Do you have a dog and work full time?

[Big Worm 1]

My OH and the kids keep going on at me about getting a dog. As I work full time and the Mrs works 3 days a week, I think it would be unfair to get a puppy and it be on it's own half of the week. My view is it should be treated as if it were one of the kids and would be unfair to leave it alone like that. If the Mrs didn't work and was home every day then that would be different. The OH says that we could hire a dog walker but to me it still doesn't seem right.

Am i right or am i overreacting? Do any of you have dogs and work full time so the dog is left alone for long periods?

Having never had a dog, i need the opinions of others.

Thanks

[Jasandjules]

I personally don't think it is fair.

[jagracer]

Get two dogs. We work full time and have generally had two to keep each other company during the day.

[davepoth]

Nah, it's not fair. As said above, a puppy is like a baby - next door's one cries if it can't see its "dad", even for a second.

[Silver]

A woman I work with got a rescue puppy but she has a dog walking company to come in and take it for a walk every day, plus she has a dog flap in the back door so it can get into the garden. We'd really like a dog but we work really long hours, have nowhere for a dog flap and OH is unhappy about having someone come in.

[peaches36g]

Yes I have 2 and work full time. My parents who are retired, dog sit for me. On the rare occasion where they can't do it, I have a dog walker who comes and picks them up in a van and they both get out to the park with another 'pack' of dogs and absolutely love. Both come home knackered, and sleep the entire afternoon. £8.00 per dog per hour. Price probably varies depending what part of the country your in.

[Coco H]

I work 3 days a week and the OH is full time. We do work odd hours so the do is left 9 until 5 and not longer. We have a dog walker every day who takes him out for an hour. If she can't make it - I have friends take my dog out.
I was at home full time until he was a year old. If we were to do it now when I am working - I would change my hours and do 5 short days such that the dog would only be left 9-1 every day and take the first month off as unpaid leave.

[Johnnytheboy]

We have a dog who is alone from 0730 to 1730 every day.

He's absolutely fine, but I think breed choice is a factor as he's a bulldog and sleeps pretty much 24/7.

[KFC]

Big Worm 1 said:

My OH and the kids keep going on at me about getting a dog. As I work full time and the Mrs works 3 days a week, I think it would be unfair to get a puppy and it be on it's own half of the week. My view is it should be treated as if it were one of the kids and would be unfair to leave it alone like that. If the Mrs didn't work and was home every day then that would be different. The OH says that we could hire a dog walker but to me it still doesn't seem right.

Am i right or am i overreacting? Do any of you have dogs and work full time so the dog is left alone for long periods?

Having never had a dog, i need the opinions of others.

Thanks

Its certainly not ideal but I suppose you could easily justify doing it by taking a dog from a rescue home. You wouldn't be giving it an absolutely perfect life but you would definitely be giving it a better one that it had currently

[Jasandjules]

KFC said:

Its certainly not ideal but I suppose you could easily justify doing it by taking a dog from a rescue home. You wouldn't be giving it an absolutely perfect life but you would definitely be giving it a better one that it had currently

There is always that.

[theshrew]

I have but my Mrs is a teacher so shes at home a lot. When shes not i go home at dinner time and take them for a walk.

[Johnnytheboy]

KFC said:

Its certainly not ideal but I suppose you could easily justify doing it by taking a dog from a rescue home. You wouldn't be giving it an absolutely perfect life but you would definitely be giving it a better one that it had currently

Rescue homes tend to be really sniffy about giving dogs to people who are out in the day, don't they?

[Rouleur]

Johnnytheboy said:

Rescue homes tend to be really sniffy about giving dogs to people who are out in the day, don't they?

Correct. They won't even think about it if you're out for more than 4-5 hours at a time.

I take mine to a day care place once per week, it's £15 and they're open 8:00-6:00. He comes home knackered and it's great for socialising him too.

[rossmc88]

Me and my Mrs were in a similar situation, she works part time and I work full time. We recently got a rescue staffy, 6 years old. We walk her in the morning and night and she is happy. Definitely don't get a puppy, someone would need to be there full time.

A good place to get a dog is from a rescue charity who have the dogs in foster homes. This lets you better assess the dogs to see if they are a match for you, you want something laid back, not hyper.

We found it was hard to see what a dog was really like when it was in kennels and the staff weren't very helpful, a foster dog is the way to go!

[KFC]

Rouleur said:

Correct. They won't even think about it if you're out for more than 4-5 hours at a time.

I take mine to a day care place once per week, it's £15 and they're open 8:00-6:00. He comes home knackered and it's great for socialising him too.

Presumably they have no way of checking, why not just lie to them?

It seems ridiculous that they wouldn't want to give you a dog that was otherwise going to be stuck in a rescue place the rest of its life.

[Jasandjules]

Johnnytheboy said:

Rescue homes tend to be really sniffy about giving dogs to people who are out in the day, don't they?

They do yet seem content to have dogs kennelled for 23 hours a day in their care..... Something of a hypocritical stance is it not?

[rj1986]

GF recently started a new 9-5 job, rather than her 5-6 hour shift days.
So now we found a good dog walker for a couple days, one day a week, her mum takes him out and i take him to the office a few days a week

[Rouleur]

KFC said:

Rouleur said:

Correct. They won't even think about it if you're out for more than 4-5 hours at a time.

I take mine to a day care place once per week, it's £15 and they're open 8:00-6:00. He comes home knackered and it's great for socialising him too.

Presumably they have no way of checking, why not just lie to them?

It seems ridiculous that they wouldn't want to give you a dog that was otherwise going to be stuck in a rescue place the rest of its life.

There's nothing to stop a person doing that of course.

Anyway I'm not a fan of dogs being left for long periods on consecutive days, I don't think it's fair.

[Brother D]

We have two small dogs, and we both work full time.
However, they are walked at 6am, 8:30am, 1pm, 5pm, 7pm and 11/12pm. And having two, we don't feel too guilty if we accidently miss one of the walks, as we would if it was just one on her own. - They also have access to potty-pad if they need it. They are sociable creatures, and they like company, so if you can't be at home all day then taking two on really is only 20% extra effort if that.

However if the choice is between a dog living in a kennel vs living in a loving home then it has to be the latter is surely preferable.

To add - We live in a tiny flat - and the lady that came round just wanted to check we were who we said we were, and the dogs would be going to good home. - I wouldn't take someone wanting to check where a dog will spend it's life as a critisism.
They would be a lot less dogs up for adoption and mal-treated if the checks were done on every puppy purchased...

[Johnnytheboy]

Jasandjules said:

Johnnytheboy said:

Rescue homes tend to be really sniffy about giving dogs to people who are out in the day, don't they?

They do yet seem content to have dogs kennelled for 23 hours a day in their care..... Something of a hypocritical stance is it not?