinner, where as Jessie's only got to think we're leaving her and she starts winding herself up. I still have to crate her at 5 years old, fortunately husband is still retired so she isn't left but for the 30 minutes school run, 5 times a week.

Some dogs can be left, some can't, but I don't think any of them are happy to be left, some just cope better. One thing I'd never do again is have an "only dog" having seen how happy my girls are together, even with all the walking in the world, there's no substitute for company of your own species.

Anyway, I'm just waffling now, lol, don't think I added anything to the discussion, it's Sunday morning, I just got back from walking the girls (we found a stolen motorbike! ) and I'm sitting in the kitchen listening to radio 2 and thinking about the canine buddies I've had. Thanks for the memories, hope you get your cat and eventual dog

duchy

Person_one wrote: »

Tons of people who work full time have dogs. The idyllic view held by some that you should only have a dog if you can completely devote all your time to it is seriously unrealistic. Most people need to work for a living and there would be far fewer happy and well-loved dogs in this country if nobody who worked had them!

Are you absolutely sure its not an option? What about employing a dog walker? Getting up earlier? Maybe rescuing a bonded pair so they'll always have company even when you're not there?

It's a bit like the "Why work if you have a baby" debate a bit.

I didn't have a child until I was in a position to work part-time as the job I had prior to that involved early starts and often working late to meet client driven deadlines....a child (or a dog ) would have barely seen me ....Had I worked locally - or in a job that was less demanding it might have been different.....if I was able to pop home for an hour at lunchtime to walk a dog (or see my baby ) for example.

Dogs are social animals and in all honesty to me to get a "new" dog and then leave it alone for hours every day would be cruel . We got cats .....two of them so they had company -but I stayed home for six weeks with them as kittens til they were settled (summer school holidays and we opted not to go away on holiday that summer for that reason). They coped OK when I went back to work and my son back to school-I'm not sure a dog would have coped so well.

I do think it's very different if you already have an adult dog and your life changes though but I do believe some people get dogs without considering how much some dogs value company in work hours - and dog walkers etc aren't always affordable for them.