We are on Christmas Vacation and have left our dog home. How long is too long to leave a dog unattended?

Question

We live in California and are in Utah for Christmas. We have been gone since the 21 and made sure our dog was well taken care of, indoors, comfortable, plenty of food and water, before leaving.
Originally we had scheduled a dog sitter, but they aren't returning our phone calls and my husband is literally freaking out, planning to get a flight home tomorrow (Christmas Day) becuase he's so worried about our dog.
Will she be allright for a few more days? We have left her before in the past for 2, then 3, and on one vacation, even almost 5 days, and she was completely fine.
I'm worried and don't know if we should arrange a flight home or not. We love our dog!

I truly appreciate all of your answers. Just for your info:
(1) the dog sitter we scheduled is one of our much trusted friends who we trade off house-sitting when either of us leave town; So it's incredibly weird that I haven't heard from this person
(2) We did literally everything in our power to find a back-up sitter but we don't have family in our area and all of our friends and neighbors were leaving town as well for the holidays.
(3) We are parents of 2, and VERY good parents, to say the least. If you have children, you know that a dog is NOT like a child and I would never be silly enough to leave my child unattended. He is right here with us!
(4) we tried to arrange to bring our dog with us but no airlines accepted a dog of that weight.
(5) This is my first dog. we've had her for 3 years, but before that, I grew up with cats, so I have to thank everyone that pointed out how different dogs are from cats when it comes to leaving town.
Thanks for the help! Merry Christmas!

** above on number (2), what I meant to say is, we are parents of one 2-yr old, not parents of 2!*

Answer 1

Shame on you! That is terrible!!! 8 hours would be the longest a d0g should be left alone without supervision.

You need to arrange something IMMEDIATELY!

Answer 2

I would assume that something came up for your sitter and they just didn't bother to tell you and don't care to hear your comments on it right now (maybe a family emergency or a last minute trip). I'm going to have to side with your husband on this one. There's no telling what shape your dog or house are in right now. If you're lucky everything is fine, but don't just assume it is. A friend of mine and her family went to California for Xmas one year and came back to a flooded house when a pipe burst. Chances are your dog ate the food and water the first day or 2 since it didn't realise you would not be back to refill it, and as for the potty I'm guessing there is a mess unless you have a dog door. But if it got lonely it may have dug/jumped it's way out of your yard. Next time just pay the fee and board your dog at the vet's office. They get immediate treatment if there is a problem and you know your pet will be taken care of. I know, I worked at one. And for those who think it's ok to leave a cat for days on end you are wrong, they do care that you leave. I was in the hospital for several months and my mother was home with my cat. When I finally got home my cat didn't let me out of her sight for weeks, she followed me Everywhere. And they Do require care, not sure where people got the idea that cats don't need care and love.
P.S.- Do you have an email for this person or another way to reach them? I wouldn't call the police or anything because the only thing they can do is break a window or door to get in. They will Not call a locksmith or anything, trust me.

Answer 3

Shame on everyone who felt like the right thing to do is tell you what a horrid person you are. -_-

It's probably best to get home as soon as possible since you cant get ahold of your sitter. As everyone else has already stated, dogs and cats are quite different. I'm going to assume that your a reasonable person and that the dog has some way of getting in and out of the house to go to the restroom- but it is a good point about both the food, and water.

It may honestly be best in the future to look for a place to board your dog while your gone. It may be a bit pricey, but not having to take an emergency flight home might be well worth it.

Hope your dog is okay!

Answer 4

When you say you have left your dog before for a couple of days you do mean with someone going in regularly through the day don't you? Not alone as in unattended and alone, because this is what it sounds like!

How long is it since you last had contact with your sitter?

If you think that no one is going in to care for your dog how could you still enjoy your holiday? If you have tried all ways to contact or track down the sitter and have no one else available to look after your dog you need to get back to her.

I wouldn't leave my dogs for more than six hours at a time and you want to know if it would be ok to leave yours for a few days! And then to say that you love her! My God!

Please, make sure you dog is properly cared for while you are away or go home to her and then find a better home for her where she won't be abandoned in this way in future.

Answer 5

I'd have to wonder why your sitter isn't returning the calls? Do you have anyone else with a key that can go in and check? If so, I'd ask them to look in on your pet. Who is walking the dog if the sitter isn't around? Either find someone TODAY to look after your dog or go home now. When I left for vacation I had a dog sitter live in my house, but had 4 others with keys just in case. I did not even want my dog staying alone overnight. What about an accident? Fire? Water pipe breaking? If she falls and gets hurt?

Answer 6

A dog should never be left unattended for any longer then 10 hours....sorry but leaving your dog for even 24 hours is cause for you to be brought up on cruelty charges...leaving your dog alone, unattended while you go off on vaccation is extremely irresponsible..
If you couldn't get a sitter then you needed to check in on a kennel or not leave...no animals are not human kids but they ARE a responsability and you aren't living up to that responsability..Not to be harsh but .I really recommend that you learn how to properly care for your dog or look into rehoming.
I have to say if you were reported for this type of care to the spca you would likely be fined and quite likely would have your dog taken from you.

Answer 7

Dogs are not that different from kids.Anything can happen and will at any time.
You should have put it in a kennel when your sitter did'nt contact you right back.
My neighbors leave their dogs at home while they go off for days at a time. One of the kids is supposed to come daily to care for them but never does until it's close to them coming home.Then he spends hours over there cleaning up their mess and airing out the basement. the poor dogs sit in that basement for days howling and barking trying desperately to get someones attention to let them outside and give them food and water yet no one comes. It breaks my heart and it infuriates me they do this. I've offered to care for them repeatedly yet they refuse because they don't want to be liable for my getting bit.Fine I'm so sick of it I've informed them if it happens again I will call the police and they can get animal control out here to remove the dogs from the situation.
Now they put up a surveillance camera when they leave.Guess so they'll know exactly when the law breaks into their house.I don't care.Dogs don't understand when we don't come back what's going on. They're creatures of habit.Certain things happen every day at about the same time and when you just up and leave and don't come back it upsets them.Sure they're happy when you get home FINALLY but you underestimate the dog if you think for a second that it does'nt matter to it if you're there or not.
And as for being good parents think about this- How we care for a dog or cat is a great indicator of how we care for our kids.
I'm sorry for sounding judgemental but I'm the one who hears the heart ripping howls for days on end and I know what those poor dogs are going thru and it makes me sick!

Answer 8

Well first off the dog may have knocked over its water bowl or dish and be out of water. The food may last since it won't gorge itself especially if it is thirsty. Is it able to go outside to the bathroom then simple ask a neighbour to watch for it to come out or to check on it by putting another bowl of water out for it and see if it drinks alot or a little or none at all. What is it doing for exercise and I hope not tearing the house apart. Most dogs need a walk daily to burn off excess energy. Four days is already too long to have left a dog unattended. You should have contracted a mature reliable dog sitter to watch or check on it. I have heard of people going to jail or at least being arrested for animal abuse for similar irresponsible or negligent behaviour towards pets so it is no wonder your husband is upset. He should have left a spare key with someone that he trusts to look in on the dog...someone that the dog likes and will not attack. I hope for both your sakes that the dog is fine. Some judges treat their pets like members of the family and some treat them better so I really hope it is okay. Dogs aren't as self sufficient as cats and even they need better care than what you have shown towards your dog.

Answer 9

Unfortunately, dogs are NOT like cats, who are solitary creatures who clean themselves well, eliminate in a box and "graze" on food throughout the day.
Dogs often eat all the food that is put out for them at once, and go "hungry" until they are fed again. THAT'S why you need to monitor them daily.
Though your dog may not get separation anxiety from being left more than a day, their minds are like toddlers, and they can get into situations which may endanger their safety.
I, too, am concerned for your dog.
I hope your Dad can get back there tomorrow.
I'd also question your family's choice of dog sitters. One who doesn't return calls doesn't sound very responsible.
You may do best to ask your vet for a referral of someone who he can trust.
Good luck!

Answer 10

Ask a neighbor or friend to look in on her they should be able to see in a window or knock and hear her respond at the very least. I would never leave my dog alone more than overnight How the dog feels about it will depend largely on the dog but accidents can happen at any time. A fire or choking on a toy or food there are just too many risks to me to leave a dog alone more than a few hours.

If its a rental call the landlord and give them permission to give a friend a key to check in.

In the future try to have a backup to check on the dog in case you can not reach the person checking on the dog. Be redundent and have several people you can call even if you never need to. Better safe than sorry.

Answer 11

I have to ask, What is wrong with you?!? I never leave my dog longer than 8 hours. Once I was unable to get home and I had a friend stop by to check on him and walk him. My friend has a key just for cases like that. I have a sitter that comes if I am going out of town. Would you leave your 12 year old home alone that long? They can fix a bowl of cereal and glass of juice, plus they actually have a bathroom.