How do people with 9-5 jobs have dogs?

blue note · 24-03-2021 6:08pm #1

I'd love a dog. But my wife and I work 9-5 jobs. At the moment we're at home, but hopefully we'll be back to leaving the house at 7:40 and getting home at 6:30 on a good day. But other people have similar schedules and have a dig at home. To those people, how do you do it? What do you do at the dog all day?

Dial Hard · 24-03-2021 6:24pm

Doggie daycare, dog walkers, neighbours/family etc. Doesn't need to be every day but a couple of days a week.

Our dog got walked before work and as soon as we got home on the days she was home alone. Allowing her to sleep upstairs also took a HUGE amount of guilt off us for the amount of time she was spending on her own.

JackTC · 24-03-2021 6:25pm

Unfortunately a lot of people just leave their dog at home by themselves

My neighbors leave their dog out the back and it just sits there all day. Nothing I can do and they seem like the defensive type so it's not something I could bring up with them.

GingerLily · 24-03-2021 6:30pm

I honestly don't know, we have a cat and since working from home you can just see how much happier she is, we're not going to go back to full time office so most days going forward someone will be at home, which is great for her.

Cats enjoy sleeping all day so it's not even that bad to leave them during the daytime, it must be so cruel for a dog.

dashoonage · 24-03-2021 7:14pm

The mammy and the doggo keep each other company during the days. Works out brilliantly after my auld man passed

Also a long walk before work from me and a lot of ball in the evenings

Doggo has the life really

Snotty · 24-03-2021 7:21pm

We used to have 2 dogs and a lot of space outside so they would stay outside all day while we were at work, but only 1 dog now and she is older, 11years old, since last March I've been wfh and she comes up to the office at 9, sleeps there till 5, she doesn't even come down with me for lunch most days.

Mimon · 24-03-2021 7:26pm

JackTC wrote: »

Unfortunately a lot of people just leave their dog at home by themselves

My neighbors leave their dog out the back and it just sits there all day. Nothing I can do and they seem like the defensive type so it's not something I could bring up with them.

My neighbours the same. Saw them being walked once ever and that was a 5 minute job. They don't even have the run of the garden, they are in a small pen.

Why do people do this? Sad for the dogs.

cocker5 · 24-03-2021 7:36pm

Doggie day care 3 days per week .. plus 6km walks each evenings ..

confusticated · 24-03-2021 8:02pm

Walk before and after work, doggie daycare the odd day, short commutes so he's actually on his own 8.45-5.15, which is still long but it's not every day, and I can get home at lunch some days. I'll likely have the option to work from home a couple of days a week long term and my fiancé works some weekends so has days off midweek. Tbh though on the days I work from home, he mostly ignores me and goes to the living room to sleep, so that does make us feel a bit better about the days he has to be on his own.

DBB · 24-03-2021 8:04pm

blue note wrote: »

I'd love a dog. But my wife and I work 9-5 jobs. At the moment we're at home, but hopefully we'll be back to leaving the house at 7:40 and getting home at 6:30 on a good day. But other people have similar schedules and have a dig at home. To those people, how do you do it? What do you do at the dog all day?

Working 9 to 5 is a big ask for a dog to be left alone. It's too much, and now that there's research being put into it, it's now known that at least 75% of dogs suffer from some level of separation anxiety. The researchers have been keen to send out the message that just because a dog isn't wrecking the place or making noise, doesn't mean they're not anxious about solitude.
It's also now known that having 2 dogs is not the answer for most dogs.
It may appear as if 9 to 5ers "manage", op... but does their dog manage? That's the real question. The research indicates that most dogs don't manage, and that it's simply unfair to leave them alone for long periods. The dogs who do manage are those whose owners go the extra mile to accommodate their social needs whilst they're at work... daycare (I'm not a fan of big daycares at all), dog walkers, leaving dog with relations/neighbours/friends).
It also needs to be accepted that in your case, it's not 9 to 5 for the dog... you're looking at an almost 11 hour absence from the home! Add, let's say, 7 hours when you're asleep, leaving your dog with 6 hours per day with you. For a sociable, group-living animal to manage with 6 hours of social contact per day at best, I think you have your answer!

The DayDream · 24-03-2021 8:08pm

It's really not advisable unless you have some one else to be around with the dog for at least part of the day on most days.

I am an essential whatever and luckily my mother is happy to look after the dog until I get home in the evenings.

Sharpyshoot · 24-03-2021 8:09pm

I used to do some grass cutting in estates there one summer and the amount of dogs locked up in peoples homes going bananas was huge. They tearing at blinds, curtains.
The clean up every evening from urine and faeces from the dog would not be worth having in my opinion. Council estates were worse they shiiting all over the communal grass.

Buddy Bubs · 24-03-2021 8:12pm

I've a dog and nobody here during the day, but I've a serious support network. It's a labrador.
I walk him in the morning, about 730 to 830. I then go to work.
Neighbour lady drops in at about 11 and brings him out again for 20 to 30 mins. My mother chips in and often takes him for afternoon. I'm home at 5 each day.
If I want to do something in evenings or weekends my brother will take him for a few hours, I return the favor with his dog quite a lot too when he wants to do something.
He's probably got 2 to 3 walks when I get home and he's very chilled in the evenings. But if I'm in the humor, I might go out again.
Neighbour and mother are very good for minding him but I'm happy enough to leave him for half a work day on his own, 4 hours or so, once he has been exercised. Anything longer I think is a bit much on a long term basis.

theteal · 24-03-2021 8:14pm

It's a good question and one that we were faced with a few years ago when very close to taking in a dog. With commutes it would be alone for 10-11 hours a day. Not a chance that's fair on the poor animal. It's just not a runner for us.

Duke of Schomberg · 24-03-2021 8:33pm

GingerLily wrote: »

. . . we have a cat and since working from home you can just see how much happier she is . . .

Our two initially seemed quite put out that their ability to climb onto the kitchen worktops or walk all-over the dining room furniture was curtailed, things they'd never been seen to do.

One of the neighbouring houses has a "dog-visitor", but they don't arrive until 3pm - when her ladyship arrives home at 5pm - and they don't actually take the dog out for a walk . . .

The thing is, cats are solitary animals, but dogs are pack animals and have adapted to live amongst humans as their pack - unless one is planning on taking in a kennel's-worth of the things then it really isn't fair on leaving dogs without company.

24-03-2021 8:49pm

blue note wrote: »

I'd love a dog. But my wife and I work 9-5 jobs. At the moment we're at home, but hopefully we'll be back to leaving the house at 7:40 and getting home at 6:30 on a good day. But other people have similar schedules and have a dig at home. To those people, how do you do it? What do you do at the dog all day?

I didn't get a dog until I was working part time, and was home by lunchtime everyday.

7:40am to 6:30pm is 11 hours a day your dog would be on its own for.

I'm sorry, but taking on a dog in that circumstance would be unfair to the dog unless you're prepared to pay for doggie day care.

tk123 · 24-03-2021 8:56pm

Just bear in mind too day cares have been closed with pandemic restrictions so if it’s a deal breaker I’d be holding off as they could easily open and be closed again. Daycare doesn’t suit some dogs and some are set up differently to others - using one is one of my regrets as an owner

Afroshack · 24-03-2021 8:59pm

We have a dog walker who pops in twice a day for a 30 minute walk. I’m gone at 8am and home at 4pm, so she’s only alone for 3 hours at a time before someone comes in. She also has plenty of toys and chew toys to entertain her

Meathcat · 25-03-2021 9:40am

We have 4 dogs so they are great company for each other. When both of us used to travel to Dublin every day, we made the effort to get up at 5, feed and walk our dogs and then head on to work. There was no other way around it because invariably, we would get delayed 2 evenings out of 5 which meant the dogs would have been stuck as we always car-pooled travelling from Westmeath. We did splash out a lot of money for a secure dog run with 2 separate Kingspan-insulated kennels so they would be outside all day but they were fine with that. In Winter, they stay inside in the kitchen with the radio on. Sure, there would be dog wee and poo on the floor but you deal with that.

If you want to work and have a dog, you have to be prepared to make the effort to walk them before you go to work. Don't rely on anyone else to be the carer while you are at work, see them as a bonus if they can come and spend time with the dog/s during the day but be prepared to do as much as you can yourself. It is totally do-able if you prepared to do the work.

deadlybuzzman · 25-03-2021 1:24pm

Doggie daycare was a godsend for our dog. She was a very very high drive american bulldog puppy and the socialisation and happineness she got from doggy daycare was priceless.
Now those places vary wildly in quality and I drove past a daycare place at the end of my road to use one that was about a 16 mile round trip away. The nearby place was like a dog prison, dogs were just locked into a pen for the day with no play area, the one I used had a fenced park that dogs that got on with each other went out at different times together.
All my fears of my dog developing dog aggression melted away as got more and more social over time. Shes a very high energy dog so it was years before she was able to chill out on her own for any more than an hour or 2 but it daycare was a gift.
I'd would advise to research the quality of daycare and dog walkers in your area and go form there

ThewhiteJesus · 25-03-2021 1:29pm

I remember growing up in the 80's and packs of dogs, all owned locally including our own would roam the streets free as anything,
they were such happy dogs too, mad how things have changed so much now people are sending them to doggie day care !

deadlybuzzman · 25-03-2021 1:51pm

ThewhiteJesus wrote: »

I remember growing up in the 80's and packs of dogs, all owned locally including our own would roam the streets free as anything,
they were such happy dogs too, mad how things have changed so much now people are sending them to doggie day care !

I remember in the 80s and 90s literally scraping 2 of our dogs off the road (neither deid straight away), getting pinned into a strangers doorway by a baying dog and having to then hide in their hallway and on my way to college turning around just as a member of the streets dog pack was going in with his jaws open towards my ankle.
Fun times.

ThewhiteJesus · 25-03-2021 5:37pm

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

I remember in the 80s and 90s literally scraping 2 of our dogs off the road (neither deid straight away), getting pinned into a strangers doorway by a baying dog and having to then hide in their hallway and on my way to college turning around just as a member of the streets dog pack was going in with his jaws open towards my ankle.
Fun times.

in fairness i never had that but now you say it, there was a few dog bites alright and you don't see that much these days, dog crap all over the place aswell, looking back through rose tinted glass i guess

Renault 5 · 25-03-2021 5:42pm

We have 2 dogs

When both of us need to go to the office they go to daycare

If we need to be gone only for a few hours they keep each other company.

Antares35 · 25-03-2021 5:47pm

It isn't an issue now because of working from home but pre-pandemic, it was a combination of pet sitter, a few hours a day with my parents, and shared custody with my ex who always had the work from home option

Also depends on the dog too. Ours is senior, and so I was ok with leaving her alone up to a max of four hours during the day (never at night). But, that would be on the proviso that she'd have a long walk before to tire her out, had a heater on a timer, food dispenser etc. But whereas that is ok for an older, more sedate dog where I could be certain she would snooze away the afternoon, if it was a pup it would be different. And I suppose breeds will differ too.

It was never easy (or cheap!) and every Sunday I'd have to draw up a rota to make sure we were covered. Oh and I had a very understanding boss who allowed my dog to come to work with me one day a week

blue note · 25-03-2021 5:47pm

Hmm. I was hoping for some magical answer but sadly it just looks like a dog isn't an option for us for the next few years. Cheers for the replies all.

MissShihTzu · 02-04-2021 10:31pm

Bit late to the thread, but wanted to add my tuppence worth, if that's OK.

We had a Shih Tzu. When we got him, I wasn't working so I was the one with him the majority of the time. walking, feeding, vet visits and so on. Went back to work and after a few hits and misses with dog walkers (one company in particular was very unreliable), and boarders (closed as went back to the UK, and other issues), we found a fantastic doggy day care where our boy would go 4 days a week and spend the Fridays with me as it was my day off. They also boarded our dog and it worked fantastically well.

Sadly, we lost our boy at the start of lockdown last year. We have a new puppy now, so whilst I'm WFH at the moment, we decided to let him go to doggy day care once a week at the beginning of the year, to get him used to it, socialised and to have doggy friends. The rest of the time, he's with me. Again, this has worked really well, and if I ever go back to the office, I know the little guy will enjoy the day care and I won't need to worry about him.

Very hit and miss, but eventually, we got there.

Hope this helps someone.

Meemars · 06-04-2021 9:14pm

Also late to the thread, but it's not the same for all dogs. However it is hard to know what energy type any dog will be. My LabX girl (gone now, sorely missed) would get a walk in the morning, and another in the evening. If one of us was home at lunch (most days) she'd head out in the garden for a sniff and a mooch and to do a security check on the neighbourhood cats and birds.
But in truth, she spent most of the day fast asleep, so much so that even if we did get home at lunchtime, she'd often ignore us after the first greeting, and was often not even bothered going out in the garden for a bit. On fine days sometimes she'd lie inside the open back door at lunchtime and just look out. Absolutely loved the morning and evening walks though. She was fit, but also lllaaazzzzyyyy.
She was medium energy, independent, not very needy, but very loving.
TL;DR Different Strokes

How do people with 9-5 jobs have dogs?

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