Should I get a pet dog?

IamtheWalrus · 25-10-2012 8:22am #1

I am considering getting as dog for a pet. I live in a city and rent a flat on my own with no garden.

I will only get a dog if I can be sure the dog is benefiting from being with me - I don't want to deprive the dog of a life it would have elsewhere. I'm a huge animal lover so the dog would be taking care of. I also out of the flat from 9-6 every week day so the dog would be alone.

Is it feasible to get a dog?

Walrus

trinz23 · 25-10-2012 8:48am

Being completely honest, I wouldn't advise it.

I am in the exact same situation as you, live in an apartment with my OH, we are both animal lovers but with us both having full time jobs and no garden for the poor animal to run around in all day while we are at work just seems unfair.

Especially with winter creeping in, when you get home from work at 6pm in the freezing cold/ rain and its dark outside, you will be a lot less likely to take your dog for its much needed walk and lack of exercise can cause all sorts of health issues.

If you do decide to get one, please adopt....save a dogs life x

andreac · 25-10-2012 8:54am

Unless you can get a dog walker in EVERYDAY to take the dog out of the flat for a couple of hours, then no, its def not feasible. You absol cannot leave a dog locked up in a flat all day long.

IamtheWalrus · 25-10-2012 8:56am

andreac wrote: »

Unless you can get a dog walker in EVERYDAY to take the dog out of the flat for a couple of hours, then no, its def not feasible. You absol cannot leave a dog locked up in a flat all day long.

But couldn't I walk him every evening?

andreac · 25-10-2012 9:01am

Thats not enough. Its cruel to leave a dog locked in a flat all day long on its own. Its just not a practical or fair situation and i would not advise getting a dog in your current circumstances.

IamtheWalrus · 25-10-2012 9:05am

andreac wrote: »

Thats not enough. Its cruel to leave a dog locked in a flat all day long on its own. Its just not a practical or fair situation and i would not advise getting a dog in your current circumstances.

You're really saying what I've been thinking.

andreac · 25-10-2012 9:07am

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

You're really saying what I've been thinking.

If you really want a dog then could you not move to somewhere more practical?
You might not even be allowed to get a dog in the place you are at the moment, if you are renting that is.

IamtheWalrus · 25-10-2012 9:09am

andreac wrote: »

If you really want a dog then could you not move to somewhere more practical?.

But that won't solve the me not being there all day conundrum.

andreac · 25-10-2012 9:22am

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

But that won't solve the me not being there all day conundrum.

But at least it would have some space if you had a garden. He/she could go out there for a few hours.

Baralis1 · 25-10-2012 9:26am

andreac wrote: »

Unless you can get a dog walker in EVERYDAY to take the dog out of the flat for a couple of hours, then no, its def not feasible. You absol cannot leave a dog locked up in a flat all day long.

So really, only unemployed people who live in a house with a garden can keep dogs? Even if a your house has a garden, you can't leave a dog outside on it's own all day while you are at work.

Lots of apartment dwellers keep dogs and I don't see why a dog wouldn't be perfectly inside for the 8 or 9 hours while you are at work so long as it has food, water, litter tray, warmth and some toys etc to keep it entertained. And of course it goes without saying that he needs to get a good long walk and if possible a couple of hours outside in the evening.

andreac · 25-10-2012 9:38am

Baralis1 wrote: »

So really, only unemployed people who live in a house with a garden can keep dogs? Even if a your house has a garden, you can't leave a dog outside on it's own all day while you are at work.

Lots of apartment dwellers keep dogs and I don't see why a dog wouldn't be perfectly inside for the 8 or 9 hours while you are at work so long as it has food, water, litter tray, warmth and some toys etc to keep it entertained. And of course it goes without saying that he needs to get a good long walk and if possible a couple of hours outside in the evening.

Where on earth did i say or imply that?

Its not feasible or fair to leave a dog locked up in a flat for that length of time. At least if its in the garden it can walk around, go to the toilet etc.

The op asked for advice and ive given it, its my opinion and its my advice that i think would be best for the dog.

barbiegirl · 25-10-2012 10:06am

The only option would be to perhaps look at one or a pair of older dogs, as often come into the pound, who are used to an indoor life. Many times these cases come about as a result of an elderly person dying and unless someone takes the older dogs they don't get anymore life.
Just saying it could be an option worth looking into. But still take into account the changes it makes to your life
You will never be able to just go anywhere without first thinking what about the dog.
The cost of 2 weeks holidays is instantly increased with kennel costs
The cost of a dog, according to another thread on here, works out at about €80 per month.
I think you could offer the right dog(s) a really good home.

Papillon! · 25-10-2012 10:27am

I work 9-5 Monday-Friday and my dogs get a long walk every evening and play with toys for 2 hours or more every day.

You can find the time if you want to and mine are very happy dogs on a great diet and get and give so much love.:)

My boyfriend only works part time so is at home a bit during the day too.

I would REALLY consider the breed though.

I have a Pug and Cavalier King Charles. Although these dogs need A LOT of stimulation, there is no comparison to what a Husky, Collie etc would need.

It may not be an ideal situation and I would love to be home all day if I didnt have to make enough money to keep food on the table. But my weekends are spent entirely with the dogs going to parks, training, dog meet ups.

Im pretty sure they get so much attention at the weekend that they sleep all week

tk123 · 25-10-2012 10:35am

OP can you afford daycare / a dog walker as this would solve any worries about leaving the dog alone all day?

kylith · 25-10-2012 10:39am

I'm out of the house from 0830 to 1730 every day and my dogs are happy in my garden. If I didn't have a garden, and I couldn't afford a dog walker or 'doggy creche' I wouldn't have dogs. The thought would break my heart, but you can't leave them confined like that for 9 hours or so.

OP, if you think that's being harsh then try a simple experiment. Have a wee when you get up in the morning, then don't go to the toilet again until you get home. Would you be comfortable doing that? If you wouldn't then how could you expect a dog to be?

I know a woman who works and keeps her dog in her house, but she's made a toilet area for him in the utility room.

IamtheWalrus · 25-10-2012 10:58am

tk123 wrote: »

OP can you afford daycare / a dog walker as this would solve any worries about leaving the dog alone all day?

I probably could but I don't know how much it would be. I'll need to investigate.

How would that work anyway? Would I need to drop my dog off every day to the walkers?

Papillon! · 25-10-2012 10:59am

Puppy training pads are great. My dogs are trained to go on them if they really need to when Im not there. They prevent smell and the dogs barely use them anyway

Baralis1 · 25-10-2012 11:15am

andreac wrote: »

Where on earth did i say or imply that?

Its not feasible or fair to leave a dog locked up in a flat for that length of time. At least if its in the garden it can walk around, go to the toilet etc.

The op asked for advice and ive given it, its my opinion and its my advice that i think would be best for the dog.

You implied it when you said that the OP shouldn't keep a dog if they work all day and live in an apartment, unless they hire a dog walker every day which really isn't economically feasible for most people in the current climate.

My comment suggested setting up a litter area or toilet area indoors or I see that someone else has suggested puppy pads which I hadn't heard of.

Now obviously dog breed choice is something the OP would need to consider. A big dog with bundles of energy may not be the most appropriate choice but I don't see why some who lives in an apartment and is away at work during the day should be denied the chance to give a dog a good home.

IamtheWalrus · 25-10-2012 11:18am

If the dog spent a lot of time alone indoors, then I'd only consider getting a dog that is most suited to that environment.

Scioch · 25-10-2012 11:25am

If you don't have time to take care of a dog then don't get one. Not fare to have a dog locked up all day just to entertain you when you get home. Get am xbox or something to amuse yourself.

andreac · 25-10-2012 11:33am

Baralis1 wrote: »

You implied it when you said that the OP shouldn't keep a dog if they work all day and live in an apartment, unless they hire a dog walker every day which really isn't economically feasible for most people in the current climate.

My comment suggested setting up a litter area or toilet area indoors or I see that someone else has suggested puppy pads which I hadn't heard of.

Now obviously dog breed choice is something the OP would need to consider. A big dog with bundles of energy may not be the most appropriate choice but I don't see why some who lives in an apartment and is away at work during the day should be denied the chance to give a dog a good home.

I said that if the dog is going to be locked in a flat all day then you shouldnt get a dog. There are plenty of people who work all day but their dog isnt locked inside a small flat all day long. Huge difference than someone who is working shouldnt get a dog.

In my experience and my opinion, if someone wants to get a dog, then its not fair to get one if you live in a flat and are gone all day.

Im thinking of the dogs welfare, not how the person who gets the dog feels....

meoklmrk91 · 25-10-2012 11:34am

It's a very long time to leave the dog alone. If you could get a dog walker that would be great, they will come to your house and pick up the dog and then return it.

As for breeds I certainly wouldn't be getting King Charles or anything like that, people seem to think the smaller the dog the less exercise they need, not true at all. Best dog for apartment living IMHO are greyhounds. Once they have had their short burst of exercise they they are happy to veg out, probably the most chilled out dog breed there is.

ppink · 25-10-2012 11:57am

you work 5 days a week I suppose, so 2 days you will be there? so if you did get a dog that was suited to apartment life you could get a walker to come in and/or use a doggy day care. Best to check out if these options are in your area and see what they would cost. If you walk in the morning before work and sort something out during the day and walk in the evening then you could manage.

planetX · 25-10-2012 12:29pm

another thing to consider in an apartment is noise - how will you cope if the dog barks a lot. As was said, an older greyhound is probably the best suited to an apartment, but 9 to 6 alone is still too long. Also imagine your life, if the dog is alone that long you would end up spending every spare minute before and after work on the dog, kiss your social life goodbye...

Bombay Pantry: Barry · 25-10-2012 12:38pm

Solution.. Get two dogs or a cat & a dog..

They can keep each other company during the day whilst your gone, let the cat out whilst you walk your dog in the evening & then enjoy the company of both the animals in the cold Winter evenings! (",)

But ensure you have the spare time to invest in training your chosen animal, otherwise the apartment may not be so pretty on your return!

Bebo stunnah · 25-10-2012 12:47pm

In my opinion, it wouldn't be a great idea. But depending on the size of your apartment available to the dog and if you were willing to walk it before and after work, it might be do-able. It's more than likely the people telling you that you shouldn't get one in the first place will totally disagree with getting 2. The whole point behind it is that dogs, being pack animals, don't do great kept on their own. The only downside would be due to the mischief that would ensue...

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Best dog for apartment living IMHO are greyhounds.

Couldn't agree more! I hear they're quite the lazy breed, despite the fact that they're bred for speed

Papillon! · 25-10-2012 1:02pm

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

As for breeds I certainly wouldn't be getting King Charles or anything like that, people seem to think the smaller the dog the less exercise they need, not true at all.

I have a King Charles actually. And while she loves walks she was never hyper at all! She'd quite happily stay in bed 24/7 if i let her:rolleyes:

ShaShaBear · 25-10-2012 1:15pm

I would agree with a greyhound (adopted/retired racer) as theyre quite the lazy loafers!
Although if you're keen on an apartment pet, i wod suggest a cat, even two cats, over a dog. Theyre much less noisy and messy, you dont need a garden or a walker for them, and chances are theyll sleep all day while youre gone anyway. Another suggestion, if you are so inclined, would be pet rats. I got two when I lived in the flat and they were quite rewarding! Of course not everyone likes them, least of all as pets, but I do find that they curb the need for a furry friend without putting too much pressure on finances or free time!

carav10 · 25-10-2012 1:30pm

Baralis1 wrote: »

Even if a your house has a garden, you can't leave a dog outside on it's own all day while you are at work.

Yes you absolutely can. It just depends on the kind of dog you have and how you've trained them to adapt to it. I had my first dog for a year on her own, and she was happy out in the garden while I was at work. She had her kennel to sleep in (which they do a lot anyway!), toys to play with and then she has a super exciting active outdoorsy lifestyle, like me, outside of the normal Mon-Fri 9-6 life. It's even better for her now that I've got another dog, but really, it is ok to have dogs and have a 9-6. It's just how you train them is what matters. Luckily my two are well adapted and don't yap. And provided they get their activity when you are around. Problem is when you have people who leave their dogs in the garden all day but then are too lazy to do anything with them when they are there.

OP, like andreac and others, IMO an apartment with no outside space is not an ideal scenario for a dog. If you really want a dog, then you would be better moving to somewhere where the conditions are more suitable.

Inexile · 25-10-2012 8:57pm

just to add that while greys are brillantly lazy dogs they do thrive on company so some would find your hours a bit too long.

If you are really keen to get your doggie fix why not volunteer at a local rescue one day at the weekend. I think it would crystalise a lot of things for you.

Dog are a bit commitment and are restrict your lifestyle. I think they are worth it but some people wouldnt like the limitations they can bring eg. forget about the few drinks or meal after work - even doing the weekly shop mid week might be out as it add more time to the absence....

Should I get a pet dog?

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