Is it fair to have a dog and work full time?

Just interested on your thoughts regarding keeping dogs and working full time.

Since having Ben I have had a mixed working life in terms of full time and part time working.

We got him at 16 weeks in 1999 and both my husband and I were working full time then, although my husband was due to leave the army within a couple of months and have several weeks leave. During the time we were both at work, for the first few months my Mum would pop over and let Ben out at lunchtime. He was also walked before and after work. He has never been destructive so leaving him all day was never a problem.

Following starting a family in 2002 I worked part-time on a rota which was 3 full days at work and then 6 days off.

I am now back at full time work, and Ben is approaching 11 so is happy to sleep all day and have a nice walk in the evening.

I think I have been very luckly that Ben is very laid back and I have never had any problems leaving him alone.

Would be interested to hear what you think about having dogs and working full time. Also, if you work full time how you balance work, family and dogs?

Depends on the circumstances and whether you have someone to help out whilst you are at work. Some people can take their dogs to work which is even better. I would say to leave a dog all day on it's own with no one visiting and no canine company is wrong. They are social animals and need interaction.

I have 2 dogs and (unfortuntely) work full time. I would love to be able to go part time, or not work at all; but sadly this isn't possible.

My boys are settled into a routine, and have been since they were teeny pups. We did a lot of work round building up the time we were away etc and it seems to have worked.

The boys are very adaptable though, for instance, over Easter I'm off work for a week. They will get extra walks, time spent with me and OH, more time in the garden etc. They adapt to this well, but also, will be fine when the normal routine kicks in again when we go back to work!

Most people`s circumstances change throughout their life, and we`re lucky that dogs are so adaptable. There are various ways you can make it easier for dogs that have to be left now, with dog-walkers or sitters, so it`s not as bad as it used to be, with `latchkey` dogs left to roam while the family were out, but I still sometimes hear mournful howling from empty houses during the day.
I don`t think it`s fair to a young dog to leave it alone all day unless you`ve got someone to come in at some point, and you`re prepared to excercise and socialise the dog properly when you`re there. It also helps if it has canine company and access to outside.

I'm currently out of work due to redundancy but was full time before with 2 dogs (got a 3rd now).
Although it was expensive I paid for a dog walker to come at lunch time an take them 1 hour walk to break up their day.
I always take them for an hour in the morning and hubby takes them again before bed time, but i didn't want them shut in all day and after the exercise they were ready for a snooze.

I dont think its right to have dogs and work full time, but obviously it does depend on the circumstances.
People that work longer hours have to be very commited to their dogs, ie walking before and after work no matter how tired you are, i dont know how people can have kids , dogs and work full time cos one or other must get ignored IMO.

As claire and daisy said most peoples lives change a lot through a dogs lifetime, but i think that when you get a dog you must realise this.
For example i dont work now, but if i do i know it will only be part time or i will have to pay for a walker/carer.

I think it depends on the arrangements made for the dog while the owners are at work, how commited the owners are to exercising and interacting with the dog when they do get home, and the dogs temprement.

I think it can work (and did for me and my dogs when I had to work full time) so long as the owner is absolutely dedicated to their dog(s) - ie training, exercising and spending time with them when they aren't at work (ie before and after work (and weekends) no matter how tired they feel). I also think it is very important that the dog gets a break during the day - either the owner coming home and exercising the dog, or paying a dog walker to come in and take the dog out. I also found that my dogs were happier when they had other canine company.

The dog's temperament also has to be taken into consideration.

I have to say though that my dogs are most definitely happier now we live in the middle of the countryside and they have my company 24/7 - although I know not everyone can be as lucky as me

I worked full time and had 2 dogs but was fortunate to work 10 mins away so popped over at lunch time - but then I was made redundant so had loads of time for the dogs, and now I'm working part time so they are only left half days during the week and someone is always home at the weekends

Being a dog walker I see nothing wrong owners being out working full time and having someone like myself popping in to take a dog out for walkies All the dogs I walk have owners who work full time and none of them are unhappy I can assure you xxxxxxxxx