Can I make this work? Job, dogs...

[Karcheer]

I gave up working in the city at a very high level about 4 years ago, and my husband and I did ivf a couple of times and failed. We went on to get two dogs that are my children.
I worked locally part time (13hrs a week) up until Christmas when I was let go. Since then I've been a housewife.
I'm really bored and would like some of my own money.
I applied for a job which was advertised as three days a week, 9-5, an hour lunch but I'd be able to walk there in no one than five mins, so could spend my hour lunch break with my dogs and have no commute time.
However after getting the job, it appears that it's in the next town along and will take about 20mins (dh says longer at rush hour). I still plan to come home at lunch, but my dh says this longer day isn't fair on the dogs and I should say I can't do it.
Do any of you work full time or part time with full time hours over a coup,e of days. Is it workable?
Thanks.

[ladyformation]

Our dogs at home (always 2 or 3, wouldn't have left a dog alone) cope with my parents working full time five days a week and having an active life at weekends. Can you do a trial run with your dogs before you start the job to see how they do? If so I'd recommend:

• can you give them access to the garden through a dog flap? This solves most problems AFAIC, as long as they're happy in each other's company.
  
• long walk in the morning and preferably another long one in the evening! (we do at least one hour long walk and one half hour walk).
  
• obviously free access to water which I'm sure you have anyway.
  
• free access into the garden whenever you're at home - door open all the time so they get plenty of free time and space whenever possible.
  

Some dogs won't like it and you shouldn't put such a dog through it but I know of plenty of dogs who live perfectly happily this way. Depends on the breed because some dogs will just need too much exercise, but ours live very happily on 1.5 hours of walks a day with more time and attention at the weekends/holidays.

HTH!

[Mybeardeddragonjustdied2016]

No neighbour that could let them out at lunchtime? I work but our back door is always open so they have free run of the utility and the garden. Usually dh or a ds is about at some point so they aren't really home alone! My dh looked into being a dog walker and it isn't too hard to get started up!

[phillipp]

What about looking into becoming a dog walker.

I have no clue how it works so could be talking rubbish, but is doing something like that an option?

[Karcheer]

No he works crazy hours, leaves at 6:30, home at 8:30.

I think sadly I need to find something else.

[Blackfellpony]

What hours does your DH work?

On the days I work i stagger it so that I do a later shift (1-10) and DH is in at 3 so they are only left a few hours.

Not sure if shift changes are an option but it's worth a though?

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Is your Dh in a position to help out with walking on your working days?

Or could you spread the three full work days to five part days?

[Karcheer]

The thing is if I got a dog walker plus petrol, plus car parking I think it would be quite a big chunk of the salary dh said just the parking and petrol would make it pointless so adding a dog walker in would be more so... Need to have a think...

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

But if you want a job, and a dog walker could work, even if you don't come out with loads of ££££ wouldnt it be worth it mentally ?

[Karcheer]

I was thinking of coming home at lunch time, but it'll be a max of 20mins in the house. A dog walker could work, but financially that doesn't make sense. It's a low paid job, that I only applied to because it was in my home town.
Guess dh is right.

I always feel so lazy saying I don't work, I feel like I'm the only sahdm in the world :/

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

I don't think you can leave them for three whole days every week. Week in week out. Would be awful for them.

Dog walker?