Work/dog balance

Unitoons

I have two very active GSPs who have to be left now due to my marriage ending. I leave the house at 7.20am and am home by 5.30pm. They have the run of the kitchen/dining room and hall/stairs/landing.

I leave the radio (Classic FM) on for them and they have a dog sitter who visits twice a day (10.30am and 2.30pm) for 20 minutes a time (£10 per day). She just stays to play with them and let them out. I give them both an hour long walk in the morning (I get up at 5am every day to facilitate this).

I looked at Doggy daycare but when I called to enquire I mentioned that they have on occasion been destructive if they got bored (the odd cushion had been "played with") and was advised they couldn't take destructive dogs as they sometimes had to leave them alone!!! I wondered why on earth I'd be paying for my dogs to be left alone in someone else's house!!

My dog sitter is great! When she came to meet my dogs the first thing I said was that I was a crazy, neurotic dog lady and my boys come first! She was great and said she was just as crazy and neurotic about her dogs and would follow all my OCD instructions to the letter!

I would also re-iterate that having two dogs definitely helps if they are left however more than one can be a handful!