Dog on her own for too long and I feel like the worst person ever 😭

[Somewherenorthofhere]

I have been with mum at the hospital since 8am and its now 3pm. Woke up to her needing an ambulance.

Dog is at home. I live alone. Someone called in at 1pm for a couple of mins to offer the garden but she didnt go potty just sniffed and came in. I know that person isn't very empathetic to dogs, and it would have been literally a couple of minutes. I can't ask them again, they are on calls now.

She will have been on her own for about 8 or 9 hours by the time i get back to her.

She wasnt walked either (I was just about to but then got the call about mum). I had the forethought to chuck kibble down before i left (she is usually fed raw but cant leave that out)

I just feel awful.

I would usually text her walker to get her (and have done in this exact situation with mum a few times this year) but she is on holiday. There is no one else.

I just feel awful

It's a one off, she'll be ok. Don't beat yourself up.

Hope your mum is OK - do you think you'll be off soon?

Oh OP I’d be feeling guilty too but try not to worry too much it’s an one off in an emergency and you’ve done as best as you can

I’m sorry about your mum, and I hope she’s ok.

I mean the following with great kindness: in these circs worrying about the dog and feeling awful is fairly pointless as there isn’t anything else you can do.

The dog will ultimately be fine, happy to see you when you get home. It’s safe and warm. It might be a bit bored but no long term harm done.

Concentrate on your mum and hope you can get home soon.

It was an emergency, don't beat yourself up about it

You sound like a lovely owner. Your dog will be just fine with a one off less than ideal day

Just got back.

8.5hrs total. She was overjoyed. with me coming back not the 8.5hrs i mean

Checked the house for accidents - not a single one. My good girl 🥹

Obviously I cant tell if she got distressed or not but nothing (not even any toys) out of place. Kibble untouched.

Hopefully I havent hurt her mentally ! Took her out for a walk immediately - work can wait....

You just try to be a good daughter AND a good owner dont you.

Sometimes thise things collide but doeant stop you feeling terrible

She'll be fine 💕 We are all inconvenienced sometimes. Bet it wasn't great for you and your mum either 🫂

plenty of treats and cuddles this evening and she will be fine 🥰

Forgot to say, hope your mum is ok x

Please don't feel guilty, it was an emergency and it couldn't be helped. The fact you are concerned tells me you're a great owner, there's lots of shit ones who leave their poor dogs this long (or longer) every working day. If you're worried, do a couple of short leaves of your dog over the next couple of days to re-enforce I go and I come back, and audio-record her to hear what she's up to (there's free apps on a phone or tablet). I used to do this if my dog ever got left for slightly longer as reassurance for myself - but my dog was a rescue who had, had separation issues so I always wanted to make sure he hadn't regressed at all. Hope you're mum's ok.

These things happen sometimes, don’t beat yourself up about it. Even the most militant never leave their dog for longer that 30 seconds type people are at the mercy of an emergency.

Hope your Mum is okay.

I bet if you posted your rough location you’d have lots of dog loving people nearby willing to help out in emergencies. I’d certainly be happy to go and walk a dog if you were near me! 😅

Hope your mum is okay! X

I hate leaving my dog for even 2 hours to go shopping if I cant get my son to watch her, so can imagine the anguish you felt!
I hope your mum is ok and your dog sounds like such a good girl!
Can I suggest a Tapo camera? They are £20 to use indoors and you can check on her anytime... no need to subscribe to them if you dont want to as it takes an SD card and runs off WiFi / still connects to your phone if out? Incase it happened again.
I know people who leave their dog upto half a day when at work and it riles me. You deffo didnt do that although you felt bad x

Exactly. She’ll just be glad you are back. It was a one-off emergency situation, dont feel bad, and I hope your mum is on the mend. It’s dog owners who do this sort of thing all the time that piss me off

I thought this was going to be that you were leaving her far too long every day!

Don't beat yourself up - it was very special circumstances.

You had to prioritise you mom. Don't beat urself up.

aww bless her I’m sure she’s forgotten about it now. Hope mum is OK and out of hospital