I agree, if I were only gone a couple of times a week for 4-6 hours I'd have gotten a dog LONG ago. I'm gone 9 hours 5x a week so therein lies MY dilemma. Yours sounds like a godsend for me!

I wouldn't worry too much about leaving your dog alone for that amount of time. I would imagine you're still not at peace with giving Jasper up the way you did, but you gave him more than what others would have.

Since I'm still in the same boat of needing a mellow/low-energy dog, I'm starting to look at bigger breeds again.

I'm sure you'll find a perfect dog for you. Don't fret too much, it will all work out. And really, there's no reason why you can't get a smaller dog and outfit your bike with a basket or a carrier and take him/her with you!!