If you work full time ...

[stillvicarinatutu]

How do you do it with dogs ?

I have two dogs . I always managed because my ex worked different hours to me so someone was in .

We split . Now I live alone with the dogs .
Back Then I worked from home a lot . Now I'm being seconded back into the office Mon - fri . 8 hours .

I've priced up a dog Walker but Jesus it's £££££ !
I will get them in but it's a huge expense- I've left them 8 hours in the past but not daily - they often go longer without asking to go out but if this is going to be a regular working pattern daily I need to get someone in .

What do others do please?

Following

Dog walker, surely cheaper than doggy daycare.

Lots of people will tell you they leave their dogs at home alone for 8-10 hours and they’re fine.
Dogs are social animals and it’s not fair to leave them this long every day.
Just because people do it, doesn’t make it ok.

We walk the dog in the morning at six then have a dog walker during the day if we are both at work.

Yeah Ive got a dog Walker lined up , still £140 a month just for 15 mins a day . But needs must . Peace of mind .
I loved home working. So much easier.

yes i do dog walker two days and doggy daycare one day a week, work two days at home. costs me a lot- about £250 a month! but actually it is much cheaper than the childcare I used to pay for and the dog is easier than my children 🙂

If they are well exercised before and after work is there a local teenager or retired person who would pop in on them to let them have a wee in the garden and a fuss..I know my daughters friend is student who is living at home and does this for a few neighbours.

How much?!! That seems ludicrously expensive!

You could try one of the dog sharing sites? I haven't personally, but have friends that do. If you're lucky you could find a local, trustworthy person who loves dogs but can't have their own.

www.borrowmydoggy.com/

We do doggy daycare twice a week - Tuesday and Friday. This means our dog is shattered still on a Wednesday and on a Friday! She goes to daycare 7.30 til 5.45 and when we get her home she takes herself straight to bed the next day she has a 45 min walk in the morning and again at night! She is alone during the day on the other days but gets a lot of exercise otherwise

Can you negotiate WFH a couple of days a week? My girl used to go to daycare mornings only. I dropped her off and the owner brought her home and let her in, I then arrived home about 3 hours later, she didnt even raise her head when I came in she was knackered.

Unfortunately my wfh days are done .

Work from home some days and doggie day care the rest.

Day care does cost but it is worth every penny as I don't need to walk him at all on those days.

Between me and DP we wfh 4 days a week. Walker on the other day who is £12 by the time she’s picked all her dogs up, driven them to wherever she is walking them, done her 90 minute walk and stopped everyone back he’s with her for at least 3 hours.
I start early and finish early on that day and DP starts late (so he’s with him for more of the morning) and finishes late, he’d not alone for more than 2.5hrs/3hrs and we’d never leave him for more than 4ish
Hed be fine longer but I’d not be able to live with the guilt of leaving him longer!

Luckily I managed to get condensed hours agreed so I'm full-time over 4 days.

I go into office two days and DH is home, he goes in for two (sometimes my day off sometimes not) and I will WFH two days (still go out on visits of up to 2hours or so).

I'm lucky I can do this but this has also meant I can't apply for any new job that's not flexible unless loads more money to cover dog walker.

Near me there's a semi retired older lady who takes in dogs for the day with hers for £5. Any local knowledge of someone like this?

I start a new job soon which is office based having previously WFH and DH currently WFH but is looking for a new job so if he doesn’t WFH our dog will go to doggy day care. A dog walker is £10 and hour and day care is only £15 all day so it seems much better for him to have a full day of care. He loves other dogs so much so will love day care and hopefully sleep a bit later!

£140 a month for weekday care for two dogs is an absolute bargain.

I'm a dog walker and I think that's incredibly cheap. My minimum price for two dogs is £10 whether they need me for 10 minutes or half an hour.

So I would be charging £50 a week or £200 per month for this kind of job. OP obviously has found a very nice dog walker who will do cheap 15 minute visits!

I would do the dog walker arrangement as long as the dogs are walked before you go to work. I used to walk a previous dog at about 0630, leave for work at about 0830 and the dog walker came at about 1130. It was a bit different because he got picked up in their van and taken on a group walk with a few other dogs. He then was dropped off last at about 1400 and I was back home at 1730. I know your dog walks will be much shorter but if they are happy at home, and had a decent walk before work, it might work. I think the price you have been quoted is a bargain too!

Marthaandthemuffins · Yesterday 22:43

How much?!! That seems ludicrously expensive!

You do realise that dog walkers such as myself & doggy day care need to earn a living?
£12 for a 90 minute walk is extremely cheap.

I have one dog, so it's always doggy day care if I need to be out for more than half a day.

With two, you could probably manage on a walker in the middle of the day, as at least there is canine company

Start looking now - it's the most popular slot, as it breaks the day in two.

And yes, they'll need a morning walk before you leave plus an evening walk (+/- playtime with you)

I work from home.

I work full time from home but often DDog can't be in the office if im with a client. We do dog walker (2hrs) twice a week which exhausts him for a short walk the following day. On Friday he has 3x30 mins around work.

Get your neighbour to let the dog out when she gets home with her DD?

She works 9-5 same as me - so she wouldn't get home any earlier than me

Can you put an advert on a local Facebook page for a trustworthy teen to come and let the dogs out? Or a student? Fiver a day or something?