I don't like to leave my dog alone in the house!!

[stirrupleathers]

Hi...yes I know ridiculous as it may be but I suffer anxiety when leaving my little dog :/ We have had a lot of burglaries In our neighbourhood recently, there seems to be one a week at the moment. My fear is that they will break in and either let her out, hurt or steal her. I honestly feel like an idiot for thinking like this and so I wonder if anyone else (secretly) feels like this or am I alone in this :)

You're not an idiot ... quite the opposite. Hopefully your security is good (alarm, lights on timer if you're out), blinds or curtains to stop her being seen from the street. You could also get a little camera which you could view from your mobile to see what she's up to!

She sits in the window when I do pop out. I'm gng to put her in the kitchen from now on she just loves lying in the sun on the window ledge. I leave the tv on radio on...blah blah. My husband goes berserk. Thank you mitchellmummy I feel less like a freak!!! I only work part time so I'm home a lot!!!

Nope, you're not alone. I hate having to leave my dog alone for the same reasons.

Also been a spate of burglaries in my area recently and unfortunately I've had to leave her on her own quite often of late. At the back of my mind the whole time are the same fears you express.

It's not daft! Dh's best friend will never leave her dogs alone in the house - it's not fear of theft, I think she just thinks they'll be too sad and upset if they're left. I think it's quite sweet, The only annoying thing is it does limit what restaurants and places we can go to with her!

You're not an idiot. I've not been like this about dogs but I've always had large ones, I have been about smaller animals.

In fact, I once left my large dog alone all day (she isn't usually, I work part time it was a definite one-off) and when I got back, somebody had called the RSPCA !I'm a bit nervous of leaving her for any length of time for that reason, now.

Perhaps she needs a companion (don't want to put ideas into your head!)?!!

It's always worried me, too. Especially as our dogs have always been variants of bull terrier which chav thiefs would see as a status dog and probably want to nick... They're terrible guard dogs, they just want to kiss intruders to death.

Good to hear I'm not the only one with these fears. I used to worry about this particularly with our older boxer. He was the sweetest dog ever and had only known good people, I couldn't bear the thought of him being stolen and ending up being treated badly or worse. At the moment if our young dog isn't at doggy day care during the day and I go out he comes too but soon it will be too warm (southern hemisphere) for him to come in the car so he'll have to stay home. I know he's better off trashing gardensnoozing in the shade but I will still worry.