The Most Dog Friendly Community Online
Join Dog Forum to Discuss Breeds, Training, Food and More

Left Too Long?

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register
whippetsrus said:
At least she is making an effort to visit during the day.  However, what about the breeder - did they not show any concern when they sold the dog?  Surely there is some responsibility there.
I should jolly well hope she is making an effort. She's bought this dog, it's her responsibility to care for it.

I do agree with you about the breeder not vetting the pups new owner. Unfortunateley, there are many a greedy breeder out there that just wants the £££ and don't give a care about the puppies.

whippetsrus said:
I do think there has to be some realism here.  Whilst I would not wish any dog to suffer in any circumstances, we all have to earn our living.  How many of us can stay with our pets 24/7?
I cannot imagine going on holiday without my boys but this is not the case for every animal.  The first dog I had was a cocker spaniel.  If I had tried to take him on holiday with us we would never have arrived because of the endless sickness stops.  For him the kinder thing was to put him in kennels.  I found one that offered country walks and really was a home from home.  I think this was the less cruel option.

I would hope that everybody makes sure that they can provide adequately before buying a pet but at the end of the day I do think the breeder as always the option to say no.

I'm a bit confused about "there has to be some realism here". in your post.

Can't see where anyone has mentioned going to the other extreme of not leaving a dog at all. :blink:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
kirsty said:
My neighbour has just bought a jack russell puppy 6 wks old had it a fortnight so now he is 8wks old.  She goes to work around 8am then comes home around 12 ish for 15mins then he is left alone again until 4-4.30ish.  I think it is a shame for the poor wee might it is a terribly long day for such a baby to be left surely.  Or is it just me?

Back to the orignal post, as you are home all day why not speak to her and see if she will let you you walk him in the day, so he gets out to stretch his legs.

You could mention that he has been wimpering while she is away (truth or not) and may need some company....

If she is on her own she may have got him for company, in the evenings, for security to make her feel safer...but she still has to work...
 
I'm a bit confused about "there has to be some realism here". in your post.

Can't see where anyone has mentioned going to the other extreme of not leaving a dog at all. :blink:






I was referring to one of the earlier posts where a comment was made about being reluctant to sell a dog to somebody who worked part time as this could mean the animal being left up to seven hours per day.
 
Our neighbours leave their Jack Russell at home all day on her own, from about 8.30am to 6pm. I think it's been that way more or less since they got her, we don't hear a peep from her all day, and she has the sweetest nature when we do see her. But I can't help thinking how lonely she must be all day?? :(
 
feel sorry for this tiny pup :(

we rescued our pup when she was 4 months old, she is now 1 yr old. when we first got her we had to arrange our schedule around her needs, my boyfriend works as a support worker and does 30minutes to 3 hour shifts, when he isnt visiting a client he is at home, so our dog had 4/5 pee breaks/plays in garden with him, and when i get home between 4 and 5pm i took her for walk and have a rough and tumble. we have pretty much stuck to this, apart from she only has about 3 pee breaks in day now.

but- somedays my boyfriend has to do a 3 then 4 hour shift, so he cant get home, we find she is fine with this as it isnt a daily occurance. we just had to cut down pee breaks so she was trained to hold it, which comes in useful if she has to stay at home all day.
 
i dont breed now ,when i did things were different,nowadays a lot of couples have to both work in order to pay the motgage/bills.the price of houses has rocketed and the family situation for a lot of folk has changed rapidly.when i did breed i could pick and choose where my pups went to,(i always had a waiting list,mainly by personal recomendation)and i would try to place them in the best of homes,and to me one of my requirements was that someone was home with the pup all day or most of the day.i have let pups go to folk working part time and the pups only been left for short periods.to me it mattered that the pup was house trained and socialised.if theres noone at home all day and the pup is left for 8 hours or more what kind of life is it having?not a very good one. :( i think nowadays id have problems with breeding pups as id still want folk to be at home for parts of the day in order to properly train and socialise the pup so im glad i dont breed now.im not condeming folk who work and want a pup,the first thing i wanted when i got married was a dog :) .id yearned for one all my life and my dad wouldnt let me have one,cos there was noone home all day.i used to befriend every waif and stray for miles around! :lol: so i know what its like to want a dog and not to be able to have one. :( but sometimes you have to put the wants and needs of the animal above your own.i too feel sorry for this little mite,hope things work out for him :luck:
 
kris said:
i dont breed now ,when i did things were different,nowadays a lot of couples have to both work in order to pay the motgage/bills.the price of houses has rocketed and the family situation for a lot of folk has changed rapidly.when i did breed i could pick and choose where my pups went to,(i always had a waiting list,mainly by personal recomendation)and i would try to place them in the best of homes,and to me one of my requirements was that someone was home with the pup all day or most of the day.i have let pups go to folk working part time and the pups only been left for short periods.to me it mattered that the pup was house trained and socialised.if theres noone at home all day and the pup is left for 8 hours or more what kind of life is it having?not a very good one. :( i think nowadays id have problems with breeding pups as id still want folk to be at home for parts of the day in order to properly train and socialise the pup so im glad i dont breed now.im not condeming folk who work and want a pup,the first thing i wanted when i got married was a dog :) .id yearned for one all my life and my dad wouldnt let me have one,cos there was noone home all day.i used to befriend every waif and stray for miles around! :lol: so i know what its like to want a dog and not to be able to have one. :( but sometimes you have to put the wants and needs of the animal above your own.i too feel sorry for this little mite,hope things work out for him :luck:




Totally agree :thumbsup:

Its so easy to say what YOU want BUT is it always best for a pup?.

If you work full time FORGET IT you are not being fair on the pup.

Its no heroic thing popping home at lunchtime for 15 minutes out of a 9 hour day of solitude for the poor pup.

I have bred just a few litters & from the pups i have parted with there is NO WAY i would have entertained ANYBODY working full time, forget it.

I chose people home ALL day & if i couldn't of got that, quite simply i would have kept them.

If you cant do this & offer your pups the best chance, simple, DONT BREED :thumbsup:
 
okay but even though my OH works full time, he is on a normal day, home about 3/4 hrs in the daytime (he works more hours between 4-8pm) so when i get home he is usually out.

so i dont think that you can say 'if you work fulltime-forget it' because you can work a 40hr week and yet still be at home, socialise and play with your pup/dog, not all fulltime jobs are 9-5.

our dog, i have noticed a heck more socialised than my friends/families dogs, and they stay at home all day as they have young kids or just dont work

i believe very much in getting your dog out and about and bonding with him, so although im aware of your breeding/homing standards and respect them, i dont like sweeping statements, each prospective owner needs to be looked at individually, you cant just hear the words 'i work fulltime' and write them off, they may be like my boyfriend.

anyway, this just shows how much us dog fans are committed to their health & welfare :huggles:
 
maggymills said:
okay but even though my OH works full time, he is on a normal day, home about 3/4 hrs in the daytime (he works more hours between 4-8pm) so when i get home he is usually out.

so i dont think that you can say 'if you work fulltime-forget it' because you can work a 40hr week and yet still be at home, socialise and play with your pup/dog, not all fulltime jobs are 9-5.

our dog, i have noticed a heck more socialised than my friends/families dogs, and they stay at home all day as they have young kids or just dont work

i believe very much in getting your dog out and about and bonding with him, so although im aware of your breeding/homing standards and respect them, i dont like sweeping statements, each prospective owner needs to be looked at individually, you cant just hear the words 'i work fulltime' and write them off, they may be like my boyfriend.

anyway, this just shows how much us dog fans are committed to their health & welfare :huggles:

I am talking about ONE person working FULL time & leaving a pup 8-9 hours a day.

If there are 2 of you & your working hours coincide so you dont have to leave a pup for more than an hour or so i do not have a problem with that.

I am only speaking PERSONALLY & i would not PERSONALLY choose to let a pup go to live in 8-9 hours of solittude BUT i do understand each to their own :thumbsup:

 
Day has 24 hours. Some people may go to work but rest of the day they are pretty much at home, that leaves some 16 hours for quality time with the dog/pup. If the pup/dog also sleep with them.

On the other hand a person who is not employed is not necesarily home all day. I know people who have very busy social life; "doing" lunches and shopping for clothes is very time consuming. :- " But even when at home these people are too busy to pay much attention to the dogs. Their dogs are hardly ever allowed in the house, and certainly not in the bedroom.

You may as well say the person who sleeps 8 hours and leaves the pup alone in other part of the house should not have a dog.
 
Seraphina said:
Day has 24 hours. Some people may go to work but rest of the day they are pretty much at home, that leaves some 16 hours for quality time with the dog/pup. If the pup/dog also sleep with them.

On the other hand a person who is not employed is not necesarily home all day. I know people who have very busy social life; "doing" lunches and shopping for clothes is very time consuming. :- " But even when at home these people are too busy to pay much attention to the dogs. Their dogs are hardly ever allowed in the house, and certainly not in the bedroom.

You may as well say the person who sleeps 8 hours and leaves the pup alone in other part of the house should not have a dog.

As i said just my PERSONAL opinion that one of MY pups would not be left 8-9 hours a day.

Sure we all have different standards, but this is mine & no offence meant. As long as we are all happy with our pups situations is all that counts :thumbsup:
 
I agree with some of the earlier comments about working full time and still having time for a puppy.

I work full time, so does my husband. However, i work shifts. I am often home until early afternoon, then go to work until 10pm at night. Husband works 9-5. Hence the dogs are only left for a max of 3 hrs in the afternoon.

When i work nights, im here all day (the dogs come up into the bedroom with me whilst i sleep in the day) but am away at night.

You can't be condemned for working 'full time' because it doesn't necessarily mean 9-5.
 
I think Nina was just putting across the fact that when she said she wouldn’t sell to someone working full time, she meant full time meaning just that full time, where upon a dog would be left for far too long on it’s own. The dog’s welfare is paramount.

A reasonable requirement.

If someone is working 8 hours a day and then also with travelling time added on top, it becomes an unacceptable amount of time for a dog to be on its own.

Don’t think she is condemning anyone who works full time and owns dogs too as long as the dog is not neglected. Obviously if working arrangements are so others

are able to look after the dog and its not on its own all day, there isn’t a problem.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Whilst I totally agree with and respect that any breeder has the right to decide what circumstances their pups are introduced to, there are many people who work full-time (9-5and otherwise) who give dogs great, happy, loving and secure homes.

I have a very secure and happy whippet (from pup) and have seen the transformation of a very timid, frightened, abused and unhappy greyhound into a cheeky, gorgeous, loving and healthy boy. And all this in a household of full-time workers. No two weeks are the same with regards to when we are at home or not, due to our jobs we get home when we can.

I do also believe that many dogs, resuce and pedigree, would be without homes if full-time workers didn't integrate them into their lives. Its the people who have dogs and DONT love them that bother me.

I think its a good idea to speak to the neighbour too. If you are concerned and home a lot, offer to look in on the pup? Knowing her a little more and being slightly involved in the situation will give you the information to know whether this pup is indeed unhappy or distressed?

Good luck and I hope the pup is ok.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
noo said:
Whilst I totally agree with and respect that any breeder has the right to decide what circumstances their pups are introduced to, there are  many people who work full-time (9-5and otherwise) who give dogs great, happy, loving and secure homes.
I have a very secure and happy whippet (from pup) and have seen the transformation of a very timid, frightened, abused and unhappy greyhound into a cheeky, gorgeous, loving and healthy boy.  And all this in a household of full-time workers.  No two weeks are the same with regards to when we are at home or not, due to our jobs we get home when we can. 

I do also believe that many dogs, resuce and pedigree, would be without homes if full-time workers didn't integrate them into their lives.  Its the people who have dogs and DONT love them that bother me.

I think its a good idea to speak to the neighbour too.  If you are concerned and home a lot, offer to look in on the pup?  Knowing her a little more and being slightly involved in the situation will give you the information to know whether this pup is indeed unhappy or distressed?

Good luck and I hope the pup is ok.


I totally agree with everything you have said and couldn't have put it better myself. It is the family and quality of time spent with the animal that is important.

However, with regards to approaching the neighbour I really feel for her. I don't believe she is wrong for having the animal and I do feel that she may end up feeling victimised if not approached correctly. What starts off as help could leave the neighbour feeling upset and angry. Equally it is going to take the pup time to get used to its new routine, any pup feels lost at first. If you offer help what happens when this becomes a chore. Looking after someone elses pet is not the same as looking after your own. This could end up making the situation worse long term.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think for a young pup like that on its own it is a long time to be left, however i work 8-5.30 and get home for an hour at lunch and ALL my dogs are socialised to the max, to say that a dog is learning no social skills because someone works is rubbish, imo it depends on what they're doing the rest of the time when they're with the dog. I could rhyme off a handful of people off the top of my head with dogs that have "issues" and they work less hours than me.
 
It would be unheard of for a person to leave their child locked and alone in the house for 7-9 hours a day, so why is it acceptable for a dog? There is nothing wrong with working full time and owning a dog, just as long as their day is broken up. I have never left my dogs alone for more than four hours, and this is on rare occasions. When they are left, there are a number of activity toys for them (with food treats in them) to keep them mentally going. For a puppy of 8weeks 15minutes at lunchtime is unacceptable and asking for serious problems as the puppy grows. As someone suggested, if she was planning for this puppy she should of cancelled her holiday and instead had a few weeks of with the puppy to settle him down. That's my opinion anyway.

A guy I know brought a 6week old Lakeland terrier, his daughter keeps caring him round town and the thing is tiny, I was talking to him in the pub and he was telling me how since they've got him he's gone from this boisterous fur ball into a dejected inactive pup. He leaves the puppy all day because he works as a gardener. I suggested he crate the pup in the van (as long as it was parked in the shade - the doors are open on it all the time) or find a secluded cool spot (well it is *meant* to be summer) to give him the attention and company he needs during the day, and pee breaks. He said he would see and that he was hoping maybe when the pup was older that he might take him to work with him anyway. I don't if anything happened, but I still think that having a dog is a huge commintment that involves a lot of scarifices from you and if you're not willing to take this sacrifices then is a dog really for you?
 
IMO someone who is working full time or long part time hours would be better with an lder dog that is used to being left for up to 3 hours at a time - I still would not let any of my pups go to someone working long hours -but this is MY opinion - and there is always someone else to get a puppyfrom :(
 
I suppose people just have differing opinions and experiences of full-time owners. All fair enough. Even knowing and believing that my experience has been a good one I wouldn't be upset or offended if a breeder refused me a pup due to my work situation. Definitely thier perrogative :thumbsup:
 
Roedeane said:
IMO someone who is working full time or long part time hours would be better with an lder dog that is used to being left for up to 3 hours at a time - I still would not let any of my pups go to someone working long hours -but this is MY opinion - and there is always someone else to get a puppyfrom :(

My sentiments EXACTLY :thumbsup:
 

Welcome to Dog Forum!

Join our vibrant online community dedicated to all things canine. Whether you're a seasoned owner or new to the world of dogs, our forum is your go-to hub for sharing stories, seeking advice, and connecting with fellow dog lovers. From training tips to health concerns, we cover it all. Register now and unleash the full potential of your dog-loving experience!

Login or Register
Back
Top