I have had my dog for 7 years, she is not a problem, I starting a new job recently, and do not come home until 6.00pm, which means the dog is on her own all day.
I contacted the shar-pei rescue home about this problem, and they have told me that a family that live in the country and have a holiday home in france are prepared to have my dog. what do you think i should do i will really miss the dog. I know she will have a really nice life with this family, but i also think that if i let her go i will regret my decision. PLEASE HELP.
2007-10-18 23:25:38 · 37 answers · asked by louise d 6 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Oh my, don't give your baby away!! You have been together for 7 years and she loves and needs you. She will adapt to the change in your schedule. I know you think you may be helping her by letting someone else take care of her, but I think it would be detrimental to your doggie. Please don't let her go....It is my opinion that you would sorely regret it.
2007-10-19 02:44:54 · answer #1 · answered by Dana D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
why not explore using a dog sitter? We have a very nice lady who lives around the corner who comes in twice a day both to feed and let the dogs out. If you contact your vet you will probably see ads for reliable trustworthy people and there is a national register of dog sitters.
You do need to make sure that you spend quality time with your dog and make sure she has plenty of exercise in between.
You have had her for 7 years an after that time she shouldn't be disposable!
We re homed a dog aged 5 because the family who had her couldn't cope with her and left her on her own all day. It took her a long time to settle in with us but she has and she loves the dog sitter.
There are always solutions to your dilemma, explore the dog sitter option if that doesn't work or you can't find a similar service then consider re-homing, but only as the last resort. You will know if you try and it doesn't work out and you have to rehome then you have made the decision for the right reasons.
Good Luck, don't give up on her.
2007-10-18 23:50:11 · answer #2 · answered by kathy w 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If I was in your position I would definitely keep the dog. I would feel guilty about leaving her, but not even half as guilty about losing her.
If you have the space, you could get her a companion. Maybe a rescue dog that is house-trained, since you would need to be home for a puppy and they require a lot of time.
The phrasing of your question seems like you really don't want to lose your pet - then don't do it. Animals change to lifestyles and dogs are relatively good at being on their own, providing they get all your love in the time you have with them. I'm comparing them to caged birds etc, that will pluck out their feathers if lonely. A dog will just sleep and chew its toys.
It's still a hard thought thinking your dog is alone all day, so should you choose to keep her you will need alternatives. Toys such as bones to keep her amused for some of the time; maybe a companion dog of similar age if its possible for you; or even see if you can get a friend or neighbour to let the dog out in the garden or go and pet her when they can.
The thought that she would have a "better" life in the country with this family might tempt you, but the one missing factor from that life for her is YOU. My dogs know me and I know they would like to be wherever I am, as long as I could still take them for a walk and play with them, be it all day or for an hour.
You need to give it a trial and see how your dog is in this situation. If she shows signs of illness or sadness then rehoming is the best for her. But really, if I were you, I would do everything to try and keep her first, as long as she is not unhappy.
2007-10-19 02:47:20 · answer #3 · answered by immie123 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why? Why do you think it is unreasonable for a housetrained, non-destructive adult dog to be left alone while you are at work until 6pm? If the only people who owned dogs were those who were always home and never left for more than three hours at a time, no one would have a dog. Or at least very few people could afford them.
I have two dogs. My husband and I both work full time. We both have to be at work by 7am and we are both out of the house until 4-5pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I work every other Saturday until 1pm and on weekends when I work my husband works a night shift so is asleep all morning Saturday. I do usually get home at lunch to let them out, but not always (and if the weather is nasty I may not let them out even if I do get home for lunch). They are fine. This was our work schedule when we adopted each of our dogs from rescue. If leaving a dog home alone while you go out to work in order to pay for vet bills, dog food, and housing was such a horrible thing the rescues would not have adopted to us.
Your dog may have a really nice life with this family, but I'm sure that she thinks she has a really nice life with you right now...even with your recent schedule change. And just because they have a home in the country and a vacation home in France doesn't mean someone will be home with her all day or that she will have a significantly better quality of life with them (how do they afford TWO homes, each in a different country if they're home all day anyway?) If your dog develops behavioral problems from being left alone all day, then it would be wise to consider rehoming the dog. Otherwise, save both yourself and the dog a load of heartache and keep her. You may have to make adjustments. Maybe getting up an hour early to give her a nice morning walk before you go off to work. Or contacting a pet sitter or dog walker to come take her out during the day (or even just a long walk a few times a week). But I see no reason why simply getting a new job with different hours is justification for giving up a dog.
2007-10-19 00:16:25 · answer #4 · answered by ainawgsd 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Just some ideas- can you afford to have a pet sitter come in and walk the dog once a day? Do you have any friends or family who can come by and spend time with her during the day? Maybe some elderly neighbors or trustworthy kids in the neighborhood?
Is she seeming to have any problems with the new arrangement? She's a bit older now, most older dogs don't have the energy requirements they did when they were younger. Do you have the time and energy to give her plenty of attention and a good, long, walk (or play in the yard, whatnot) before and after work? Can you do things with her on the weekends?
I don't think it's necessarily an ideal situation for her, but then again, "doggie ideal" is an owner who's home all day long and has furniture made of dog treats, and no situation is perfect. Re-homing a dog who has bonded with you and has come to depend on you for the past 7 years will cause her more stress, in my opinion, than you being gone at work during the day. PROVIDED of course you spend plenty of time with her when you are home! Interact, play, train....don't just sit on the couch and let the dog stare at you :). It's not the quantity, but the quality of time you spend with her.
Of course, if the DOG starts showing signs of anxiety from being left alone (chewing, barking, etc) it may be time to reconsider re-homing her. Good luck
2007-10-18 23:38:21 · answer #5 · answered by YODEL 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Please do not give her away. Think about how hard this decision has been for you. Think about how much you would miss him/her...your dog will miss you even more. He/she will no doubt be depressed after he/she leaves, and it will take a long time before he/she is as comfortable with her new family, as she is with you...maybe, never.
The hard reality is that we all have to work to provide for our families, and our four legged friends. Have you ever heard it's not the quantity of time you spend, but the quality of time you spend? When you are there, make sure you love on him/her, and get plenty of exercise, and play together. Before you leave in the morning, you could go on a walk. You could even arrange a "dog walker" to stop by and take your dog for a walk. If you have friends that have inside dogs, let them come over for "doggy play dates." There are tons of things you could do to keep your dog active.
Just remember, whatever schedule you may have, your dog will get excited about seeing YOU at the end of the day. Because you are basically his/her life. That's why the say a dog is mans best friend. So, my advice to you is to keep your dog, and don't stress too much on the time your away, make the best of the time you have together!
2007-10-19 02:24:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
At 7 years old.. I truly think the dog is fine while you are gone. She likely sleeps all day anyway. I really think she is comfortable in her own home and routine. Obviously it is your call but MANY families have crazy schedules and I just feel at 7 years old she should stay put.
The other people having a Holiday home in France doesn't mean much if they are not going to include the dog in which she would likely spend all the holidays in a boarding kennel or on a plane and stressed several times a year... EVEN if you decide not to keep her please keep those things in mind because I do not personally see their situation/lifestyle as any better.
My advice is to just keep her and maybe you could hire someone to come over and play with her and walk her for 20 or 30 minutes in the middle of the day.
2007-10-19 00:13:35 · answer #7 · answered by Freedom 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
It doesn't sound like you ready to give your dog up so please don't you WILL regret it. Can you not afford to get a dog sitter or if there is a trust worthy neighbour could you not leave a key with them and pay them something to let her out a couple of times a day. There are many options you could look at before re homing her. Our neighbours teenage son wanted to save up for his 1st motor bike a few years ago so he used to walk out dog around the block when we were at work in return for a couple of quid. I used to walk other peoples dogs when I was a kid too. I know she is a big dog but that shouldn't stop you looking at that option as long as she is well behaved!
2007-10-19 00:02:18 · answer #8 · answered by sarahc 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
IMO, it is not. She will adapt to changes in your schedule. Dogs are remarkably resilient about those kinds of things. She will have a much harder time adapting to a whole different home at her age. A lot of people work a full shift and own dogs. :)
You can hire a walker to come by and give her a walk during the day. Or if she's a sedentary type, just leave the TV on for her, and give her a stuffed Kong or something. Most likely, she'll be fine, and you wont have to worry about her in a new environement.
2007-10-18 23:30:47 · answer #9 · answered by bahamutt99 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
i'd say don't give your dog away! We've got a golden retriever who is left on her own from 10am till approx 5pm monday-friday and she's a very happy dog. Your dog might start to fret at first but should adapt to the changes, if not, taking her to a dog trainer could help with the behaviour when she's on her own. We have also been told that dog's have no concept of time...whether this is true or not, i don't know
2007-10-19 02:12:46 · answer #10 · answered by strange_little_nikki 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The majority of people that have pets have a job to support them so why get rid of a dog cuz you work? I work full time and have 6 dogs that are by themselves and not one cares. They sleep the majority of the time and even on my days off when I'm watching TV they sleep the majority of the time. There are lots of options to getting rid of a dog, have a neighbor let her out if you are gone a longer than normal time, teach her to use the garage or install a doggy door to a secure fenced pen for an emergency potty break or have a pet sitter let her out. To keep her occupied while you are gone buy a treat ball where you put her dry food in it and she chases it around the house, buy Kong toys and fill will part of her meal then top off with spray cheese, peanut butter or PURE pumpkin then freeze, ditto with hollow sterilized bones. Hide her food or dog biscuits around the house. Take her to a doggy daycare a couple times a week or have aresonsible neighbor walk her. I know a dog loving couple who walk their neighbor's dog since she can not and they travel too much to have a dog of their own.
2007-10-18 23:59:18 · answer #11 · answered by ginbark 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋