To get a dog if we work FT

[DogLover20]

DH and I work full time. I work from home 2 days a week, DH almost always works in the office.
Is it cruel to get a dog if he’d be on his own during the day 3 days a week? We’d be out from 8ish in the morning to 5-6pm.
It’s be a small dog that could use a cat flap to go in the garden.
I want DD to grow up with a pet and I am a dog lover. Don’t think I could have a cat as am terrified they’d bring mice in and cannot deal with that.
Wouls it be selfish to get a dog?

OP I think it's good you came on here to ask for opinions. I think it would be tricky in your situation.

DH and I both work FT but I WFH full time for the first two months and DH also took some time off. We used the time to crate train the puppy, toilet train, get it used to being alone for short periods etc. Thereafter, I changed to WFH 4 days a week for the next 14 months. My job is pretty flexible so I had plenty of opportunity to exercise the dog and keep her stimulated mentally as well. The day I didn't WFH, DH takes her to work with him. She isn't the only dog that goes to work either as others bring their dogs too.

I'll soon be reducing to WFH only 3 days a week so we'll use a dog walker for two hour walks. We've already had some trial walks so the dog is used to it. However, she's going to be 16 months at this point. My oldest will also be home from school early so the dog will have company from 4pm. We already know she's fine to be left for 3 hours.

One option you could consider is finding someone who will look after your puppy for the 3 days you're in. Usually, someone who will mostly chill with your dog at home as, depending on the breed, they can't be walked too much to protect their joints. Then when the dog is old enough, you could transition to a dog walker who pops in at lunch time for a walk.

It can be done with thoughtful planning though you do need to build in the expense.

The other things to consider as pointed out by others: insurance costs, vet bills, boarding costs (we only holidayed in the UK for the first year so the dog could come with us as boarding costs increased dramatically where we are to the point of not being affordable), costs of food, treats and toys. Sontaneous days out will disappear. Everything we do revolves around our dog and is planned around her. It's a huge commitment. Then the time spent on training and the dog walks in the rain and mud. If WFH, you'll need to build in extra time during the winter to account for getting rid of mud/drying the dog etc (depends where you walk the dog).

There's also the increase in mental load. We have a cat who I have never worried about as it's so independent. She didn't care who came to feed her as long as she was fed. In contrast, I find my dog is more akin to my child. It isn't as simple, e.g., as finding any dog walker or dog boarding. And I won't let just anyone take our dog for a walk so Borrow My Doggy (whilst it sounds ideal to help) wasn't something I wanted to do in the end (though I'm sure it works for many).

Our dog has killed and attempted to bring in mice before (she wouldn’t fit through a cat flap or I’m sure she would bring them in!!)… choosing a dog over a cat for that reason isn’t wise!

You would need to organise daycare for the dog. Most are not insured or set up to take puppies so you would need to figure out something else for the first 6months - 1 year.

These types of threads come along every now and then and blow my mind when everyone inevitably says doggy daycare.

Daycare will suit a very small percentage of dogs. Dozens of dogs cooped up together for hours a day in a small enclosed space is just a recipe for fucking disaster. Every reactive dog I’ve ever met has become reactive as a result of daycare or dog parks. Not every dog is going to get along, they’re fucking dogs! My own is very friendly and sociable, but has a problem with a select few dogs we come across on walks for absolutely no reason that I can tell, he just doesn’t like them! Our vet abhors daycare and dog parks for the same reason.

Our local rescue has no problem with full time workers, they will tell you up front which dogs will be ok with being alone and which ones won’t. Too many dogs everywhere in rescue stuck in tiny kennels alone most of the day, I’d rather they be in a loving home having free run of the house personally.

That said, you absolutely can not leave a puppy alone all day. I have a 1 year old dog and 3 hours is the absolute max I will leave him.

@FGJunkie That doesn't sound like our experience of daycare at all. Where our dog goes, there are a maximum of four dogs at any one time. They have one to two walks a day in the countryside. Back at the house they have lots of outdoor space to play and inside they have beds where they have all learned to take a nap after their walks. In summer there is a pool to play in and sometimes they do training in an enclosed field. Admittedly the business owner only takes dogs with good recall and zero behavioural issues. I do think we struck gold with our daycare but it seems to be very in demand round here and there are lots of very good ones.

That sounds absolutely wonderful but nothing like the doggy daycares I’ve ever come across. All the ones I’ve ever seen has upwards of 20-30 dogs in one small enclosed space.

That sounds hell! Very stressful for any dog.

Re the above discussions on dog numbers:
Perhaps there is a difference in daycare depending on whether in a large facility or someone’s family home?

A neighbour of my mum in Glasgow does doggy day care from 8am to 6pm as she wfh part time. And holiday care as a nicer option to kennels.

I think she takes a couple of friendly dogs at a time and makes a good bit of extra money as they only need access to the enclosed back garden all day and a couple of walks.

Perhaps others do that kind of thing and that’s why some facilities are better than others that ate industrial estate type ones.

I don’t know about her registration with a local authority if required or insurance or anything. I’d want to research that first I think. But a family home with a partially retired nice lady seems a good option.

My dogs come to work with me and I'm in and out of the office. As long as they grt a good walk in the morning and evening they hardly lift theirs heads during the daytime. Dogs are spurts of high energy with lots of sleep in between. The length of the spurts depends on breed. Don't get a puppy, but certainly consider two pair bonded adult dogs. It's only 3 days a week they are alone, and you can hire a company to pop in during the day to walk them when you are out.

There are a couple of big ones like you describe but most around here are dog walkers who also take in only a handful of dogs for daycare so very small and just like being at home with a couple of dogs.