How do people afford daycare

[Freshstarts22]

All daycare is a minimum of £40 a day.

Can’t get a dog Walker as my dog is anxious and won’t walk near roads so has to be driven.

I also am not keen on daycare because of the overstimulation (not great for a highly strung dog) and although she loves playing with dogs does not like mouthy play. I’d worry it’d have a negative effect.

Are there any other options I’m not thinking of? My Mum has her but can’t rely on this forever.

It really isn't

OP needs to work to live and us being responsible by trying to find appropriate care for her dog.

That doesn't mean she doesn't have time for it, so maybe try to be a little less judgmental.

Or it’s like buying an embroidery set for the 4 days a week you are off work, but finding somewhere safe to store it on the 3 days you have to go to work instead?

a dog is a family member, families sometimes have to use paid for care for members of the family who can’t be left while the adults work, be that children, dogs or elderly family members who need care.

Rover has over 30 people offering drop-in dog visits in central London, the majority of them under £20 and many of them around £12

The site/app was mentioned by another poster earlier in the thread too.

I am surprised OP is having such difficulty (I mean, availability of preferred slots/days might be an issue, but the service does exist)

Your comment is very strange. I only work 22.5 hours a work. I hardly ‘don’t have time’ for her.

Yes if I can find someone that covers my area maybe I could do this at least one of my three days.

Unfortunately yes. Obviously didn’t know that before hand. I manage it but I drive. Just makes any kind of care difficult.

Pets are a hobby? Seriously?
so nobody should have a dog unless they are unemployed? Working 3 days a week and having a dog Walker is unacceptable to you? Or even working full time and using walkers or daycare?

The issue isn't that care doesn't exist, it's wanting solo care at lunchtime that's the problem unfortunately.

Lunchtime is when the money is made.

Yes, drop ins is always solo care (clue's in the name) and yes, you might have to wait for the slots you really want to become available. Until then you take one that's slightly earlier or later. Or stump up for the one she has found at a higher price until one of the other options comes up

(Sorry, I had read it that OP couldn't find suitable care at all, and it wasn't clear to me if she had looked at Rover)

@Freshstarts22

Nobody should have a dog they don't have time for. Dogs are pack animals.

And yes, pets are a hobby.

Equating children with dogs is downright offensive

My dog walker never walks by roads. Pick all dog up and takes them to the forest. So that might work if your dogs ok with other dogs. She also does 1 to1 walks for anxious dogs but that costs more. I think most dog walkers do similar.

Of course it's not offensive.

Children are a choice just as much as pets are, and everyone does parenting and pet ownership differently. There's no right it wrong way of doing things.

Some people don't want any children at all. Some stay home with their kids, whereas others use childcare or family. Some use nurseries, others prefer childminders. Some stop at one, others have 5-6.

It's no different to pets. Some have no interest in owning any, some want lots. Some use dog walkers, some use daycare. Some work from home or take their dogs with them and are fortunate enough not to need external help.

OP isn't a bad owner with no time for her dog - if she didn't care, she wouldn't be on here asking about the best thing to do for her pet.

Unless you're home all day and never go on holiday, or away overnight, it's almost impossible to own a pet and never need external help.

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts

It's offensive

Would you like to be categorised along with animals?

Pets are a hobby.

It wouldn't offend me in the slightest 🤷‍♀️

Pets may well be a hobby but hobbies cost money and can't be done 24/7 - so sometimes people need to spend money on them while they're busy elsewhere.

It's really not the big deal you're trying to make it out to be 😂

.

Pets are not a hobby. They are a life. A commitment. A choice. Very similar to having children in that sense.
Do you think nobody should have children if they need to use childcare?
Such a bizarre perspective.

I agree with you that people probably shouldn’t have dogs if they are out of the home for 40 hours or more a week, but most people in this situation use daycare.

My dog is left for 3 hours 3 times a week so not really an issue and I’m unsure why you think I don’t have time for her. I work 3 days.

This has taken such a weird turn 😂 I’ve never heard pets referred to as hobbies. Like golf or knitting 😳

Ours is £24 a day, not £40. That helps. Also, we have the money for it.

Before DH and I moved to permanent WFH we used to have a dog walker for our 2, but as they're quite large and one is dog reactive (due to an incident with another dog where she was attacked as a puppy), DH prefers to walk them himself at quieter times of the day. So the walker used to just come for 45 minutes on a lunchtime to play with them in the garden. Think we used to pay around £15/day.

I’ve messaged a few people on Rover.

The local daycare has just put the price up to £50 a day so that’s a hard no.

If you work a 3day week then it's not 200 for you either. It's 120.

Do you think nobody should have children if they need to use childcare?

People generally consider the costs of raising a child when considering whether to have one (or more).

Children grow into the next generation of tax payers, so the government is inclined to support those on lower income with their childcare costs

If your mum currently has the dog but it’s getting too much every day, would she not pop in to let them out one of your days? Then I’d get a dog-friendly cleaner for another day at least. And advertise for a home help teen/older person who had some time.

Currently you don’t need to cover all your 3 days, just take the pressure off your mum. So starting with someone to pop in 1 day a week would at least help (cleaner).

I think you’re overthinking it a little bit, in a way. If your dog’s happy at home, and happy to go in a garden, then stop looking for daycare or a walker and start looking for someone more general and flexible. I’d have loved this job as a student in London!

Yes that’s why I referred to ‘people’. Others. Not me.

Do you work from home the other two days then? If you work 3 not long days, and that's it, then maybe in order to afford the care your dog requires, you need to up your working hours to full time?