Adopting a dog when working full time.

I'm sorry if this has been covered before. Mods please merge with existing thread if relevant.

So, I adore dogs and would love to adopt a rescue dog, the problem is that both my husband and I work full time so I would be out of the house from 8am til about 5.30pm every day.

Should I just forget about it while I'm working full time? Is it awfully unfair to leave a dog home all day long?

What kind of things do I need to consider when being out of the house for most of the day?

Thanks

sassychick

Hi there to be honest i doubt very much the likes of dogs trust or any of those shelters would allow you to adopt a dog as you work fulltime..as you know dogs are very sociable animals and being alone day after day for long hours will not make your dog happy...an option might be if you could afford day care or a dog walker to come and take him or her out during the day...it is nice to rescue a dog as there are so many out there that need loving homes but you must have the time for them...good luck with whstever you decide;)

moving_home

the way i see it everyone has to work but you need to be prepared to include your dog to your daily routine so it gets the most of you when you are around. could either of ye come home at lunchtime? could you drop the dog to a friend or family member for the day once or twice a week so it has company some days? i think pounds will give dogs without doing the strict home checks so there are ways to get a dog.

the main things to think of
- will you get up in the morning before work to walk the dog spend time with him/her before you leave for the day regardless of the weather?? this might add an hour or so to your morning routine?
- any you afford all the expenses - good food/vets bills including annual vaccinations/toys (expensive when you not around all day)/replacing stuff they have eaten/grooming/kennels for holidays/insurance etc
- another walk in the evening regardless of weather?
- will the dog be allowed in the house to spend the evenings with ye? make up for lost time of the weekends with loads of attention and walks
- do you go away for weekends alot? if so who will mind the dog likewise when you go on holidays
- do you do alot of things midweek after work? like if ye both went to the gym for 2hrs and there was no one home till 7 that would definitely be too long for the dog to left alone on a regular basis
- are you prepared to take the dog into account anytime you want to go anywhere and ensure arrangements are made for it to be looked after?

jsut some things to think about. i bring my dog everywhere with me except work!

the main things to think of
- will you get up in the morning before work to walk the dog spend time with him/her before you leave for the day regardless of the weather?? this might add an hour or so to your morning routine?
Yes wouldn't be a problem, if anything it would be good for me to have to do it
- any you afford all the expenses - good food/vets bills including annual vaccinations/toys (expensive when you not around all day)/replacing stuff they have eaten/grooming/kennels for holidays/insurance etc
Yes, have considered this so will be prepared
- another walk in the evening regardless of weather?
Yep
- will the dog be allowed in the house to spend the evenings with ye? make up for lost time of the weekends with loads of attention and walks
oh god yeh, any dog I own will live indoors and will be part of the family
- do you go away for weekends alot? if so who will mind the dog likewise when you go on holidays
Yeh we just go to our mobile home in wexford (we have a 6 yr old daughter) so doggy would be coming with us (just like our hamster does!)
- do you do alot of things midweek after work? like if ye both went to the gym for 2hrs and there was no one home till 7 that would definitely be too long for the dog to left alone on a regular basis
No there's always one of us home with our daughter
- are you prepared to take the dog into account anytime you want to go anywhere and ensure arrangements are made for it to be looked after?
Again, he would be part of the family and would be taken into consideration at all times.

I hadn't considered that a rescue centre may not allow us to adopt a dog tbh, so that's something to look into to. I would be thinking that a smaller older dog might be happier in this situation than a pup. I have been thinking about it for a long time and I am happy that we would give a dog a great home, but the working hours is holding me back, not for us, but for doggy.....

maringo

I have a feeling a dog rescued from being euthenaised in the Pound might have other ideas

moving_home

yip I agree that your situation sounds good for a older doggie as pups need more company. I was out of work for the first 6mths when we had our pup and by then she was almost 9mths and able to cope better with been alone. if you have a child you obviously are used to taking her into consideration so tha shouldn't be a problem! I have no kids and before I got my pup I was used to being able to do things spontaneously so found that the biggest adjustment but used to it now
i would contact your local resuce centre and find out what their rehoming policies are - if you post your general location someone here might be able to help you either. Keep on eye on the rehoming thread here awell.
any thoughts to what size/breed you want and would be suitable for your home?
a pound might not be suitable when you have a child as you wouldnt know the personality of the dog you would be rehoming. probably better to go for a rescue centre or something like Dogs in Distress where the dogs are fostered so they fosterer knows their personality.

Thanks for the advice - I live in south county dublin and i'll check out the rehoming thread too

I'm not too focused on a particular breed, but a smaller dog would be better suited to being indoors all day I would think. My daughter is a very calm and loving child, she would be very gentle and not the pulling tail type kid!!! So I think most dogs would get along with her, she has a funny way with them, they seem to just warm to her instantly!

ToniTuddle

Deleted User wrote: »

I hadn't considered that a rescue centre may not allow us to adopt a dog tbh, so that's something to look into to. I would be thinking that a smaller older dog might be happier in this situation than a pup. I have been thinking about it for a long time and I am happy that we would give a dog a great home, but the working hours is holding me back, not for us, but for doggy.....

Well there is always the option of the pound but then again with them you won't know much about the dogs temperment or anything really? Not sure they do any checking on them as well.....they will all eventually be put down there :-/

May be totally wrong here but would rescue centres allow you to adopt TWO small dogs(as ye mentioned small ones) so that at least they could keep each other company during the day? And as long as you do all the walks and include them while you are at home....... Maybe it's a long shot!


I also have an image of you and the family travelling with a crazy little hamster (like Rhino) in one of those bubble things like this from the film Bolt:

moving_home

I would be more worried about how child friendly the dog is as some dogs just don't like kids that much!

this link is the dogs in distress rehoming policy which might help you- can you get a dog walker or drop the dog to relatives a couple of times a week as this may help your case? I am in down the country so don't know much about rescues centres in Dublin
http://www.dogsindistress.org/fulltimejob.php

I have actually considered that two dogs might be the way to go Toni. I think this may be a good option. What are other people's opinions on this?

Ah Bruno doesn't go in a ball! he travels in the luxury of his cage which is seatbelted in for maximum comfort

moving_home

two dogs is a great idea if you are sure you can handle them and have enough space etc give your local rescue and ring and have a chat

peasant

maringo wrote: »

I have a feeling a dog rescued from being euthenaised in the Pound might have other ideas

Sorry for dragging this off topic ...but no, it won't

Dogs do not know that they are on death row and they certainly aren't "forever grateful" to you for getting them out of there.

If you bring them home from the pound and leave them alone all day and they don't like that, they will tear your house to shreds, bark your neighbours out of their minds and go stir crazy just the same as if you bought them at a breeders.

moving_home wrote: »

two dogs is a great idea if ...

As for two dogs being better than one ...potentially is the answer to that one. They might just be happy with keeping each other company through the daily boredom ...if they aren't happy however, they will just wreak twice the havoc.

theghost

Getting two dogs is an idea but make sure both dogs know each other and are friendly. I'd be wary of getting an older dog as there is a child in the family - older dogs may have a dislike of children due to past experiences.

ToniTuddle

theghost wrote: »

Getting two dogs is an idea but make sure both dogs know each other and are friendly. I'd be wary of getting an older dog as there is a child in the family - older dogs may have a dislike of children due to past experiences.

Any dog could have a dislike of males due to past experience and then not get on with her husband...

Obviously a shelter will have checked each dog against being good with other dogs/cats/kids etc.

Think certain breeds of small dogs can not get on the best with young kids but that's because they be pulling at the dog and don't know how to be gentle and all that craic! Whoopsies daughter wouldn't be like that

As well as calling a shelter maybe at the weekend or when you guys get time yous could take a drive up to a nearby shelter and have a talk with ones there and also good opportunity to view the dogs yourself.

Stella2010

I don't see why not based on all you have said. I work full time , I am the only person in the house so when I am here the dogs are in.
Mine are older dogs and have a shed with a dog flap in it they can come and go all day or if the weather is bad they are indoors and my neighbour lets them out for pee's.
I have a dog walker who is a godsend - she takes them home with her after their walk so they can spend the day with her too x 2 a week as I can't afford any more days.
They sleep in , they come with me when I go out as much as possible.
My circumstances were different when I adopted them but I have changed as much as I can to accomodate their needs now.
I got my dogs from Dogs Aid and Limerick Animal Welfare,, neither had a problem with the set up.
Have a look on www.dogsaid.ie.
Plenty of doglets out there looking for homes and not all rescues have a blanket ban on people who work - When I do home visits for rescue I always factor each persons circumstances into it. I've seen a lot of dogs returned and basically not given the care they need even though there is someone home all day. I have neighbours who are home all day every day and the dog is out the back 24/7 and never walked at all so it doesn't always guarantee the poor dog the care they need.
Best of luck and I think it's great you are looking at a rescue dog.
Just to add - 2 can be a good idea but I would highly recomend getting one first off and seeing how they settle and in a few months time consider another. Also there are many dogs out there in pairs that need to be homed together so this may be an option for you.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Paying a walker hadn't entered my head . There is actually a dog walking van in my estate! My sister in law does a bit of work for us two days a week, cleaning, filing etc. She loves dogs so would probably have no problem adding a walk around the block to her list (a full hour walk wouldn't be necessary if we are doing it twice a day would it?) and I could ask my mother in law who lives close by to pick up our dog while she is out walking her own. And I'm home a bit earlier on a Friday also.

I don't think it would be feasible for me to come home from work every lunch time, I would be driving for half of it and then only home for half an hour. Would half an hour out in the garden be sufficient for the dog or would I need to walk him too?

Lots of things to think about, which is why I asked in here, I knew I would get good advice

cocker5

We work 9-5 each day.. well i dont get home until 7pm ... we have a dog walker tues/thurs every week for our guy, plus hubbys parents collect him two other days per week... our guy is as happy as larry.... we wlak him most evenings and bring him to thebeach at weekends for a swim... otherwise he's happy sleeping and roasting himself infront of the fire all night!

as long as you take the dogs well being and happiness into consideration i think you should go for it!! its a great thing to adopt....Best of luck