To get a dog?

[Northerngirl345]

That’s it really. We’re out of the house 7.30-4pm every week day so I’m worried it’s cruel BUT I seem to know loads of people who work longer hours than that and have dog(s).

My DM and DMIL would pop in and we’re both in education so have lots of holidays.

Agree with this. Op get a cat.

I'm afraid I would only leave a dog for 4 hours at a time and only then a well-adjusted one.

@Northerngirl345 do you know Borrow My Doggy? There are sooo many dogs on there whose owners just don't have time for them because they work all day, 4 or 5 days a week.

Unless you can be home much more I wouldn't even consider getting your own. And puppies are a full time commitment for months - they're babies who need just as much attention as human infants & toddlers.

Same applies for kittens. You might be able to consider an adult rescue cat.

No, I think you know this is unreasonable OP. Yes, lots of people leave their dogs at home for hours on end - those dogs are miserable.

Get a couple of outdoor cats. Sign up to borrow my doggy.

It’s a ‘no’ from me. We have three adults at home and our lives revolve around the dog. We wouldn’t leave it from 7.30-4pm , even with someone coming in briefly at some point (have you asked or assuming do will look after dog?).

can you take dog to doggy daycare?

No, I wouldn't. We have one older dog, and I work from home every day. The one day a week I have to go to the office, my parents call in and spend a while with her, and DH is home by 4. There's no way she could be left every day for the hours you're talking about.

Sure, you should get a dog...

A stuffed one.

You can't be serious about leaving a dog for that length of time, every day, surely? How cruel.

You can't be serious about leaving a dog for that length of time

I think that's a little unfair, if you're not an experienced dog owner you won't automatically know these things, we all have to start learning somewhere, and the op has done the right thing in following her instinct that its wrong & checking with people who do know.

That would be incredibly cruel.

Get a cat.

Just to say that not all cats are happy being left for long periods. They can be as emotionally needy as dogs, they just don't need daily walking if they have free access to the outdoors.

My dog was very unwell for about 12 weeks. Needed very small meals but regularly, 6 -8 times a day, medication a couple of times a day, access to garden very regularly and at short notice, many trips to the vets, often at short notice, and a lot of cuddles, TLC and attention. I honestly believe if we had both worked outside the house for long hours each day, she would have died.

I would not leave a dog for the length of time you are proposing anyway, but what would you do in this situation? Could you provide adequate "parenting" when your proposed dog is unwell? If not, then you really really shouldn't do it.

No, the buck stops with the owner.

It's great if they have willing volunteers who might want to walk it, but this should never make up part of the decision to actually get a dog.

And if they went to any rescue worth its salt, they would definitely be refused on this basis.

So that just leaves getting a puppy and doing what's best for them, rather than the animal.

What’s the post of getting a dog if you won’t be around to take care of it or enjoy pet ownership in anyway.

Genuinely curious.

I rehomed an older dog as it fitted in with my lifestyle better. I work part time, there's two days a week he's left for 6 hours with a dog walker in the middle and a walk before I leave, other weekdays I leave him for an afternoon or morning or neither. I don't think he'd cope with me leaving him another 6 hour day, even with the dog walker. And he's 12 and enjoys a good nap! When I get home tired and want a cuppa, he's raring to go. It's also not fair for me to leave him in the evening if I've left him during the day, same for weekends. So you have to change your plans and lifestyle. I'm a big advocate of rehoming older dogs - they can often have had a loving home but be handed in because of an owners circumstances changing dramatically and can be really lovely dogs and overlooked. Plus I couldn't cope with a young dog, but my older boy likes a walk, and then a nap, and a bit of play and then a nap. But having said that I was nieve to how difficult it is to undo bad habits and he had separation issues when I first got him which took real dedication to sort. Luckily for me it was just before covid so I had the months to get him OK with being left, but if it hadn't been I'd of been stuck. So go in with your eyes open.

Dogs sleep a lot, so they don’t need company all day everyday. Spending all day, everyday with them means they find it hard when you do have to go out. It depends what popping in means, 5 mins once a day - no. Relatively fit MIL and DM who will walk dog for at least 40 minutes in the middle of the day with one of you doing another walk in the morning, then maybe. Are both of them also going to follow your lead on training, using the methods you are implementing and following the commands you use or do their own thing because they’ve had dogs before? If you think one of them won’t do the walking and training, you’re better getting a dog walker. I would factor in the cost of a dog Walker anyway because what happens if DM/MIL is ill or goes on holiday. Or realistically over the lifetime of a dog, their health might deteriorate to the point they can’t walk the dog.

People will come at me for saying use a dog Walker and if I’m not prepared to take care of my dogs myself then I shouldn’t have one. I use childcare so I can work and it’s no different with a dog. One of the reasons I went back to work is because I realised my DC needed more than I could offer, they needed a structured learning environment and someone who knows how to correctly introduce letters in a way that’s not confusing for school. They needed interaction with other kids their age, not just me. A dog walker offered the chance for our dogs to go on a walk they wouldn’t have been able to go on while we were at work, even working from home, because they would be driven somewhere to explore off-lead whereas during the day we could probably only do an on-lead estate walk during lunch. We also did pack walks and our dogs loved going seeing their doggy friends, although packs walks aren’t suitable with every dog.

It would be very cruel to get a dog and leave it home alone for 8 & a half hours a day, every day. It seems that you also appreciate that it would be cruel and yet you are still considering it, on the grounds that other people do.
As other posters have said, dogs are pack animals, they depend on their pack for company and comfort. A dog being left alone for that length of time, as a way of life, would be lonely and miserable and may become destructive or unbalanced. They need training, mental stimulation, enrichment, bonding, play and walking, as well as companionship. It really is too cruel to consider. I wouldn't leave any of my dogs for more than three hours, four maximum. Also, as other posters have said, a rescue centre would not re-home a dog with you for welfare and well-being reasons and a puppy would simply be out of the question.
I hope you will wait until you are able to meet the needs of a dog every day, not just at the weekends and during holidays.

Yes, it's cruel for the dog. Please don't get one, you obviously have no idea what dog ownership means.

A stuffed toy or an electronic robot dog would work in this situation but a real live, breathing dog with feelings would suffer terribly.

Get a cat instead.

Surely you don't have to be an experienced dog owner to know that you shouldn't leave a dog for that length of time? Common sense should tell anyone that, dog owner or not.

When my work hours changed and I was out of the house from 9 am - 2 pm (for 8 weeks), we got a dog walker to take our lab out. She would come in at 11 and take him for an hours walk, sometimes longer. I hated doing it and it cost us a fortune, but I would never have left him all day and it was a solution to a temporary problem for us until DH changed his hours to suit.

What do you mean by pop in? You would need doggy day care if you are out of the house that length of time, popping in wouldn’t cut it. Day care is doable but costly. You need to fit your life round the dog, not the other way around - evenings and weekends would be taken up with dog activities. Are you prepared for that? Do your research and think long and hard.

You need to consider every single aspect of your life before committing to a dog. That’s why the rescue centres are full of unwanted, unloved, sometimes abused dogs. They simply want to be loved, be part of a loving family that can give them everything they need, even at the bad times. Hopefully, it will work out ok, but it’s so very sad that some potential dog owners don’t fully understand what goes into having a dog for life, one that is well adjusted, well behaved and kept healthy and loved. Rescue centres don’t usually rehome to folks who are out a good bit of the day, as some of the dogs are so traumatised they cannot cope alone.

Our cat is a dependent type and the seller made us sign a contract saying we wouldn't leave it more than 4 hours in the day regularly! The cat is very happy being left as it sleeps til we return, but would not like to be alone and awake for long periods. Cat differ a lot though and I'm sure most outdoor types would be fine with people with busy lives.

Why wouldn't you join Borrow My Doggy group and test the waters that way? An older placid dog might suit your lifestyle. Definitely not a puppy. Puppies are like children they need a lot of stimulation and guidance to turn out alright. I grew up with dogs and currently own one.

Absolutely not

I'm a first time dog owner and thought I was fairly clued up having walked dogs at a rescue charity as a volunteer for ages. But it's only now seeing my dog that I know he wouldn't cope with certain things that I'd of thought were OK before. I also think attitudes are changing towards dogs (eg positive training methods, being more aware of enrichment etc) and that means what was normal 10-20 years ago is known to be damaging now. Change always takes time and as the OP says there's a lot of dogs in less than ideal situations. I think it's a good thing to ask questions and get information like the OP is doing. It shows they care about their potential pet and are thinking carefully about it.

I think it’s too long to leave a puppy or young dog. Even an older dog would find this difficult unless it is what they have been used to.
Also, remember the dog is alone whilst you’re sleeping which is likely to be another 6-8 hour stretch.