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NMMR-Talk to me about pet adoption
So with owning our home around the corner, we are finally able to dream about something we've had to put on hold while renting-getting a dog. For many reasons, my H wants a purebred. He really enjoys learning about different breeds and their history, and I respect that. Since I want to adopt, however, I've started looking into the rescue agencies for the breeds we like.
I've looked at some sample applications, and I think we stack up pretty well for the most part. We've owned dogs before, would take a non-puppy, and our new home if all goes well has a fenced-in backyard. Where we look less good, however, is that we both have full-time jobs. Now, when I was a kid we left our dogs home alone all day and they were totally fine and happy. Nobody said boo about it. However, the phrasing on these applications (ex. "If nobody is home all day, what would you do with the dog?") leads me to believe that this is no longer considered acceptable. My question is, when did this standard change? Why? What is the "right" answer to this question? If I ran home on my lunch break to let the dog out would we pass muster? Or do we need to plan on doggie daycare (which basically means no dog, as this would kill our budget). It's possible we could swing a dog walker, but not ideal.
My other question is, if we have to go the "reputable breeder" route, and they don't care that we're both gone all day, do you consider leaving a dog home inside all day to be cruel and unusual? Let's assume I'm not talking about a crazy high-energy breed like a border collie, and that the dog gets a nice long walk in the morning and an even longer walk (a few miles) once we get home at 5. Our work schedules are such that one of us would always be home by 5. I'm really just trying to figure out if there is a good reason for this shift (i.e. new research) or if is part of the whole "pet parent" progression of dogs being more like family members than pets.
Re: NMMR-Talk to me about pet adoption
Yay for adoption, I think that is a great thing. That will be the way we go for our next dog.
So I can't answer the first part of your question, but I can comment on the second part. We have a 9 lb. maltese and he gets left home for 9 hours- 4 days a week. Do I feel bad? Yes, but I really don't think that we are the only ones in the world doing it. Sometimes I go home for lunch because I live 10 minutes away from work, but usually I don't and he is fine. We do walk him or bring him to the park almost every night and we play in the house too so he's able to unload that energy. I don't think it's cruel as long as he has a snack and water available and a nice warm/cool place to stay in. We leave the heat on in the winter and AC on in the summer for our dog during the day....I know people who don't do that and it pisses me off. When I got my dog, I did take a week off to try to get him adjusted, settled and into a routine so I felt better about leaving him alone during the day.
I used to take him to doggy daycare once a week, but it was $21 for the day and it added up over time so I stopped. When he came home he was tired which was good, but smelly so I had to always bathe him afterwards.
Good luck with everything!!
Hi! I'm a lurker on here, but wanted to chime in since my H and I just adopted a little beagle girl 3 months ago. We ran into exactly the same situation when we started looking for our pup - we are gone 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, and like you, never thought it would be a problem prior to starting to look at dogs since as a kid we always left our dogs home all day and didn't think anything of it. We were asked the same question on our adoption application, and answered honestly that the dog would be kept in a confined area in our kitchen for several hours while we were gone. I've come to believe that the main reason why they ask that question is because there are SO many people who are looking to adopt a dog with little to no prior experience having one, and they want to make sure the prospective parents have thought about what they are going to do with the dog when they aren't home - silly, I know, since you've clearly thought about it, but some people just aren't prepared, and don't realize that giving a new dog (especially if it's a very young puppy) the run of the house isn't a good idea and confining an animal for this reason is actually a good thing. Also, dogs from a rescue organization have often come from situations where they were abdandoned or mistreated, and they want to make sure that this won't happen to them again. All of that having been said, the adoption agency we went through didn't bat an eye when we said we're gone for a good part of the day, and even though our pup would much rather be with us than in her crate, she's honestly fine in there and we figure she probably sleeps most of the day anyway. One thing I will say is that given your situation, it's probably better not to have your heart set on a very young dog - we first applied for a 3 month old pup from a different rescue place and were denied because they felt we weren't home enough to take the dog out as much as a puppy that age needs to. In the end, we got our girl at 7 months (doesn't sound like a big difference, but dogs are often considered fully grown adults at 1 year, so there's a big difference between 3 months and 7), and are actually glad that we didn't get the first one - puppies are a handful, and are really better suited to people who have the flexibility to be home during the day. We find ours is just fine with a walk schedule similar to the one you described in your OP.
Also, something to mention to your H - just because a dog comes from a shelter doesn't mean it isn't a purebred. Ours originally came from a man who bred his purebred beagle with the intention of getting a litter of hunting dogs, and then realized after they were born that that wasn't going to happen as easily as he thought. His loss, our gain!
@smerka I can't believe they tried that with a cat! That's nuts.
You all have some great ideas. I hate even typing the phrase "purebred"-it makes me feel discriminatory or something. I'm starting to think I need to push H harder on the shelter pet idea (shelters in my area don't stress the work thing as much). It may actually make us look more appealing to the breed rescues for our second dog once we have vet references and a proven track record.
A lot of my concern stems from the nightmare experience my parents just had trying to adopt a toy poodle. They live in a condo and my dad has allergies, so it is the perfect breed for them, and we had two when I was growing up that each lived to 16. After they met and fell in love with a dog, the rescue agency backed out at the last minute because 1) they don't have a fenced in backyard and 2) they said "Science Diet" instead of a fancy organic brand when asked what type of dog food they used. My mom is semi-retired, but they also mentioned her occasional 4-hour shifts at a quilt shop as a concern. They ended up needing to go through a breeder instead of a rescue even though they are extremely experienced owners with that breed.
Scary story to tell about leaving a dog alone outside (not in a fenced area). My moms friend had a smaller dog(cocker spaniel maybe) and let it out front to go to the bathroom unattended. While she was walking back out to go check on her dog, there was a van that had pulled up in front of her yard with 3 men in there and they had attempted to steal the dog, but once they saw her come out, they ran into the van and drive off!! Boy what a scary thing to happen.
Due to hearing that story, I am paranoid about leaving my dog anywhere unattended, but luckily he is the type of dog that if he sees a person or animal he will bark to alert us
Hey that sounds a lot like my house, don't judge!
I can't relate too much in regards to leaving a dog home alone all day (I work from home) but I think PPs have covered what the adoption agency is probably looking for--they just want to make sure that you have a plan and are thinking about what living with a dog actually means so that the dog doesn't end up back at the shelter. As long as you're committed to making sure the dog is well cared for and exercised I'm sure you'll be just fine.
I also think it depends on where you live and which rescue/shelter you look at. Back in Colorado I used to volunteer at an animal shelter and they were very picky about who they allowed to adopt--there were home visits, required puppy training classes, etc. Even so most of the animals seemed to get adopted out fairly quickly. I just recently started volunteering at my local shelter here in Georgia and things are totally different--they are bursting at the seams and so they really try to adopt out the animals as quickly as possible so as long as you seem like a good person you'll most likely be approved by them.
Also, I just want to say that I love that you are open to a non-puppy aged dog! Our old chocolate lab was a young adult when we adopted her and she was a wonderful companion. We recently adopted a St.Bernard/German Sheppard mix puppy and man is he a bundle of hyperactivity! He freaks out if I leave for an hour or two to run errands, I can't imagine leaving him home all day, but I'm sure if I was consistent with crate training he'd do ok. If you have your heart set on a particular breed let some of the local shelters/rescues know and they can usually put you on a list so that if they get that breed you'll be notified.
Best of luck!
We have a purebred beagle that we adopted from a shelter. I would just be honest on your application. If you aren't going to be home a lot, I would honestly avoid breeds that need a lot of high energy activities or tend to get bored easily. For example, I made a dumb mistake in my early 20s of adopting a border collie. Every day that I came home from work, he had destroyed something in frustration. Totally my fault and I gave him to a family with a farm.
A toy to also consider getting for your dog is a KONG. It's a heavy-duty rubber honey bee hive shaped toy with a hole in it that you can put treats into. We put peanut butter in it and our dog loves to spend time licking it out.
@Yellowsailor4578 unfortunately leaving the dog out when we're not home won't be a safe option in my neighborhood, but with New England temperature extremes probably wouldn't be as nice for our dogs anyway. I'm guessing if you have lizards you have great weather! Our goal will be to get a breed that won't go bonkers in the house for eight hours. We may eventually get two but want to start with one.
My dog can go all day without being let out. However, for our sanity we bring him to doggy daycare three mornings a week to get the energy out. He has also been experiencing some separation anxiety so I bring him to work the days he's not at daycare, mainly b/c he has been breaking out of his crate and destroying things.
I know this is super late, but at our local rescue they actually WANT you to say that you'll crate while you are working. They don't want someone who is unable to provide a space just for the dog or who plans to leave it outside in inclement weather all day. A note that you would crate train and be available to let the dog out for appropriate bathroom outings would be fine here. Best of luck!
@MrNibbles