Is there any way to have a dog when you work full time?

[LittleLionHeart]

I know this has been done to death, and working full time is why we don't have a dog (DP and I both lawyers). So I'm looking for some bright ideas more than a flaming. We are both out of the house from 8-6 or 8-8 in bad patches. One of us is usually okay to be home by 6.30 even if the other is working late.

We could both work a day at home per week I think, so four days a week in total including weekends. Could the rest ever be done by a dog walker without being cruel on the dog?

I don't see a time when we both won't work full time and I have wanted a dog for 8 years

Thanks all. I've sent off my application form to my nearest dogs trust for walking volunteering

Agree with others who say it is fine as long as you're prepared to pay £££. Me and dp are also lawyers. We have a dog and we pay for him to be walked twice a day for 90 minutes at a time. Costs about 650 a month but anything else would be unfair. It means the dog is ever alone for more than 3-4 hours at a time.

Salene I'd love to know how many of your Rescue's dogs are rehomed over and over again. Rehoming to the wrong home out of desperation to clear the kennels is as bad as leaving a dog in foster/pound care in my opinion.

OP Thank you on behalf of every Rescue!

When I'm not volunteering at the local Rescue, I also run a doggy daycare. We charge £35 a day for full care 'en famille', including cuddles on sofas for particularly cute and un-smelly ones... (yes Lolly I am looking at you and your distinct aroma of fox poo ). We're about 70 miles outside London, so very edge of commuter land - we're median price for the service we provide, bearing in mind we're fully licenced and insured. Once you get inside the M25, prices definitely go up. Beware of walkers and carers offering to do it for peanuts. Either they're not insured etc or they are very naive, in the first case they're chancers in it for the money and in the second they will either go bust really fast or have to put prices up to realistic levels.

The biggest issue is settling the dog with the owner, if you and your dog-person aren't careful it's all too easy to end up with a dog who thinks it belongs to the day carer and gets stroppy at having to go to a strange place overnight! Ideally you should take several months off to settle a puppy. At the very least three weeks each if you're a couple. Anyway, should you fall hopelessly in love with one of the Dog's Trust dogs, you do have options.

Dog rescues are full of dogs bought or "rescued" by enthusiastic but naive owners who get a dog, leave it alone for 10 hours a day while they're at work, then wonder why they come home to a wee soaked carpet and gnawed furniture. But obviously not any of the multitude of rescues Salene's ever worked at.

OP is being very sensible and asking for advice. Unfortunately a lot of other starry-eyed rescuers are not.

I had to wait until a) I worked part time and b) our ferociously viscious cat died until we could have a dog. He is left for 6 hours a day with a kong, hidden treats and R4 for company. We also live in a street with neighbours moving about all day so he has human noise. I wouldn't leave him for longer than that as although he is now used to the routine, I do have some frequent carpet cleaning to do.

Harriet if there are carpet disasters still happening and he's not a puppy anymore, do you think he could do with a visit/walk to break it up?

NARPS guidelines, which are based on RSPCA guidelines, are no more than four hours. Actually some of our walkies clients can handle six hours no problem, but others definitely can't, and widdling indoors isn't always because dog needs to wee, sometimes it's stress.

If you visit dogsit.co.uk and type in your postcode, it should give you contact details for National Association Of Registered Pet Sitters members nearby. We've all been vetted and we're not allowed to join unless we're licensed and insured.

I can't believe how much dog sitters charge in your areas! When we go out for the day our 6mnth old will go to a 'home from home' dog sitters. She has the run if the place and it cost £10 from 8-5.

I have 2 dogs and I'm at home with them all day as I'm a SAHM, I wouldn't leave my own dogs all day on their own but I know plenty of people who do and their dogs seem OK (well, who knows really).

But I've always thought that if it was a rescue dog isn't it better for the dog to be taken into a home where they may be left for part of the day than left in the kennels?
At least they get a loving home, but maybe that's too simplistic I don't know.

Dog day care here is ten to seventeen pound a day. Mine goes very very occassionally and loves it. The one nearest has a huge outdoor dog park. I work from home the rest of the time though.

harriet

Where exactly did I say leave a dog alone for 10 hours, if you are going to spout off crap at least bother your Arse to get the facts correct

I stated its fine to own a dog and use a dog walker to take the dog out . So said dog is only left 4 hours at a time.

So please wheest would you.

Our dogs are not rehomed time and time again as we take the time to match dogs with home depending on how they have acted in foster care, but when your dealing with a high volume of dogs we cannot be so fussy to refuse people who work the pleasure of owning a dog

But as I said to a previous poster unless you deal with numerous dogs on a daily basis needing homes you have no idea what your talking about so just stick to dog sitting please..