I certainly wouldn't critisise a reputable breeder who could be persuaded that a good home was offered its just that I suspect like me many will have learned the hard way. I once sold a puppy to a couple who were expecting a baby, I swore I never would but they even bought another family member with them to convince me that they would help out. At 10 months the pup was my one and only one to came back, he was as good as gold, they had made great efforts as they said they would, not to spoil him and he never attempted to get on furniture, steal food, etc, but she was not coping with him, he needed a lot more exercise than she was able to give the husband just wanted to spend time with the baby when he got home and were was the relative who swore they would help? Nowhere to be seen. He was soon settled with a lovely family with older children but he loved his first family and it must of hurt him to loose them even if only for a short while. I will never again accept peoples pleas that they will be somehow different. I feel for them I really do I would hate to be without a dog myself but my puppies have to been my first consideration why let them go to a home with a question mark.

I agree totally with Lara and Leigh - it is up to Jason and partner to convince a breeder that they are a suitable home.
There is nothing in their post that says the pup WILL be left all day every day with no-one looking in on it - this is just being presumed. The fact that Jason is planning holidays to coincide with the arrival says to me they are thinking logically about the situation as I have always aimed for at least 2 weeks off with a new pup (building up as you so rightly say to time on its own).
I emailed Jason early this morning with the breed club numbers and warned him he would be in for a "grilling" from breeders about the circumstances when both partners go back to work. I also mentioned about multiple feeds in day for pups as pointed out by Debbie and the possibility of someone going home during the day etc as Leigh has suggested.
One other thing I raised that no-one has mentioned in these threads is the potential health problems and the importance of buying from hip scored and eye tested parents. The sort of reaction Jason has had from some of the posts is just the sort of thing that could send people off to buy from puppy farms etc where no questions asked about family circumstances.

Jason - if you read this message also take a look at the thread in the general section entitled HOME ALONE which covers the situation of some of the posters dogs and talks about leaving animals alone. This may help you decide if at this time you are able to offer the environment a dog needs :D

Sara :)

This is sadly very true...
I respect that breeders want the very best homes for their puppies but I also believe that that ideal home for that particular puppy may not ALWAYS be the one where someone is at home all day every day. A high percentage of the 'out of control' dogs I have dealt with have been given up from people who have been at home all day - usually a fraught housewife with kids underfoot (not always though) with the pup not receiving the correct quality time/attention/training and growing up to be too wilful/undisciplined/poorly trained becoming a liability or just a pest! However....rewind...someone at home all day - dog only left alone for a couple of hours for the shopping perhaps, dog raised in family environment with children, secure garden, owner grew up with a dog, had dogs before perhaps.....Ah! the perfect home! ......actually the perfect home for that particular (hypothetical) puppy would have been the owner who worked, researched the breed - if a pure bred dog, spent dedicated quality time with the dog when they were home, enjoyed long walks, training or did some agility etc.. for a hobby!
Some people can be very persuasive....and some people will lie about their circumstances.
Some of the attitudes of rescue also saddens me - how many abandoned dogs spend their days (months/years) in a concrete kennel with their faces pressed against wire mesh while wonderful people offering loving homes are turned away because they work. Actually it really p****s me off!
I had a similar situation when I was looking for a rescue cat. No one was willing to home one with me because I 'had big dogs' despite newspaper ads requesting 'desperately seeking urgent homes' - I was dismissed as being unsuitable by cats protection to the point of them being downright rude. I had already explained I had the facilities to seperate - hell I could have got a kitten off anyone! but I especially wanted to rescue an older cat!
Eventually through the word of mouth of someone who knew me I got one from the RSPCA. He is much loved and hangs out with the dogs - his choice!. I often find him curled up in the back of the kennels and he actively seeks out their company. They accept him and look out for him, despite not being used to cats when he arrived. I think if you are sensible and careful you can overcome just about anything. But he still would have had a happy home if the dogs had not accepted him because they could have been kept seperate. He has to scale an eight foot fence to get to them and half of my house is dog free.
People who work or have less than 'ideal' circumstances shouldn't just be cast aside. They can sometimes offer the perfect home!

I agree,

You should not get a puppy when you are aware that for the first 6 weeks you have it you will constantly be around and then it will be left alone most of the time after that.

I am about to get a Golden Retriever puppy in the next few days and I was almost given the third degree by the breeder before she would sell me one. They are big dogs which need lots of exercise when they are grown and they need 4 meals a day while still small which then reduces as they get older to 3 etc. Someone would need to be around to feed it during the day while it is still young.

I don't want to sound mean, but you really should think hard before you do get one, that's if a breeder will sell you one in that situation.

Good luck Debbie

I agree with Leigh about having a plan B to fall back on ..... even if you don't have an adult dog at home, perhaps a neighbor's dog will be sufficient company.

Quite a few times that I returned from somewhere, I found that Chienne had squished through the fence (she was only a pound & a half when we got her --- at 6 months = 9 pounds-- finally too large for that fence) to join her buddy & leaving my two alone. Her buddy was an untrained rather wild 65 pound GR, but he would calm down everytime she had made it through & I'd always find them sleeping curled up together. :) She even had a toy that she took over with her to see him -- a small unstuffed headless teddy bear.

The ideal situation is to have someone around for a young pup ... yes, I've raised successful healthy dogs from early puppyhood that really needed homes when I worked 10+ hour shifts, but there is no way that I'd do it ever again... esp. since my partner at the time was more of a saboteur than help. It is possible, just not preferable :) Since I can understand how empty life is without dogs, I would just advise to adopt one that's at least 6-8 months old. Just my humble opinion.... :)

toodles

Jason
Have to agree with Toodles on the age thing. I have also posted on the aftermentioned Home Alone thread on the General boards. The Home Alone issue is contenious, but as I said on the other board, people should not judge, so don't get me wrong, I am all for your decision to become a caring dog owner. If you get a puppy there is no doubt it will need lots of stimulation, feeding, training, and rest too. These are things which are hard to monitor when you are out of the house. An older dog has been through this stage of its life.

I was like you when I lost my old girl Connie. I thought a new puppy was the answer to my grieving. But I was also aware of the work involved with a puppy, having been there before. I really did not think a breeder would let me have a dog which would be left alone for 3-4 hours stretches - I work away all day but my husband is a teacher in the local school. To be honest I was embarassed to ask a breeder and endure the rejection when they said I was not suitable. Dogs live a long time and circumstances change, as they did when we had Connie, but proving your worth to a good breeder is an important part of a breeder's role.
We tentively went to Battersea at Old Windsor. The first comment I made was that I worked all day and they probably won't let me have a dog. They said they would be over run with dogs if they rejected out of hand all working people. As previously mentioned on this thread, people have to earn a living, and increasingly this means both partners working. They only allowed us to have a older dog, and one prone to sleep too. At first I was gutted. I really wanted a puppy, but I knew I had to be sensible and kind. I then became over joyed as regular board readers know because we ended up with Jabba. She is bigger than I would have picked, she has GSD in her (which I never would have picked), she eats like a horse (again a trait I don't normally go for) and I love her with all my heart. I would defy anyone to argue she is not a happy, healthy girl. Sometimes you have to let fate play a part.

Working and dog ownership takes a lot of thought, commitment and planning. Like Leigh I think you need plan B, but you also need plan C, D & E!!
It can be done, just think twice about a puppy.
Keep Smiling

Michelle, I'm with Lara, Leigh and others on this. Some homes where both adults/the only adult work full time may not be suitable, just as a small flat may not be suitable for a big dog. But if the owners are committed enough, and can make arrangements to get around their problems, both situations can work out just fine. My question for Jason would be to do with breed as well as age. I don't know a vast amout about Goldens, but I gather that they can be pretty demanding and active, whereas some other breeds get downright miffed if some idiot human keeps on interrupting them.