dogs and jobs

Almo

Hi all, just after some opinions and advice.

My boyfriend and I have just bought a house with a garden and are contemplating getting a pet (or two). We live in an apartment at the moment, so it has been a no-no.

He would love a dog but I'm not so sure. We both work full time and the dog would likely be at home alone from 7.15 - 5.30. This seems like an awfully long time to me, and rather unfair on the dog, but I'm aware that many people do it and have happy contented pets. One thing that has stuck in my mind is someone telling me that a dog would rather be alone during the day with loving owners to walk him before and after work and play with him all weekend, than be in a rescue. Is that true?

There is a sunroom at the back of the house, so the options would be to leave him in the sunroom with access to the garden, leave him in the house with a crate, or leave him in the garden with shelter in the form of a shed (we live overseas and the climate is a little warmer than Britain).

At the moment I'm desperately trying to balance the fact that I'd love a dog (or two) with the fact that they have feelings too. Is it fair to get one when we both have full time jobs?

PS, we've done the research on costs and are fully prepared for those.

LittleTinker

I cant speak for others...but personally, I would never dream of leaving a dog alone all day every day and cannot understand why anyone would.

Dogs are social animals and really do not want to be alone for long periods.

Also.....can you manage to go all that time without visiting the loo or taking in some fresh air??

DKLS

I will have to wait until I retire to get a dog again, I am usually out of the house at least 12 hrs a day, and travel away from home frequently, so its simply unfair on any dog to be left home alone. I make do with borrowing one of the neighbours dogs for a sunday afternoon walk which sates my dog owning desires.

getcarter

What about getting someone to pop in and walk the dog during the day, either a neighbour or professional dog walker, with a walk before or after work maybe that would be enough.

happytails

i would never dream of leaving my dogs that long, personally.

A dog walker or even a pet sitter may be an option. I am a dog walker and most of my clients or full time workers that cant see their dog all day. Prices all depend on quality of service and area you live really but please hire someone with insurance to cover your dog whilst in their care

Maybe guinea pigs or rabbits would be a more suitable option if dog walker/sitter is a no-no (can be quite alot of money when puppies are involved or a dog that requires alot of exercise)

LillyJ

I think maybe if you got 2 small dogs and had a dog walker in the day that it could be done? Can you go home at lunch time at all?

We work shifts so our dog is usually either accompanied all day, or just at home alone for a morning or an afternoon. However a couple of days a fortnight he is left alone from about 8am till 3.30pm. I know it isn't as long as the OP is saying but our dog doesn't get distressed at all and is happy chewing his bone. We sneak and look through the window when we get home and he always looks happy.
If the dog could be outside with a big shed it would be better as well as they can explore and go wee when they like.

I am not really one who would like to leave a dog at home but I think there are so many rescue dogs and bad owners that someone who would give their dog a lot of excercise and love would be a good thing?

My MIL used to work 9-5 but she went home at lunch time as she worked nearby and the dog was fine. He got more exercise than any dog I have ever known, normally 3+ hours per day, so he was happy!

Almo

Thanks all. Your replies were pretty much what I was expecting, and what I secretly feel too. I guess I just wanted confirmation of the fact that it's cruel from totally unbiased people. I hope I haven't come across as an evil cow, I truly was of the opinion that it wasn't an option from the start but I just wanted outside confirmation of that.

There's no chance of popping home through the day so that's out. There is a slight chance that my working hours would end up being 8 - 1 but there's no guarantee that they would be that way long term so we can't base any decisions on that.

Once more, thanks for all the help :beer:

Almo

LittleTinker wrote: »

I cant speak for others...but personally, I would never dream of leaving a dog alone all day every day and cannot understand why anyone would.

Dogs are social animals and really do not want to be alone for long periods.

Also.....can you manage to go all that time without visiting the loo or taking in some fresh air??

Really appreciate the input from you and all the others LittleTinker.

We would never have left him without anywhere to go to the toilet, or any way of going outside though so please don't worry. Edited to add: I don't mean that to sound defensive and nasty, just that we wouldn't do that to any animal, even if it was 'only' a hamster (well, he wouldn't have the run of the garden, but you know what I mean ).

catkins

In an ideal world I would say no a dog should not be left all day on its own but of course we do not live in an ideal world. There are so many dogs looking for new homes and I do feel it must be better to be in a home where you are loved than in a kennel or even put to sleep.

I definitely would not recommend a puppy as it would be a nightmare toilet training it and it would get very bored and probably destructive. If you took on an older dog and you walked it before you went to work (or even better gave it a run off lead) it would probably sleep most of the day. You could always ask at rescue places if they have any dogs that have come from homes where the owners worked all day because then the dog would be used to it. Of course check that that is not the reason the dog was got rid of i.e. being destructive, barking etc etc.

Greyhounds are always looking for homes and they do not need a lot of exercise and sleep most of the time.

Two dogs would keep each other company so they would be less likely to misbehave or pine for you.

How much exercise could you give a dog before you go to work? If he/she did not get enough exercise it will be bored and unhappy. You leave your house quite early so would this be a problem? Also it would need a long walk in the evening plus playtime with you. Would you want to do this after a day at work and having to cook etc etc? Would you spend most of your weekends with the dog, either at home or taking it out? It would not be fair after being left all week for him/her to spend weekends alone too. What about your social life? Do you go out a lot at weekends?

Sunday at my house is my dog's day!! Even though I am there most of the week for him (I work Fridays and Saturdays and may have the odd couple of hours shopping or meeting friends) myself and my husband try and take our dog out somewhere (the woods, the beach etc). I do not drive so cannot take him far during the week although we do in fact walk miles! I know a lot of people think we are mad (particularly the people I work with) but he is like our child and we want him to have a happy contented life.

I would also suggest someone to pop in and check on him/her. Do you have any friends, family or neighbours who would do this? A dog walker is a good idea but of course could work out expensive.

Because my dog was used to me being home with him I felt guilty when I started working even though it is only 1 day a week (my husband is home with him on Saturdays). I make sure he gets at least an hours excercise before I go to work (it means I have to walk him about 6am) and I have a dog walker give him an hours walk at lunchtime. I pay her £12 to do this.

Almo

Thanks catkins.

We had wondered briefly about greyhounds. They had been suggested as an option, and I quite like the idea of being able to rescue them. A dog walker is a possibility in theory; we're actually in Australia and I have no idea of the price of them. I'll have a look.

The walking would not be an issue. The dog(s) would probably go out for a 30 minute walk in the morning, with about 20 mins of that off the lead. We're not really party animals, and spend our weekends pottering around at the moment, so once we've got our own house I can only imagine that we'll be even more inclined to mooch around locally. There are plenty of nature trails along local rivers etc, and we enjoy that kind of thing anyway. My OH would leave for work later than 7.15 so theoretically the dog could have a bit more 'contact' time than I mentioned, but not much. A long walk in the evening would be no problem. Don't get me wrong, I realise it's easy to say that now, when I don't have to do it, but I'd enjoy the exercise.

Having said all the above, I really think we'll look at an alternative pet. I'd love a dog but I'd hate to be responsible for giving it a miserable life. Possibly we'll look into how cats would cope with the lifestyle. I just want to reassure anyone reading that we're not rushing into anything - we wouldn't be acquiring any type of pet until after Christmas to give us time to settle in, pet proof a house and work out our routine

G-G_4

I fyou are looking to re-home a dog from the RSPCA or similar then I would say go for it! My god, it can't be worse than what they have to endure at those places..

We have 2 rescue dogs and they are so happy now, OH works from home, so that is handy, but we also have a dog flap in the back door, so they can come and go into the garden as they please.. Is that something you could do at your new place?

My dogs sleep all day to be truthful.. lol - it's in the morning and the evening when they are most playful..

x