Dogs left alone...

[Siman]

I have a dog currently and have no real interest in getting another any time soon but my thought is this..

Recently a family member decided to rehome a dog from an RSPCA centre (I'm 99% sure it was RSPCA) But was told that due to them both being at work during the day (family member & partner) they wasn't allowed to rehome.

Now, how long would you all say that a dog would be able to stay on its own without seriously missing out on something in life? In my opinion dogs do crave human interaction an awful lot - I know ours does, then when he finds its not all its cracked up to be piddles off into 'his' room.

I'm just thinking that with the sheer amount of people that work 9-5's and with the fact it seems like now people can't really live off one wage and so both people in the relationship need to do 9-5's is a few hours before work and from say 6 - bed time really enough?

[Shell195]

I personally dont agree with dogs being left home alone for 8 hours but there are ways round it ie neighbours or friends etc calling in or doggy creche. Some dogs cope some dont. My OH works long hours as I cant work as we have 11 dogs and we never leave them alone for a minute. If we go out we get a dog sitter, even if its just a shopping trip.
Im sure lots of people will comment on your thread

[Meko]

at the moment i'm working 10 hour days with 1.5hours travelling. I leave the back door wedged open so they have the full run of the house and garden.
when i'm home and at the weekends they spend most of their time asleep so i doubt there'd be much difference if somebody was here all the time.

[Nebbz]

i agree on the term some dogs dont get on too well being left alone all day. But both me and my other half work 9-5 hours, and my boy is left alone all day, some times ill pop in at lunch but that stresses him out too much, but he is fine. Doesnt chew nothing, doesnt howl, bark, pee, poo nothing, hes absolutly fine.

Granted if i could stay home all day to cuddle up to him oh my god i would love to, but we cant. Not many people can! not this day and age, you NEED two wages or a well paying job to get any where in life. my boy just gets two really long walks a day. often down the beach.

i can get why the RSPCA dont want to rehome to a working couples home. but to be fair. IF its a good home. Why the hell not, ide rather know my puppy is cooped up in a nice warm house, and runn of the place than stuck in a cold, loud kennel any day.

[denise31]

I have a dog that i rescued not long ago and we both are out at times, some times she is left up to 3-4 hrs max at times as i work shifts and my partner is at college and my daughter comes in for her lunch and lets her out for the toilet and she spends half an hour with her then if we are not in and i have had no problems with this working for us the dog is settled with this routine

[Charlottie]

When we used to have a dog, sometimes he would be on his own from bout 9-5 as parents worked shifts at hosp and i was at school, he was fine never chewed, never barked or anything else he just used to go to sleep - he was a lazy dog but he would always get at least 1 long walk everyday and an extra long one at weekend but as others have said it all depends on the dog.

[Talk To The Animals]

When I got my rescue dog I said I would go home at lunchtimes to see him and gave them lots of examples of things I would do to keep him happy, like freeze kongs, give him those treat ball things to play with etc. They said he'd never been left and weren't sure how he would be, so to try it and bring him back if he didn't cope. I took a week off work and gradually left him for longer and longer times. When I went back to work I went home at lunchtime for about a week but every time I went in he was fast asleep so I didn't bother any more.

He's fine being left now, even though we now have another dog, so he's got company.

I don't think dogs have a concept of time, really, and as long as they have things to do and don't suffer from separation anxiety anyway, they are fine.

The one thing I did do was not make a big deal out of going out or coming back again, just went out and ignored him, didn't do the whole "Mummy will be back soon darling, I'm just going to the shops". I didn't make a big fuss about coming back either, just came in and got on with things. So it was never a big event for him or something to get excited about!

[*H*]

Both me and my partner do not work away from home so there is someone in most of the time. The only times the dogs are ever left is now and then for half an hour on the school runs, or when we visit northants once every couple of months, but even then a neighbour calls in throughout the day so they are never left on their own for long.
Yup definately depends on the dog, but I don't agree with leaving a dog all day every day without no human contact.

[linda.t]

i work 3 days a week and my hubby works 5 days so the 3 days i work
the dogs are alone for 9 hours and they are fine.

[taraliz]

While I and I am sure other people dont like the idea of dogs being alone all day / woorking day, the sad fact is that 15 or so years is a long long time for anyone to know exactly where their life will be, so although many of us get dogs with the best of intentions and may even be home all day, such as my partner is, no one ever really knows what will happen next in our / their lives and we just have to be prepaired for that and work with it the best we can.
Our dogs are not left alont but in emergiencies when we have been in A&E or whatever and unable to call anyone they have gone 8 hours with no problem, but its always best to have someone tend to them
xxx