To get a rescue dog under my circumstances?

[Gamechanger12e3]

Long one but don't wanna leave anything out.

So i live on my own(own my house). Mid twenties. Work full time hours but job is flexible in terms of WFH if/when needed (like today!).

I have been seriously considering getting a rescue dog for over a year now. An older one of 5+ and a small breed. I can financially afford it.

I suppose the cons are:

1. I work full time so mon - fri there will be at least 2 days a week it will be on its own for 7 hours.
2. I'm young so i know life does change quickly in your twenties. However ive worked the same job for several years now and have a mortgage etc, so not likely to up sticks as much as anyone else. I also have no desire too.
3. Dogs are tying and it is a lifestyle change.

My reasons for wanting a dog is.

1. Companionship- lived on my own many years, would like the company. I'm happy to go for daily walks.
2. My mental health, i do suffer depression im medicated for and heard dogs can be great for mental health.
3. I feel i have a lot to offer a rescue dog in terms of love, affection, stability, nice warm home.
4. I think living in my home, with me spending 2 days a week in work for 7 hours would still be a lot better than life in a rescue kennel?

There are no kids/other animals to consider. I've also been back and fourth with this idea for well over a year. I keep reading its so 'tying' so dont do it'. Then when i really think about it, i don't ever actually go anywhere unplanned or spontaneously stay out/go places and i have no desire too. I'm away this weekend with friends, but this trip has been booked over a year. I also go on holiday with my boyfriend in august. That's been booked 8 months in advance. All my trips are the same.

What are your thoughts fellow dog lovers?

Could you hold off going to the loo for SEVEN HOURS during the day?

It's not just about the company, it's also about their physical needs. Also most dogs need more than one walk per day. Mine's a terrier and he gets destructive if he doesn't have a minimum of an hour and a half of brisk walking throughout the day.

I think that depends on the dog, my dog doesn't go to the toilet during the day whether or not I'm in the house.He goes in the morning and late afternoon and sometimes night time. Not all dogs have the same bladder needs.

The dog thread on the horse and hound forum is a bit cliquey and hostile IMO! Much more holier than though than here. I think you get a more balanced response on here.

No they're not alone. They are in a very restricted space with a shifting cast of other dogs and limited human interaction. V stressful and boring.

If the OP fits a dog flap to the garden the dog won't have to wait 7 hours for the toilet.

No rescue conditions are not ideal for a dog, but it’s only meant to be short term hopefully. You can’t really compare it to a forever home.

I live alone and work full time and have a rescue dog. I am flexible re work and have a dog loving friend on hand if I get stuck in the office as I agree leaving a dog for 7 hours is too much. Get a dog that suits you and you it. They are such sensitive souls - well mine is - particularly rescues as you don’t know what they went through. Mine took at least 6 months to settle so I worked from home a lot and took annual leave to make sure I was there for him. Getting him was the Best Thing even if hard work! Dog walking in the pissing rain, lol! Good luck with your doggie!

Very difficult to have a dog as a single person in this country (easier in more dog friendly places). You HAVE to be home every evening. You can not do anything else except dog care. However you say you don't do anything unplanned anyway (never go for a work drink? Never meet a friend? Go food shopping?)

You will also need to arrange doggy daycare for your working days (not just a walk).

I work full time and leave my dog from 7:30a till 6:30pm each day during the work week.

I walk him before work, a dog walker walks him for an hour and I walk him after work. He gets two meals a day, if you any reason I’m out late or away overnight then I have an automatic dog feeder.

He has Alexa left on sometimes for some mouse and more importantly he has a dog flap and access to a large garden.

My dog is extremely well looked after. He has always been used to being on his own. He has things to play with and his own sofa. He’s 11 now so he just sleeps.

Dogs are a tie but they are so rewarding. We love our cuddles and time together. My dog was also a rescue dog and challenging to begin with but he’s wonderful.

PS totally agree whippet/greyhound/lurched would be fab - I am biased I admit - I love my sighthound to bits!

If the OP fits a dog flap to the garden the dog won't have to wait 7 hours for the toilet.

I'd be wary of getting a dog flap to be honest. It restricts you to a small breed (otherwise a burglar would be able to get through). But also there's a risk that they will just go out and bark incessantly which will annoy the neighbours. And, god knows what mine would get up to with prolonged, unsupervised access to the garden! Holes would be dug, bulbs and sticks would be dragged indoors and chewed. And imagine if the weather is bad - they go out and get wet/muddy, then come back in bringing half the garden with them!

Why not volunteer at a rescue centre? You can get to walk dogs and cuddle cats without having to take them home.
You get interaction and so do they. Win, win!

I'm a rescue homechecker for loads of rescues in my area.

A reputable rescue unfortunately won't adopt to someone working full time, often even with a day care provision.

However, you will find rescues that will adopt to you. For instance, you could consider a Romanian rescue dog, several of those rescues aren't quite so fussy. But do some reading before thinking of that.

My recommendation though is to only go with a rescue that does a home check (that conversation is often incredibly useful) and offers support after adoption, for instance, in case it doesn't work out.

Do not use a dog as an emotional crutch, a dog of 5 plus will have all it’s own problem. I have Rehomed two rescue dogs, springer spaniels but I am an experienced dog owner. They both had their own problems and intially, it was a struggle, turned out one was deaf and half blind the other was totally hyper. Luckily, I had a detached enclosed garden and lived in a rural area. I do not own a dog now and am very happy not to be tied down. All my dogs died of old age and were not replaced.

If the OP fits a dog flap to the garden the dog won't have to wait 7 hours for the toilet.

If OP fits a dog flap, then what's the stop the dog digging up her garden and traipsing mud and filth all over he house? What's to stop the dog digging and escaping the garden, or barking and causing a nuisance? Or getting stolen?

I really, really wouldn't recommend leaving a dog outside in the garden unless they're in a locked, secure, purpose-built run with access to food, shelter and water.

if I had a dog flap, my dog would spedn the day quietly taking things down the garden, until every loose item in the house was at the end of the garden.

He particularly loves to take out socks and shoes when the back door is open.

Your circumstances are fairly similar to mine OP - I'm also 20-something, live alone, have depression and work full time.

I wanted a dog but didn't think I could have one due to my work commitments and renting. I accidentally acquired one from a friend who couldn't keep him, and had to find ways to make it work - there was no alternative!

In terms of leaving him alone, mine can be left for 10 hours or more at a time and is fine. I'm not saying it's ideal, but he copes and basically just sleeps all day. Even when I WFH he just sleeps all day... On the other hand, some dogs can't manage 10 minutes alone, so you'd need to find the right individual dog. In most cases the dog would be best off having a dog walker visit during the day.

Do you have anyone who could look after the dog when you go away? You say your DM likes dogs. My DF dog sits for me, and has been invaluable when I've had business trips, holidays and an emergency hospital admission (no idea what I'd have done without him, especially in the latter situation).

He's done lots for my mental health - partly the love and companionship, partly the need to walk him daily and get out. He's a tie but he means I find different things to do, and I like to take him on day trips eg to the beach.

Do you think you might want kids in future? If so it's worth keeping that in mind when when choosing a dog.

Consider where you'd walk your dog in winter after dark when it's dark before you leave the office. It's my least favourite part of dog ownership tbh.

Also make sure you do your sums on the expenses - they're expensive to keep and there always seems to be something they need buying for them...

Do not use a dog as an emotional crutch, a dog of 5 plus will have all it’s own problem

Dogs can still have problems and be hugely beneficial for someone's mental health.

Mine has issues (reactive towards odd triggers, resource guarding around other dogs etc) and came to me with zero basic training.

He's a companion who has helped my mental health enormously, and helping him to resolve his issues has been hard work but has given me a sense of achievement.

Sometimes I joke that I'm his emotional support human. Mutual support is entirely possible.

@tinstar. I have just got back from walking the dogs at a rescue centre, and yes the dogs are alone in their small concrete cells.
They are in there for on average 23 out of 24 hours.
How can that be better than a home?

We have a rescue , owner was a bastard. Me and husband work full time. Tried leaving dog but it didn't work. So she is now a mechanics apprentice! Loves it at the garage. We did have to change her insurance as she goes to a work place , but she's happy and gets lots of fuss of the customers who now keep appearing with dog biscuits!
Mines a Belgian Mali X whippet so high energy and too clever for her own good!

I've been looking into getting a rescue dog and some of the rescue organisations' requirements are frankly unrealistic - "Spot needs to be an only dog in a house with no children under 16, with access to a large very secure garden, walked twice a day for an hour each at quiet times because he's aggressive towards other dogs and strange people. He can't be left alone for more than an hour" - how many people can provide that? Not enough to home all the dogs it's required for, it seems. Yes, it would be ideal, but we all have to compromise and accept less than perfect because it's better than nowt.

"Spot needs to be an only dog in a house with no children under 16,
Under 11 is the norm. For very good reasons. Rescue dogs have often at best not been well-trained and at worst brutalised. Not always sensible for them to be around children. Obviously a lot will but, better safe than sorry 🤷‍♀️

with access to a large very secure garden,
Well the rescue we use has never had a problem with our small back garden. But they have been keen to make sure it's secure. Is that so unreasonable?

walked twice a day for an hour each at quiet times because he's aggressive towards other dogs and strange people
And 2 hours a day is unreasonable because .....? Not sure what/when you mean by quiet times?

He can't be left alone for more than an hour" -
Bollocks. You know it's 4 hours.

No, not bollocks. I have this afternoon seen something that requires an adult-only household with limited visitors for a dog that can't be left alone at all.

Well then that's clearly an exception

Spot needs to be an only dog in a house with no children under 16, with access to a large very secure garden, walked twice a day for an hour each at quiet times because he's aggressive towards other dogs and strange people. He can't be left alone for more than an hour

So Spot has a variety of behaviour problems, all of which a prospective owner needs to be aware of in advance so they can make an informed decision about whether or not they can take the dog on, and so that the risk of the dog being returned to rescue is reduced.

From that description Spot is

• not safe to live with children
• an escape artist
• has lots of energy which needs to be burned off with two hours of walks and access to a large garden to run around in
• is reactive towards other dogs and strangers
• has separation anxiety

While Spot has a lot of needs, they're all crucial for somebody to know about - I'm sure the rescue isn't just making up individual requirements for the fun of it.

@tinstar you are thinking of the standard minimum requirements that most rescues have in place. Some dogs, such as "Spot" have much more specific needs, and this will be reflected in the home the rescue looks for.