My mums a teacher and works from 8am until 4pm and my dads a police man and works from 7am until 4pm so there out at work most of the day.
We would all really love a puppy but we realise that its not sensible if everybodys out at work and school. We had been down to the local dog home and had a look at the dogs but none were suitable with children. My dad thought about putting the dog in the kids sitting room with food water and a filled kong and to have my auntie who lives 2 streets away coming to check up on it(she was thrilled to b asked as she loves dogs but her husband is allergic) and let it out for the toilet.
I would love to hear your views on this.
Thanks
X Sam X

Hi Sam

I wouldnt recommend doing this with a rescue dog as they have often had turbulent pasts and need lots of extra care and attention. However, we have a 7 month old staff and we both work. We realise that its not an ideal situation but circumstances change and we adjust to them as best we can. Fortunately my mother in law is local and comes in for a couple of hours a day so he is not on his own for anymore than a few hours at a time. My partner also pops home several times a day. We walk him every morning and night and leave him lots of challenges for when we arent here (there are some great toys on the market - Sox loves his Kong!).

Having said this, this arrangement suits our dog, but wont necessarily work for everyone and every breed and I am by no means advising that its a good idea but I do understand your parents longing for a pet. If I had a choice Sox wouldnt be here alone at all but like I say our circumstances changed. If you do this it is important to be prepared for some destruction and toilet accidents while he adjusts. The one thing that you wont be prepared for though is how guilty you feel when you leave, particularly when hes small. There are 4 staffs in our row of 7 houses and all are left for some portion of the day whether its 3 hours or 6 hours and the dogs dont seem to mind but the owners do as it can feel like leaving a child.

In short, it is do-able but there are lots of considerations and I would advise that if you are going to do this you decide on a breed and then get lots of advice about how they behave when left.

I hope it all works out for you.

Caroline x