I have always wanted a dog but my work schedule previously has prevented me from having one. I’ve dogsat a lot though, so I do have a good idea of the responsibilities, and now my work schedule is a bit more chill.
So now my work schedule is such that for the next 8 months or so, I will work be out of the house mostly from 7-6 with most weekends off. For two of the 8 months, however, I will work 12-14 hour days with only 4 days off total in the month. In addition, I have 7 days (a 5 day stretch and a 2 day stretch) where I will work 16 hours. Finally, I will have about 2-3 30 hours calls/month during the 6 months where I’m otherwise working normalish hours.
Is there any way I could structure this? I cant afford daily doggie day care, although I probably could afford a dog walker.
I know ideally dogs are rarely left alone and yada yada, but I desperately want one, and I think I could provide a really good home to a loving pup.
What happens with your schedule after the next 8 months? What about in two years, ten years? Just throwing some thoughts out here:
I’ve always said it takes time or money to take care of dogs. I have neither time (with being away from home 12 hours or more a day) nor money (in the form of $10-$15 a day for a walker), nor do I have them reliably for the next 15 years or so. Which means I have cats, not dogs. Living with someone else who might help with taking care of the household fuzzbutts would probably be the one thing that could change it.
If you have a yard and the possibility of installing a safe doggie run outside, accessed by a doggie door, that could be something to consider. I still think dogs/cats/pets in general do better with another companion when there’s a single person in the house who can be gone for long hours. A single dog would be lonely, and lonely dogs can be quite destructive and become neurotic.
A dog walker can certainly help. You need one who can come twice a day sometimes, from the sound of your schedule.
You could consider tiny dogs that could be trained to litter boxes or potty pads you would leave all over the kitchen. I still think any of them would benefit greatly from someone visiting with them and taking them for a walk daily.
Can you acquire a live-in girlfriend? (I am assuming you are a male and heterosexual. If this isn’t the case, substitute your preference.)
She could stay home and do the housebreaking of the pup, walk him, and give him the love and attention he requires while you’re out slaving for The Man.
It would be totally worth it if it makes it possible to get a dog. Dogs are great.
I would not, in your situation, get a puppy. No way.
You might be able to make it work with a mellow, older dog and the services of a dog walker. In our area, the going rate is $25/half hour for a walker who is with a bonded, insured agency; less for just some teen or college student. Even if your dog has access to the yard, someone who can visit him or her during the day is a valuable asset.
It would be good to know why you want a dog, in particular. A cat or cats might be a better choice, if you’re going to be gone a lot.
In favor of 1-2 cats: they are smaller, they can be litter box trained, they will keep each company, they will keep you company when you are there.
In favor of 1-2 older dogs: older dogs don’t require as much attention, if you have 2 they’ll keep each other company, when you’re home they can keep you company. Dogs can be apartment/box trained, if you’re away long periods.
I won’t tell you not to get a dog. There are too many dogs out there that need homes. But be honest about what you can offer, and look for a dog or dogs that will fit your lifestyle. I would suggest older, more settled animals. A puppy or puppies are not a good idea unless you can be there full-time. Think “baby”. Puppies require a lot of time and attention.
Just get a dog. I’m like you; the one thing I’ve wanted all my life is a dog. But I never have, because I feel guilty about leaving a dog at home alone all day.
But there are so many singles with dogs and I always wondered how they did it. And I kid you not; most of them do it by not giving a shit. I don’t know a single one of them who takes their dog to daycare or hires a walker or something like that.
I mean, they should. But they don’t. I suppose it’s still better than getting euthanized.
I worked a 7:30 to 4:30 day job with a part-time 6:30 to 10:30 night job for quite a while, and had a dog the whole time. The solution was an outside pen with a doghouse in it. He was a chihuahua, and took to it very well. All I had to do was say “go to your pen,” and he’d eagerly go in there whenever I left home. I always kept fresh water in there for him, but not food since it drew ants. Your location and neighbors may ruin this for you, however. I live where an outside dog can bark all day and not really bother anyone. If you do this, make sure the pen is unbreachable by your dog- after 5 years, my first dog broke out and got squished in the road. I got a replacement dog, reinforced the pen, and had great success with the system for the next ten years until I retired.
In 8 months my schedule will be considerably lighter, and I should have all weekends off. Will work 8-6 5 days/week.
Well, I adore dogs and I love the company they provide, and I’m pretty good at reading them. Cats . . . are harder for me to understand. I don’t really “get” them, and I’m constantly terrified that they’re about to bit me for no good reason. Dogs provide companionship in a way that is very, very different from cats, and the type of companionship I’m looking for now is the dog-type.
This is really good advice. For now I guess a puppy is out of the question. but I like older dogs as well.
This is, to some extent, my attitude. Although I would never severely neglect a dog by leaving it alone for extended hours or get a dog whose needs were too much for me to meet, while I can’t be the perfect dog parent (I.e. someone who works from home with a huge yard and plenty of free time and ideally other dogs and maybe another human around and lots of money and endless patience and etc, etc) I could definitely be a good dog parent, and like you said, a good parent is better than death.
You would definitely need a dog sitter. 11 hours a day (or even 9, when things lighten up) is an awfully long time for a dog to be home alone with no bathroom access. Yes, some can handle that, but any dog would get bored and start finding things to occupy its time. Those things are NOT usually things you’d approve of!
See if you can find some cats to interact with before you rule them out entirely. Some people are just not cat people, and you may be one of them - but if you find the right cat, they can be very loving companions. Some breeds are more “dog-like” than others.
I agree, dogs are generally more interactive with their humans, and more rewarding in many ways, but I’ve (been) owned (by) cats in the past and with the right one, they’re great housemates. Sadly, I developed a pretty severe cat allergy, so no more felines for me, and we don’t have the time / energy to devote to a dog.
I would definitely not get a dog in your position! I think it would be mean for you to subject the dog to be inside all day, every day, with no companion and no friends and nothing to do.
In 8 months maybe you can readdress it and come back to it.
You really need to be careful hiring a dog walker ! Some never show up and some walk up to 5 dogs at time and bring them to a park and just let the dogs run lose . If your dog has no training in recall it might not come back if a dog walker does let run lose. Some dog walkers do want they feel like so you really need to do your homework in hiring some strange person to go into your home to walk your dog. If you do get a dog look on line for shelters and check out the dogs looking for a forever home , you will saving a dog life . Black dogs don’t last long in shelters people are afraid of them. This is called
Black dog syndrome , they’re killed within 2 days at most kill shelters . A small dog would be best but you need to check what breed of dog worked best for your lifestyle .
Depends on the dog. I’ve had chows for a number of years, e.g., and most chows are NOT particularly social, and I don’t mean anti-social–they just weren’t interested. The current canine companion, as an example, would really prefer not to be around other dogs, and while he demands a longish walk as soon as I get home at night, he sleeps all day while I’m gone. (On days when I work from home, he still spends most of the day sleeping.) His predecessor didn’t even want the long walk–getting her to go 50 yards was a chore. She liked laying where she could watch what was going on, but participation and social interaction was not her thing.
OP, finding a dog that will work with your lifestyle will take time and patience, but it can be done, and yes, you are capable of giving a good home to the right dog.
No. You can list all of the justifications you want, but your last sentence is the decider.
Owning a pet is all about the pet and not its human owner. The animal needs you much more than you will ever need the animal. Until you fully understand this, you are not ready.
