connorsj Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 I am a 31 year old male living on my own. I grew up in a large family and as a family we always had dogs cats etc. Now that I live on my own I want my own dog, but I understand that it not an ideal situation. I live in Stockport and work in Liverpool, therefore I leave the house at 07:00 and return between 17:00 and 18:00. I was thinking that I could get an older dog from a rescue home, ideally a dog that would be happy to be left at home during the day. I was also thinking that I could fit a dog flap as I have a long (80ft) thin back garden (mid-terrace) which is secure. I would not really have time to walk the dog in the morning, but would walk the dog in the evenings after work. I think that this sounds reasonable if I can find the right dog (ideally a dog around 7/8yrs?). I would like a medium sized bitch, probable a cross, maybe a collie or a whipit-type cross. One concern that I have is that I think that it would be hard to settle an adult dog into my house if I am going to work every day. Any comments/advice would be much appreciated. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil_angel Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Welcome to The Refuge & Oldies Club We do rehome to working adopters but normally on the proviso that they can come home at lunchtime or have a reliable friend or neighbour or get a dogwalker to spend time with the dog during the day and taken them for a walk. 10 hours a day is a long time for a dog to be on their own otherwise even if they do have access to the garden through a dogflap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Grose Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Dogs need company - I think you would come home to a totally wrecked house if you leave a dog alone all day - especially as you can't walk it in the morning. Collies especially being working dogs need things to do. I know how you feel about not having a dog I was desparate for a dog when I left my family home but felt it just wasn't fair to have one when I worked full time. Have you thought through everything about having a dog. You say you get home at between 5 and 6, but do you never go out in the evenings? What about volunteering to help walk a local dog at a rescue or for the Cinnamon Trust or as a weekend foster person. That way you could have the best of both worlds. I don't want to put a dampener on you having a dog but I can't help thinking it wouldn't be much of a life for the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorsj Posted August 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hello, thank you for your prompt reply. Do you think that one possibility would be to look into a local dog walker who I could get to visit the dog in the middle of the day for a walk? Though from what I gather this can be quite costly if on a daily basis (e.g. £8 a visit?). James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorsj Posted August 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Anne Grose - I have thought long and hard about having a dog for two years and as you said I thought it is not really practical and would be unfair, but I do not see my circumstances changing anytime soon (other than getting a job closer to home that would mean less time out of the house during the day). That is why I am making sure I have considerred it carefully, and why I have sought advice here! I do have lots of friends and some familly close by that could help if need be, but I do not want to have to rely on anyone else. I was hoping that it may be feasible if I got an older dog that would be happier left at home during the day, though in hindsite I suppose although older dogs do not need/want as much exercise, it does not mean that they are happy at home alone for long periods. Could I compromise by getting an older dog as well as a paid dog walker to visit during the day? I rarely go out in the evenings during the week, however if I did I could get family/friends to see/feed the dog in the evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus'mum Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi James, Welcome. As Amy and Anne have said, I think the next step would be to look at what your routine would be to see if it is really feasible. We have Seamus who is a 10 year old lab/collie cross who has been with us for 2 months now. We got him from a private rehoming after a marriage breakup and he'd been left at home too much extra. In terms of settling in, there was no real problems there, I think he was just glad of some attention!. At first he was slightly sluggish/confused and appeared a lot older than he is. However, after a couple of weeks of regular routine and walking, he was raring to go and is chomping at the bit every time he sees his lead picked up. As Anne has said, being a lab/collie, he does like being into everything and, believe me, just because he's 10, doesn't mean he's read to slow down any time soon. I work full time (flexi time) usually 8am - 4pm and OH is self employed. We thought long and hard about getting a dog and knew we had to have a stable routine in place before bringing one home. It usually goes something like this: 6am - I get up and take Seamus out for about 45 mins. Get ready for work/Seamus lounges in garden Breakfast for both of us 7.30 - I go out to work (OH still in bed/just getting up) If OH has a meeting, S will just have a snooze indoors, if not, he'l be in the garden Lunchtime - either I come home and take S out or OH does if he's in (walk about 30/40 mins) 4.30pm - I get home and S is woowooing wagging his tail going potty wanting to be on his long walk Walkies for about 1hr or maybe more Tea S sits in garden then until he wants to come in as he likes it in the cool Walk round the block Bed Why am I going into such detail? Well, 2days this week, for instance, OH was working away, I couldn't get home at lunch for one reason or another, parents were in process of moving so couldn't pop round as they would usually do, so poor S for 2 days this week has been stuck in until I got home. No destruction, just a hyper dog wanting to be outside sniffing It's a big committment, and just because a dog is older doesn't mean it is any less so, but the rewards you will receive are second to none. Hope this helps and good luck with your search. Katie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Grose Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 I am sure there are lots of people on here who combine working full time with having a dog and I expect they will advise you on the best route to take. One thing I do know having lived with collies, whippets and lurchers for the past 15 years is that if they get bored they get destructive. As they get older, they do get better as they are happier to sleep for longer but my current 6 year old lurcher will still dig huge holes in the garden and play (!!) with my knitting/slippers/anything he can hold of, if I leave him for several hours. My dogs have a dog flap as there was a period of two years where I had an old 11 year old dog and a puppy lurcher and worked full time. I came home to destruction every day and they had someone coming in every lunchtime for two hours. Good luck !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) It's ideal if you can work from home, take your dog to work etc but not everyone is that lucky. I think, if you are going down this route, you need to choose the right dog for your circumstances - but it isn't impossible & I think the qaulity of time you spend together can for some be just as important as the amount (there are some dogs with people around but who interact little with them Perhaps you could even consider two dogs so that they do have company when you are out? It may take a while but I hope you find a suitable match. Edited August 20, 2009 by Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura_E Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi James I really sympathize with your predicament as I also work full-time and found it extremely difficult to find a rescue organisation that would consider my application. Before I found out about the Oldies Club I went to Battersea Dogs Home and the Dogs Trust and was basically laughed out the door! The Dogs Trust told me that they only re-home to people that don’t work, or people that just work a coupe of hours a week. I have also had other people tell me that some organisation won’t re-home to people over 65, so it makes you wonder who the hell they will accept! Unless you are a stay-at-home parent, retired (but under 65!) or just extremely privileged, most of us have to work. When I first came across the Oldies Club I sent a very tentative email expressing my interest, fully expecting another knock back. So I was extremely shocked when I received a positive and friendly response from the lovely Fiona. It was so refreshing to find an organisation that understood the practicalities of everyday life, without compromising the best interests of the dog. After a number of supportive phone calls and a home visit, I was on my way to Lincolnshire to pick up my gorgeous boy Bouncer! Since then I have fostered Sadie and Tess for the Oldies Club, and Tess is still with me now. Tess does suffer from separation anxiety, which has been quite challenging to manage with a full-time job, but I have put provisions in place so that she doesn’t get too stressed. If you leave the house at 7am everyday you must be getting up quite early already, but even if you were to set the alarm 30 minutes earlier, it would mean that you could walk the dog before you leave for work. This will ensure that the dog gets a chance to go to the loo and will hopefully tire them out so that they will sleep for the first few hours that you are gone. Since it doesn’t seem feasible for you to get back in your lunch break, you could always employ the services of a dog walker. The cost for this is around £6-£10 an hour. It sounds like a lot, but I generally cut back in other ways, i.e. taking in a packed lunch instead of buying out. It is also worth it for your own peace of mind! If you have got any universities or colleges near to you that run animal care type courses, you might be able to employ a student for a lot less, it’s always worth looking into. You can also buy toys to keep your dog occupied so that they don’t get too bored. You might also find that a retired neighbour would be happy to watch your dog for you during the day, they might even appreciate the company. In return you could help them out with shopping etc. I think I am going of on a tangent here! Anyway, sorry for the rambling, just wanted to let you know that there are options, so don’t despair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Working full time and having a dog can work, but it needs to be the right dog and it needs to well thought out. Remember when you come home from work in winter it will be dark and wet, frosty, snowing etc and no matter how tired you are you will still need to take the dog out for a walk. You do really need to give a dog a walk in the morning, before you leave them. Evenings out are gone as your dog has been alone all day and needs company. Also, when you come home your dog will be raring to go, having lazed about all day. And no lazy days at the weekend either. All outings will need to be organised round the dog. There are lots of benefits to having a dog but you need to consider the drawbacks as well and decide if you are prepared to make that commitment. If you still decide to go for it, then it may take time to find a suitable dog that can cope with being left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorsj Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Thank you everyone for your advice, you have given me plenty to think about. I appreciate that if I was to get a dog it would be necessary to walk him/her in the morning as well as the evening come rain or shine! I will have a good think about the impact on my daily routine and lifestyle before I think more seriously about getting a dog. I was hoping to get a medium sized bitch, and I am fond of cross breed dogs. I would prefer a breed that is not too hyper (e.g. spaniel), and one that is good with other dogs, cats and children. With my situation in mind could anyone recommend a breed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil_angel Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 (edited) I think when looking for a dog you have to look at individuals rather than a breed. Dogs within the same breed can have a variety of different personalities and traits. The beauty of getting a rescue dog is all these points have been assessed and they will know whether a dog is dog/cat/child even chicken friendly at times On Oldies Club website as well as tagged on their type i.e retriever we tag the dogs with other things such as calmer and quieter http://www.oldies.org.uk/?cat=1,2,3&tdo_tag=calm-and-cuddly Edited August 21, 2009 by lil_angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura_E Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 I’m no expert, and I’m sure that there are people on here that are much better qualified to give advice than me, but maybe a Greyhound? Obviously, just like people, all dogs are different and have different personalities and needs, but my uncle works with a Greyhound rescue and says that they are one of the easiest breeds to care for. Both his Greyhounds are very laidback and also very lazy, so ideal for somebody with a full-time job! Again, each dog is different, but in my experience Greyhounds have lovely temperaments and are very good with people, including children. Perhaps not so great with cats and rabbits, but most rescues will be able to assess this for you. I would suggest having a look on the Oldies Club website as you will be able to read about each individual dog available and see if there are any that you think would suit you. Try and keep an open mind when it comes to size/breed, as there are lots of breeds that have an unfair stigma attached to them, when they are actually fantastic and loving pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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