single, working dog owner

[badger]

I'm at a point where I feel I'm ready to open my life to another dog. However, I'm having many people tell me I shouldn't, as I work all day.

My dog was very old and was very low energy and didn't need to do much other than sleep all day. A younger dog, well, that's where I get a bit stuck. I have two cats, one of which was very close with the dog and I'm sure they kept each other company while I was away.

There's bound to be other people who are single and work all day, and still manage to have a well balanced dog in their life, no?

[smilingcat]

Have you thought of adopting an older dog from a rescue group. They need homes too. Last golden we adopted out was about 9 years old. Andy had arthritis, and people kept wanting to adopt him so they could take him on a hike or take himfor a run and we had to say no. Then one day, a retired lady came by. She also has arthritis so she knew his pain and he understood her pain. It was a good match.

The nice woman and we stayed in touch and just last year, she had to bury Andy. She had 5 or so wonderful years with her companion dog. He was special. She is an incredible woman for willing to take in an older dog.

As for older dogs learning to get along with cats, when Andy came to our house, he knew right off that he was not to bother the cats. We never had to train him. He just knew.

6, 7, 8 year old retriever or other kinds of dogs will fit your need. low energy dog and good with cats. A rescue group may even give you a break on the adoption fee. Group I work with do give discounts to older animals because they are so much more difficult to find homes.

Take time to find a new dog. It's their "forever home". Please keep that in mind when you adopt. and I wish you the best.

[badger]

my dog, Chevy, was from the spca and he was 7 or 8 when I adopted him. I had him for 6.5 years. He was a 90lb mostly-rottweiler who was just a chub of love. He was never an active dog, loved everyone he met, and tolerated my dominant cat. They slept together, but it was more that Chevy let Morley sleep with him.

I also fostered a 13 year old Yorkie cross recently, and that was a bit too close to home.

I love older dogs. I don't think I'll ever get a puppy, but at the same time, I just can't do elder care again so soon. It was very difficult with Chevy; he had a lot of medical issues, and being alone and him being so big, it really was hard.

I do love big dogs, but watching Chevy struggle with steps and even just walking at the very end broke my heart every day. I wanted to help him but he was just too big.

Since Chevy was basically old from the get-go (they thought he was about 10 years old when I first got him), I never really had a co-pilot who did active things with me like hiking and camping. I'd really like that in my next dog, at least for a couple of years before he/she gets too old, anyways!

I'm hopeful that one day the right dog will find me.

What I need to do is work from home and find a house with a big yard

[greycoral]

Would the dog have access to the outdoors to use the bathroom? Do you have the time to take it for daily walks? Some people think its "cruel" to get a dog if you are gone all day, but I think that's silly. As long as you have time every day to devote to playing and walking, engaging it when you ARE home, then you're fine. Honestly, all my dogs do is sleep all day. They'll do the same thing when you're at work.

Unless you're working 10-12 hour days, then you should be fine. We just lost our older Boston Terrier last week, he was a great companion to our 5 yr old pug. And even with each other, all they did was sleep all day. my husband and I both are students now, and are only gone for about 4-6 hours a day, they were more than happy to get their walks in the evening, and play time with us later in the night. However, we could not have survived without a dog door. Neither of our pups could hold it when we WERE working full time hours.

I say go for it! Maybe not a baby, but something about a year old with lots of years to enjoy each others company. I know that when we're ready to adopt again, that's what we're looking for. Our Boston was a rescue, he was around 9yrs old when he passed (caught pneumonia and died suddenly), we only had him for 3 years, and I would never do anything BUT rescue again.

[andtckrtoo]

I agree with the others. First of all, adopt an adult dog. There are many many wonderful even younger adult dogs who were abandoned simply because of the economy who are great with cats. If you know what breed you want, do a search that breed rescue in your area - they will tell you whether or not a dog you are considering will deal well with your cats. If you just want a furry companion - your local human society or www.petfinder.com is a great resource.

As for the dog being alone most of the day - as long as you don't mind coming home every night to walk him (or hire a pet walking service to do it), he'll be fine. I think it's much more important to have a very loving home than it is that you're home all day - if that makes sense.

[Tuckervill]

Have you thought of adopting an older dog from a rescue group?

+1. There's a dog out there who needs a home just like yours. I'll bet you can find it!

Karen

[PamNY]

A younger adult dog would be great for you. It's difficult to get through the puppy stage when you are away all day.

Many rescue groups do cat-testing on dogs they adopt out. Plus cats themselves are good at training dogs.

As long as you have plenty of time for the dog before and after work, you should be fine.

I know what you mean about not going right back into elder care. I loved my older rescue dog and wouldn't trade that experience for anything, but I did need a break from it. Good luck!

Pam

[mtbdarby]

I agree with everyone else. Go for it! I am also a single pet owner but I do work from home. Trust me, even when you're home they still sleep most of the day

Everyone loves a puppy, but I'm with those that have a soft spot for the older dogs. We just got our second dog from the humane society that's 6-7 years old. It's been a bit of a process getting him acclimated to our family but we're making progress.

Good luck with your search and keep us posted!

[msincredible]

Agreed on an adult dog as the way to go. If you can find a couple of dogs that get along well that might be even better, as they will keep each other company. Sometimes rescue groups have pairs that are bonded and they want to adopt them out together.

I ended up in a similar situation for a few years after getting divorced and moving out of a house. My ex didn't want our 2 whippets, so I found an apartment that would let me keep them. I was single at the time and working, and also had a busy business travel schedule (25-50% travel).

It wasn't ideal, I wouldn't have chosen to get new dogs at that time, but I made it work. The dogs kept each other company when I was gone at work, and I lived close by so that I wasn't gone too long during the day. They get a morning and an afternoon run/walk to tire them out and keep them happy and out of trouble. I had a friend that I would trade dog care with when I traveled.

When I moved out, my ex was of the opinion that I should have gotten rid of the dogs, but they have done well with me and been happy. It can be a bit tough on your social life, but for me it was well worth it.

[Becky]

I love the idea of adopting an older (post-puppy) dog! We adopted Cody when he was ~6 months, and that was perfect. He was old enough to physically hold it once he became reacquainted with housebreaking.

I'm going to slightly hijack this thread, and I apologize in advance, but I think it's a somewhat relevant hijack. For those of you who work away from home and have dog(s), what do you do about weeknight riding? I'm interested in getting more riding in, but I feel badly about racing home from work, and then racing back out to ride. The cats couldn't care less as long as my thumbs can still open a can of cat food, but the dog really is more in tune with my/our comings and goings. I feel guilty

With my schedule as it is now, Sundays are about the only day for long rides, plus some weekday and Saturday commuting.

Thanks in advance (and be kind- I feel badly enough already).

[badger]

I have petfinder.com saved on my favourites and go to it almost daily. I see pages of beautiful dogs and want to take them all, but alas, I only have an 800sq ft condo.

I wish I could put a dog door but it's just not feasible. And most little dogs can't hold it in for 8 hours, so my other option really is a bigger dog. Chevy had no troubles holding it in for about 10 hours, though I felt so guilty when he had to hold it that long.

The dog'll get walked every morning and after work. I know that a tired dog is a happy dog. I'll also try to go home for lunch most days and I might be able to bring the dog to work once in a while.

Thanks for all your input. I was getting so much negative feedback from people around me telling me I shouldn't get another dog because of my schedule. But aside from work, the dog will be with me everywhere.

As for long rides with dogs - maybe you can get one of those kiddie carts that you attatch to the back of the bike? the dog can run with you for some of the ride but when s/he gets tired, they can hitch a ride behind you? I often thought of doing that with my old guy but I think that would've freaked him out.

[Biciclista]

Plus cats themselves are good at training dogs.


Pam

Over the years we've introduced the occasional dog to our cat family.
at one point we had a tottering old cat named Toby and we'd just gotten a new 1.5 year old dog. My Dh put a large lamb bone on the floor in front of the dog. The dog wouldn't touch it until Toby had slowly walked up to it, sniffed it, licked it, and walked away.
We never had to say a word.

[Aggie_Ama]

As you may know I had Heidi and Maggie. Both are (were) small and kenneled in our laundry room while we were at work. You asked them to "get in their beds" and they walked to the room and climbed in their doggie beds. Maggie was 4 when adopted and about the mellowist dog. It isn't funny now but we used to say "if she was any calmer she'd be dead". Heidi is almost 8 and really energetic but she loves being in her bed during the day or when she is tired. We still play with her when we get home (she doesn't like walks). So I think it is perfectly fine as long as it fits the dogs personality or needs. My miniature schnauzers did not have high exercise requirements. A heeler, young lab, pointer or a dog that needs a job and a lot of exercise I wouldn't leave home 8 hours.

Before we owned a house we lived in an apartment (900 sq ft), the girls lived in the bathroom behind a baby gate during the day and got a morning, afternoon and nightly stroll to potty and investigate the outdoors. They seemed content.

[GLC1968]

I was single with a large dog in an apartment/condo setting for 8 years of my life. As long as you are willing to commit to what the dog needs, then there is nothing wrong with it (even a large dog in a small space is fine, depending on the breed). It certainly sounds like you know what to expect, so I would tell the nay-sayers to mind their own business!

I'm sure you already know this, but definitely pay attention to breed (as best you can with a shelter dog). You don't want a jack russell or border collie mix unless it's a much older dog. These are breed types that are high energy, working type dogs and they'll go nuts inside all day. On the other hand, many BIG dogs are very content being quiet all day (like Great Danes - if you wanna really freak out your neighbors!). My dog was a shephard/dobie mix and she had no trouble with 10 hours alone (figure in commute, too) as long as she got plenty of attention and exercise when I was around. I had no life outside of work back then, so it was really, really easy to devote a lot of time to her. In fact, I find that I very much miss that one on one connection that we had. She'll forever be the best dog I ever had and I miss her terribly, still.

Please share pics when you find your next companion!

[TxDoc]

I'm at a point where I feel I'm ready to open my life to another dog. However, I'm having many people tell me I shouldn't, as I work all day.

My dog was very old and was very low energy and didn't need to do much other than sleep all day. A younger dog, well, that's where I get a bit stuck. I have two cats, one of which was very close with the dog and I'm sure they kept each other company while I was away.

There's bound to be other people who are single and work all day, and still manage to have a well balanced dog in their life, no?

How about an adult, well-trained dog? A respectable breeder/trainer may have some adults as well as puppies - but a puppy would make your life more difficult if you do not have a lot of time for training/supervising. Usually young puppies like to be busy - so either you give them something to do (training), or they will find something to do (most likely something you would not agree with). A well-trained dog will understand your rules pretty quickly and should not cause problems if you are absent for several hours every day. If you have a doghouse (I figure you would since you have one dog already), an outside dog would make things even easier

Of course when you do make a decision - please post pictures of the new family member