# Work full-time but would like a dog?



## cellardoor (Mar 20, 2012)

Would really like some opinions/advice.

My wife and I own a couple of cats already, but would really like to adopt a rescue dog. 

Problem is, we both work full-time which obviously means the dog would be alone for a large part of the day.

I know how much work a dog can be and would be more than happy to walk it before and after work. It would get plenty of attention in the evenings. My plan at the moment is to get a kennel in the garden, then leave it out in the garden all day whilst at work. The gardens not huge, but is dog-proof and big enough to have a run around in.

I wouldnt mind keeping it in if the weather was really bad, but would probably have to keep it in one room, as I dont fancy leaving the cats alone with it all day.

What do people think? We would give the dog plenty of love when were around but does it work having a full-time job but also owning a dog? Some people say its cruel, but surely its better for the dog than to be stuck in a rescue home?


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## astro2011 (Dec 13, 2011)

I personally would say no as it seems the cats would have the run of the house more than the dog. I hope I've took it the wrong way, but why can the dog not be allowed in the same room as the cats? As long as you trust the dog with the cats I see no reason why not. I understand when you are not there to supervise it is def a good idea for the dog and cats to be separated.

How long would the dog be on its own? You forget in the rescue the dogs are surrounded by people all the time.


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## Helbo (Sep 15, 2010)

Most rescues won't rehome a dog to two full-time workers. Its just the standard policy. Not all, but most, don't think rescue dogs are suitable for this environment. 

Same goes for many reputable breeders if you were to look at one of their puppys. 




Many people make it work, but personally I don't think its fair on a dog to be left alone for most of the time. I have no experience with keeping a dog outside. I hope someone can be more helpful. 

And Welcome!


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## WeimyLady (Jan 3, 2010)

You can work full time and have a dog, but you need a suitable plan for the dog. That means either popping in at lunch time, paying a dog walker/sitter/doggy day care, getting a friend/relative to come and see to the dog, etc. to break up the day.

It isn't fair to the majority of dogs to expect them to be left happily with no company and exercise/toilet breaks for the full working day. You won't find a rescue or a reputable breeder who will home a dog to you if you don't have suitable arrangements. A kennel in the garden is NOT a suitable arrangement. You cannot expect a social animal like a dog to sit outside alone in a kennel all day. I don't think that would go down well with your neighbours either, having a dog barking from 9-5pm which is exactly what many would do.

If you manage to work out a suitable arrangement so that the dog is not left all day, are you willing to walk the dog twice a day every day before and after work? a dog will mean even earlier starts to your mornings come rain or shine, for the next 10 plus years....lie ins will be a thing of the past.


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## cravensmum (Jun 28, 2010)

It depends what you mean by full time,I work full time but my business is open 7 days a week I work 4/5 days and I can do short shifts some days and longer ones another day,I try not to do more than 2 long days together.

But if you mean full time mon-fri 9 to 5,then that's a long time for a dog to be on it's own.

But it can be done,could one of you come home during your lunch break (what's one of those) and spend some time with the dog.

I make sure mine get a good walk before I go to work and they sleep all day when I'm at work.

Both my dogs were older when I got them,1 year old and 5 year old.


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## sammierhall (Mar 7, 2012)

I know two people who work full time, one does night work the other day, so someone is always around


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## LexiLou2 (Mar 15, 2011)

Me and my hubby work full time and have two dogs, we got one as a pup and one as a rescue..and I would love to say its brilliantly easy but its not. It is HARD work, it is expensive and it can be very draining, that said I adore my two and would not swap them for the world. Three times a week we get a dog walker in who takes them out twice a day for just over an hour in total. Cost is £15 a day so £180 a month on dog walker. They also get half an hour every morning and an hour and half on a night exercise by us, plus a minimum of 3 hours a day at weekends plus training classes.

We very very rarely go on holiday, and if we do they tend to be dog friendly holidays, going out on an evening after work is a thing of the past it doesnt happen. In fact strangely we are going out tonight as it is my mums birthday and as a result the dog walker has done double to day (so an extra £15) and hubby worked his lunch hour to go home early to give the dogs an extra hour with someone at home.

I love my two to bits and at some point want to add a possible third, to do that I am going to have to look to change my job as I cant do it with three, but working and having a dog and giving that dog a full and enriched life is not for the faint hearted. Sometimes it gets my OH down but I am so an animally person that no matter how rubbish things are I look at their happy smiley faces and I dont really care.


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## cellardoor (Mar 20, 2012)

Thanks for the reply.

The dog would be on its own for about seven hours a day.

Sorry if I wasnt clear - it would only be when we are out that the dog would be kept seperately to the cats, when supervised they would all have free run of the house.


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## L/C (Aug 9, 2010)

Plenty of rescues will rehome the right dog to people who work full time but you would need to be willing to trust their judgement and not just insist on a certain dog. Dogs Trust, Battersea, Mayhew and Wood Green are some of the bigger ones around here off the top of my head that will - they usually highlight the dogs that they think can live with full time workers on their websites. You would need to be prepared to either pay for a dog walker or come home at lunchtime to break up the day for them.

But every rescue that I know personally would not rehome a dog to a situtation where it was going to live outside for the whole day - too many things can go wrong. They would probably consider it if you were going to build a proper kennel and run but that doesn't sound like the case.

Working full time and having dogs can work if you are willing to put in the work but tbh in your situation it sounds like the dog would be playing second fiddle to the cats and that's not a situation I would personally be rehoming a dog into. Nothing wrong with seperating dogs and cats (in fact it's sensible) but it would be better to do that by using baby gates and giving the cats escape routes rather then turfing the dog out into the garden.

Another point - have your cats ever encountered dogs before? Are they indoor cats or indoor/outdoor? If indoor cats it could be very stressful for them if you bring a dog in and they may not adapt well at all.


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## Woozle600 (Jan 27, 2012)

WeimyLady said:


> You cannot expect a social animal like a dog to sit outside alone in a kennel all day. I don't think that would go down well with your neighbours either, having a dog barking from 9-5pm which is exactly what many would do.


Our neighbours keep theirs in a kennel outside and are fine all day. sometimes get the occasional whinge. Think it all depends on the dog do you think? It's a pretty luxury kennel though.

Before I moved in with my OH me & mum worked full time, but mum would walk Kolo at 6am before work, I'd nip back at lunch and walk him, then I'd walk him after work. Now as my OH does shifts he may end up spending 2 days 8am -5:30pm alone before I get back to walk him, but he's good as gold.

When I was looking at rehoming I believe on the criteria was that the dog should not be left alone for more than 4 hours. So you may have to prove you have some plans in place like people have suggested.


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## Milliepoochie (Feb 13, 2011)

Its definitely do-able and there are plenty of full time workers on this site who have dogs.

My husband and I work full time and have Millie who is now approaching 3 years old. 

We got Millie at 10 months old - At the time my husband worked from home but in September last year we both started doing the same hours - and Millie is left home alone.

I feel this is a very individual decision and one which can only be made by yourself and one which unless people have been in the predicament of having 2 full time workers may automatically fall in the its wrong brigade. But I dont think its universally wrong (I have to work to pay for Millies bones lol) and think it depends on an individuals situation and the individual dog. 

There's lots to take into account such as:

Age of dog - Would you consider an adult dog which is able to comfortably hold its bladder longer than a pup? 

Your commute - Be realistic of how long your dog will be home alone.

Are you prepared to walk your dog for an hour minimum - prob off lead each morning rain / snow / wind no matter what before work? If you oversleep your dog still needs walking - You will have to be late to work.

When you come home from work have a headache / need to get dinner on go straight out in the rain / snow with dog for 10-20 minutes? Then of course youl need a proper walk in the evening :smilewinkgrin:

Also a dog which sleeps most the day will be awake in the evening - in our house evenings are for search games in the house - playing living room fetch and generally giving Millie lots of attention.

Also I truly believe its not about the time spent apart its about the time spent together. Our weekends / holidays revolve around Millie. Today I had an unexpected early finish - So went for a long walk :smilewinkgrin: As sad as it may sound to some our life revolves around Millie outside of work. 

Also youl need to seriously take into account the dogs personality- Our girl is very relaxed and lazy (the Rottie in her ) she has free roam of the house whilst we are gone / doesn't chew and sleeps the day away (like she is now lol). Some dogs have a personality which will suit this lifestyle more than others - Ie a dog which cannot be left with out whining / chewing / destroying the house would be a nightmare.

It is very very hard work but definitely possible. 

Feel free to PM if you want to talk


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## astro2011 (Dec 13, 2011)

I think if you could arrange someone to spend an hour or so during lunchtime to walk the dog, or give them human contact (play, let them out for the loo ect) they should be fine. You would need to work with a rescue as many have said some will not work with full time people. I think as long as you could arrange a sitter/walker during the day it should be fine


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## Spud the Bull Terrier (Jun 19, 2011)

Its doable to work full time and have a dog, but it is hard work, and takes some organising 

I work full time, I get up at 530 and walk spud for an hour and he gets another hour when I get back from work. 3 days a week he stays with my dad while Im at work, the other 1 day a week I work at home, and 1 day he stays at home but one of my neighbours comes over and walks him at lunch time


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## 2Hounds (Jun 24, 2009)

I adopted my first 2 adult greyhounds while i was working full-time (9-5) locally, this was fine with the rehoming group as i could pop home in my lunch hour to give them a toilet break and i was aware in future i may have the expense of a dog walker. They are quite lazy and sleep most of the time even when i'm home, so cope better than some energetic breeds that are more likely to get bored.

It can be hard as life becomes on a timer for seeing to the dog and if your out all day then you need to give your dogs company in the evenings, so not as easy to be social or work late. Walks before/after work especially in winter can feel a drain when tired/ill but has to be done. It can also make it more difficult to visit people/go away than it was dogless which is a bit easier with cats. Most dog owners feel the benefits outweigh the downsides for them, but best to consider these before taking the plunge.


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## pogo (Jul 25, 2011)

Me and the OH both work full time and have a rescue dog however we work shifts, where i do lates he does nights so the boys are on their own maybe a couple of hours a day until i get home, so the centre had no problem rehoming to us. 

However it depends what sort of hours you work though.


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## Milliepoochie (Feb 13, 2011)

2Hounds said:


> It can be hard as life becomes on a timer for seeing to the dog and if your out all day then you need to give your dogs company in the evenings, so not as easy to be social or work late. Walks before/after work especially in winter can feel a drain when tired/ill but has to be done. It can also make it more difficult to visit people/go away than it was dogless which is a bit easier with cats. Most dog owners feel the benefits outweigh the downsides for them, but best to consider these before taking the plunge.


This is a fantastic point:

I don't go to the pub after work anymore and am always watching out for things which could cause us to be late home. Even getting a Dr's appointment after work involves calling a nephew to take Millie out :huh:

Holidays a dog friendly ones - Even our honeymoon was to Wales with Millie - I owe it to her to spend as much time as possible with her when we can.

I dont visit my family back home as much as its not easy to take Millie (Limitations on where she can go at families houses etc)

But you know what - The benefits far outweigh the downsides :smilewinkgrin:


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Think about a very small dog and a large cat flap in the back door if your garden is secure  That and a dog walker for an older rescue would be lovely


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## cellardoor (Mar 20, 2012)

L/C said:


> Plenty of rescues will rehome the right dog to people who work full time but you would need to be willing to trust their judgement and not just insist on a certain dog. Dogs Trust, Battersea, Mayhew and Wood Green are some of the bigger ones around here off the top of my head that will - they usually highlight the dogs that they think can live with full time workers on their websites. You would need to be prepared to either pay for a dog walker or come home at lunchtime to break up the day for them.
> 
> But every rescue that I know personally would not rehome a dog to a situtation where it was going to live outside for the whole day - too many things can go wrong. They would probably consider it if you were going to build a proper kennel and run but that doesn't sound like the case.
> 
> ...


The dog wouldn't be playing second fiddle to the cats, it's just that I wouldn't want to leave them together unsupervised. I would be happy to leave the dog in the house and use baby gates and escape routes like you suggested, it's just that I thought it would be better to be outside where it can run around and go to the toilet.

The cats are indoor cats but have been socialized with dogs and I don't think they would get stressed.

I would have a proper kennel built, and a run if necessary...I wouldn't just be planning on turfing them out into the garden, that's why I posted on here - to see if people think it's possible and get some advice.

Hiring a dog walker would be difficult, but I could come back at lunch times.


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## lily74 (Jan 13, 2012)

I think the fact you both work full time isn't a problem, the problem with getting a dog if you both work full time is if you didn't employ a dog walker or arrange to pop in to see to the dog at lunchtimes.

Dogs are expensive and money has to come from somewhere to support vet bills etc, and a dog walker would have to be an added cost to consider so alot of people have to work full time to afford a dog.

It wouldn't be fair to leave a dog for 8 hours solid with no toilet break and a bit of company as they soon become bored and could become destructive or start barking if left outside.

I am a dog walker and I have clients that work full time, and it works well, I give their dog an hours walk and some company and them piece of mind.

I am lucky I work part time and only leave my dog for 4 hours max , my husband works full time, but not everyone has this luxury.

The fact that you have come on and asked what is best for a dog tells me that you will make good owners that will pull out all the stops for their dog


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

A lot of dog owners work full time. some dogs sadly bark all day and are a pain in the neck to the neighbours but most adapt very well.
When I worked full time I took the dogs for a very brisk 45 minute walk mostly off lead before work, a quick walk as soon as I got home and a longer one later on. As others have said most evenings, weekends and holidays revolved around the dogs. As I had multi dogs they were outside, they had a garden shed and a wire run and they seemed to do very well. I was very friendly with my neighbours and they never complained about noise. I think they slept in their beds most of the day. I dont think I would leave a single dog outside though.


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