To shut my dog in the garden for the day?

[Dogingarden]

Please read the full thing before you call me cruel.

I will be gone from about 8am until late on the night because I'm travelling for a medical procedure that I can't put off any longer. There is no way to make the time shorter due to where I live in relation to the hospital and I need the treatment asap.

I had a dog sitter booked but she had an accident and is currently on crutches and unable to drive. The others in my area are booked or just far too expensive. I have family but only my brother is able to drive and works 12hr shifts so he's only able to visit after 8pm. The house is rural detached with no close neighbours.

He can't go to kennels because I accidentally missed his vaccine boosters during the move and the local ones won't take him without them being up to date.

Dog is a large terrier. I have a large, safe garden with plenty of shady spots regardless of the time of day. I would leave multiple beds for him, including a dog house that was already in the garden when I moved in. There is also an automatic water bucket fitted to the house (previous owner) which he uses happily when we're in the garden. I will leave dry food out.

He absolutely will not toilet in the house, even with puppy pads, so he'd potentially be going 12+ hours without a wee which makes me very uncomfortable because he's had kidney issues in the past.

Please don't be awful - I'm terrified of what the biopsy will show and I'm doing my best.

Hope it goes well on Thursday OP, and that you get some good news. 🤞💐

it sounds like you have thought of everything and have your dog’s best interest at heart. However, for your own peace of mind, pay for the expensive dog walker. Chalk it up as another expense as a result of your procedure. Then relax on the day, knowing your dog is in good hands. And good luck.

My dog would be frantic even after 1 hour alone. Maybe yours will be different but I think you need to look at the more expensive dog care. Is there a local Facebook group that can help or borrow my doggy?

@WordsFailMeYetAgain

how do you go to work? Have a night out? Do a supermarket shop even??

There is always someone home. If we need to go out for longer my PIL live over the road and will take her.

Well said, OP. Some people must just be trolling for outrage.

When I was a kid, everyone in our entire neighbourhood who had a dog (about half) would let them out onto the street in the morning and they didn't come back until tea time. Our lovely little mutt would paw at the back gate about 6pm and come in for dinner and a cuddle on the couch after. People are bonkers about dogs now and treat them as if they are children.

A dog on its own in the garden with food, water and shade is living the life of Reilly!

OP on the other hand has a serious medical emergency that some idiotic people can't seem to find any empathy for. Tsk.

This would worry me, my dog would sunbathe (even with access to plenty of shade) and end up with heat stroke or worse.

Glad you found a solution OP. All the best for your tests.

@WordsFailMeYetAgain
@poppy10101

OP has now found someone to dog sit for her.

@BennyBee When I was a kid, everyone in our entire neighbourhood who had a dog (about half) would let them out onto the street in the morning and they didn't come back until tea time. Our lovely little mutt would paw at the back gate about 6pm and come in for dinner and a cuddle on the couch after. People are bonkers about dogs now and treat them as if they are children.

In fairness, you could say the same for how children used to be treated versus now. We've learned more about safety and risk and emotional care. Has it gone too far? Perhaps. But it is what it is, and harking back to the past is rarely the right thing to do.

Options before leaving him in the garden are

1. finding someone to help on Facebook.
2. paying for the expensive dog sitter.

more for your own peace of mind.

This is not normal. Just because your dog has separation anxiety doesn’t mean OP’s does. Mine is very happy to snooze quietly on his own for three or four hours.

In 18 degrees in Scotland? Don’t be silly.

Agreed. There was also less cars on the road. We and our dogs in the 70’s would be out all day. Doesn’t mean I’d do the same now with either my DCs or dogs! My DCs are in their 20’s but you get the gist.

I didn’t realise it was Scotland, sorry. For most of the UK we have very high temperatures planned.

You really need to organise the dog’s vaccine boosters, especially as you live rurally.

Personally, I’d use the available dog sitter, regardless of cost. It’s all part and parcel of owning a dog. Could they visit once during the day then your brother come over after work?

I would be worried about a heatwave, no shady spot is going to help your dog if theres a heatwave x

I would be booking another sitter, its just one day. Or puppy pads for toileting and buy a food dispenser.

OP

i actually read all of your updates and in those circumstances I would have absolutely been fine leaving the dog with cameras to keep an eye out, you’re rural, secure garden, no neighbours to annoy if he barks, you’d have left all of the essentials and you already had a plan in place that fell through, you also wouldn’t have been entertaining the idea if you knew your dog wouldn’t have settled. You’re not doing it because you fancy a day out you’re doing it for your health and I can’t believe someone actually told you you’d need to cancel! I would have done it and not given it a second thought as others have pointed out it’s a dog

the absolute projection of human emotions on to an animal absolutely gives me the rage, people are so ridiculous.

hope all goes well for you and I’m glad it all worked out in the end

You really need to read the op's updates.

@AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii Human emotions like fear, loneliness, happiness, sadness, boredom, anger, love..? Of course dogs have those emotions too!

That’s as may be and I’m not saying they don’t have feelings or acknowledgment of them but humans are over projecting far too much

I'm just waiting at the moment. Had a lot of checks but think I'm next or after that.

Ted is fine and is snoozing quite happily in the garden apparently!

Hope all goes well @Dogingarden

But I'm a bit concerned I've substantially overslept, please tell me it's not Thursday already?!

I agree. I have a cockerpoo who is a complete velcro dog. I didn't phrase myself correctly. I should have said if she was left in the garden for an hour she would be frantic. She is quite happy to be left alone in the house for 3-4 hours or even a bit longer.

Hope everything goes great OP

And no doubt Ted is just happy out snoozing in his garden. 🤗