Thinking of adopting a dog

"hedbutter" (hedbutter) 01/09/2015 at 12:52 • Filed to: doglopnik

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Oppo- I've wanted a dog for longer than I can remember and was thinking about adopting one, but have concerns with my work schedule. I have enough space and room in the house for a dog, and enough yard space for it to play/exercise in. Currently, I leave my house around 7:20, and get back at 5:30ish for work each day (~10hours) and wouldnt be able to make it home during my lunch break to visit (too much going on mid-day). I could most likely work something out with my manager to work a couple hours from home each day, so i'd be able to leave around 8 and get back around 4/430 (~8 hours). The other issue is i travel (Mon-Thur) at least once a month, sometimes twice, so I'd have to board it somewhere for that time (the $ isnt a huge issue, as i've found a few places that are reasonably priced in the area). Is that too match travel/away time to be away to keep the dog happy? I'd be looking for a larger dog, if that makes or breaks it.

BRZ Playing in the snow (one of the first on google)

Party-vi > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 12:55

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YMMV. We've got a 40lb husky that stays in her crate from around 7:30am to 6:00pm and does fine, but it's big enough for her to turn around and lay down in. I would suggest getting an indoor dog fence and setting up an area for the dog. I can imagine a crate for a large dog would be massive.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 12:56

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Kind of depends on the type of dog. If you want an athletic dog, yes that is too much time away from the dog.

jariten1781 > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 12:57

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Nah, you can make that work. I was in a similar situation and handled the day to day work stuff by putting in a dog door so they could relieve themselves without my presence (and also murder squirrels any time day or night) and after boarding for a while, met another guy there who would take my dog while I was on travel and vice versa.

Matthew Phillips > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 12:57

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get a cat....

I want a cat

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 12:57

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I vote no it's not too much time away.

My dog LOVES going to his daycare/boarding place. Damn near rips my arm off to get in there. It's also really great for the dog to have interaction with other dogs.

After the puppy stage our dog now stays at home from 830am (ish) until 530-6pm(ish) with no problems. And it used to be 8-6.

in the puppy stages (more frequent bathroom breaks) my wife would run home and let him out on lunch.

Make sure you adopt from a rescue, so many good dogs need homes.

Here's my dog Riley in his favorite chair:

and being amazingly tolerant of the toddler:

He's a great member of the family.

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 12:58

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You don't have time for a dog.

I have two dogs, one (The Derp) is attached to my wife (even more so since we're expecting). The other is my dog. During my recent trips to Hawaii, all he did was whine and look for me. He's needy as it is, but my wife and daughter are home with him so he's only "alone" for a couple hours while they're out shopping or stuff when I travel.

A rescue worth its salt won't adopt a dog to you because of your schedule.

Sorry.

Sn210 > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 12:59

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you won't be able to get a puppy with a work schedule like that. Shelters won't let you. They might let you get an older dog. My wife and I were turned down from a shelter puppy even though we live close to work and would go home at lunch. Watch out for shelters that want a $50 fee up front and then do a house visit after. If they turn you down, they keep your $50 as a "donation"

Steve Zissou > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 13:02

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10 hours isn't impossible, but traveling a week out of every month and boarding him doesn't seem fair. I would vote no dog, but moreso based on the travel than the work schedule.

Nibbles > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 13:03

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Rescue a race Grey. Not only are they lazy but they really don't care unless you want them to. They sleep 16 hours a day, laze about another 8, and have various small bursts of energy to keep them, I dunno, healthy or something

It's a "Porch-uh" > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole 01/09/2015 at 13:04

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Agreed. Don't do it. We have two dogs, but my wife is home most of the time. If you didn't travel, I'd say it's doable.

If you do it anyways, be sure to take a couple weeks off for training. You should then plan on heading home for lunch every day for a couple weeks to make sure the dog (and your house) is okay. The first time we left our first dog alone for a day she ate the arm off a couch. Ease into leaving the dog alone for that long.

scoob > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 13:17

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I don't think it's ideal, unless you've got someone else at home during the day. Even though they get a lot of crap from dog lovers, a cat might be an alternative.

Roadster Man > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 13:24

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I think you can find a breed that suits your lifestyle. Look into greyhounds. It's easy to adopt a former racing dog, and they are usually a bit older so they will be just fine sitting around the house for 8-10 hrs a day.

I don't know first hand though, that's what I heard from someone who adopted a greyhound.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 13:28

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I have a couple of mutts, and I'm out from 8am til 6pm every weekday and some Saturdays. I have a dog walker 5 days a week who turns up at 1pm everyday and gives them a great run around for about an hour. For the sake of £40 a week it's totally worth it for my dogs happiness. I walk them every morning, evening and night time. They're a huge commitment but I adore them.

macanamera > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 13:36

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Honestly, you don't have much time for a dog...

...but on the other hand, there are a lot of dogs that would prefer that life to being put down.

Lekker > Party-vi 01/09/2015 at 13:41

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I had two Huskies. Same, crated until we got home around that length of time, then let out to cause chaos around the house. I miss my dogs

Evil-B > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 13:57

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I'll send you my wife, the bitch can take care of herself but be warned shes messy

TDogg > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 14:51

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It's not very workable for a dog to get that much crate time in. If you were to get a puppy, there's no way in hell. They're gonna need very requent bathroom breaks for a good while (probably months). If you were to adopt an older dog that was well behaved enough to not need to be crated, that's about the only situation I'd be able to recommend.

hedbutter > Matthew Phillips 01/09/2015 at 15:28

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I've thought about that, but i have a lot of friends/family that are allergic, so it kinda of rules it out.

hedbutter > macanamera 01/09/2015 at 15:29

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I've heard that one a lot, but the shelter i'm looking at has dogs getting adopted left and right.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 15:39

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Yes you would have time for a dog, and the dog would love it. Biggest issue would be training the dog. Unless you get an older one that is already trained. Training takes awhile, and can be rough. All depends on how old of a dog you want to start with.

hedbutter > Party-vi 01/09/2015 at 15:49

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Huskey is approximately the size (or a little bigger) I was thinking of getting. I have a spare room in my basement (that has natural light) that i could dedicate to the dog only, so I'm not really concerned on the space aspect. Thanks for the reply!

hedbutter > It's a "Porch-uh" 01/09/2015 at 15:50

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Thanks for your (and Dukie - JEMA)'s responses. He'd have his own dedicated room to himself with toys/own furniture while i was without anything i wouldn't want to get torn up around it. But I think i'm leaning towards this advise.

hedbutter > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/09/2015 at 15:52

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Is the daycare/boarding place only for trips or once every couple weeks as well? And I'd be getting a dog past the puppy age, as I know I wont have the time for that.

hedbutter > Sn210 01/09/2015 at 15:57

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Yep, I knew a puppy was out. Was hoping for something older from a shelter.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 16:01

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The daycare/boarding place is for both of those things.

They have some dogs that get dropped off every single day of the week for daycare. (those people are crazy lol). But if you have the cash for it and a good dog daycare you'd be in good shape.

I'd look into a solid lodging place for the dog before adopting one though to make sure you're all set. (and a packup in case they are booked, we have a backup in the contact list just in case, though we've never used them). My dog is crate trained, he loves his "House". In fact he goes in it on his own, it's his space. he eats in there, he sleeps in there. at night when we're hanging out watching TV, sometimes he just goes in there and lays down because it's "his space".

sounds like you're going to have a whole room, opportunity for it to move around. Doesn't sound bad at all.

Key is going to be finding a solid daycare/boarding option.

It's a "Porch-uh" > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 16:02

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While I love my dogs, they're really like 1/4 of a kid (if you can leave a kid locked up at home all day). They take a lot of attention. Think about any time you might go somewhere after work... happy hour, dinner, etc. Now you have to head home and let out the dog first. Then you feel guilty about leaving the dog alone all day, then alone again for a few more hours. Weekends, same thing...

Nibbles > Roadster Man 01/09/2015 at 16:02

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Racing greys are so damned lazy

They prefer to sleep the majority of the day, then laze about and do nothing during their waking hours

hedbutter > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/09/2015 at 16:15

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Yeah, I've asked a couple friends for recommendations , waiting to hear back on that (and my future travel schedule) for sure until i do anything. Thanks for the advice!

hedbutter > It's a "Porch-uh" 01/09/2015 at 16:18

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Yeah, I'm typically home most weekends (or going somewhere it'd be more than welcome to come along). If I was doing happy hour or something of the sort, I'd be able to leave a little bit earlier than normal and come back to let him out (or i'd show up late, which 90% of the people i hang out with do anyways, haha)

Roadster Man > Nibbles 01/09/2015 at 17:06

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My perfect dog! I want a former racing greyhound so much.

Nibbles > Roadster Man 01/09/2015 at 17:48

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So do I! I have a racing reject :)

Hi there > hedbutter 01/09/2015 at 22:24

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There's a cat allergy vaccine in the pipeline. Some cats are so freakin' cool, man. I've had spectacular luck with cats and dogs over the years and my current critters are keeping the tradition alive. 3/4 (2 cats, one of 2 dogs) are currently within hand and foot range/getting petted off and on right now. I don't know how people get by without fluffies.