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

[Veronica]

When we had our Rott Mix Greta she was alone inside while we were at work and was fine. She did get two long walks a day though of about 30 - 45 minutes each. She was between two and three years old when we got her.


Veronica

[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!

[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.

[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.

[Blueberry]

badger-

Just wanted top add to the chorus who think you would be an awesome doggie parent - sounds like you know what it takes, and you're willing to commit. I have a golden and, though they are generally known for being high energy, all he does is sleep. All day. I didn't work for a while, and discovered he had no interest at all in me during the day. Shoot, I have to wake him up in the AM to get him to go out - he's just as soon sleep in!

No easy answers on the weeknight riding - my dog doesn't always get 2 walks a day (we have a fenced yard, and he doesn't like hot weather at all). So...I don't feel too guilty. I would say ride, and then do a short-ish walk with the pup as a cooldown.

CA

[tulip]

I work at home, and I'm amazed at how much my dog sleeps and just lazes around during the day. I give him an hour's walk in the morning, and after that (and breakfast), he snoozes in his crate for a few hours. He then gets up, stretches, and moves to a dog bed in the livingroom for a while. He'll get up to drink some water, and he always barks at the mailman. Since I'm home and leave the back door open, and he can open the screen door by himself, he goes into the back yard and finds a sunny spot and snoozes some more. He'll bark at passersby occasionally, too, but mostly he's not doing much. At lunchtime (mine), I usually work on some obedience with him for about 10-15 minutes, and then he goes back to resting. About 4pm he starts getting antsy, wanting to go on a walk. I take him out between 5 and 6 for a 45-minute walk, then he gets dinner, and then for some reason, he's full of energy and wants to play in the backyard. We either play chase or I kick an old soccer ball and he goes nuts. Then he watches me intently as I make myself dinner, and falls asleep between 7 and 8. What a life!