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Post by monkeyboy4 on Sept 2, 2008 14:07:12 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post, hopefully it is in the correct place!
I will be as honest as possible as I want the best advice.
I have always wanted a dog but was never allowed by my mother, but now as i'm a big boy and have my own home and lovely wife and CAT we have decided to look at getting a dog...
The major concern we have is that we both work fulltime 8-4, I know alot of people will probably be screaming at us already and i can fully understand if you think that dogs should not be left all day.
I would like to know what options we have along with the fact we have a lovley 3 year old cat called LouLou.
We would like a puppy/young pup but we understand that it will take alot of time and effort to train them, I understand this and will commit the time. We think this may be the best way to go as a younger pup 'may' be less of an initial threat to LouLou....
On the otherhand we would love to rescue a slightly older dog but are worried it will not be trained or get on with the cat.....
We like the greyhound/lurcher as I do alot of mountain biking and running so the dog will have plenty of exercise and will defo not be wanting in that department.
The only down side i think is we live in quite a small 2 bed semi, but do have a little garden and patio.
As you can tell we are total novices and just want some good, clear, honest advice.
thanks for listening, we look forward to any replies.
Iain
PS- I can easily come home from work each day to check on the dog.
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Post by Flaperoo on Sept 2, 2008 14:37:43 GMT -5
Hello and  Iain. I would be very surprised if anyone on here thought you could leave any dog for 8 hours. You could still have a dog; could you get a neighbour or dog walker to take them out for a short walk at lunch time. Dogs and cats together depends on the cat and the dog. My Flash could easily live with cats, but my peggy could not. You will need to make sure that the rescue can adequately test whether or not the dog is cat safe before you decided. If you do a lot of mountain biking a lurcher sounds like a better bet. Greyhounds are bred for short sprints, not to say they couldn't build stamina, but they are not designed for it and you would have to train the dog to make the adjustment. If I'm honest all my greyhounds have been rather lazy  . Good luck with your search Mary Just noticed you can easily come home from work to check on the dog. In my opinion providing you found a dog that was happy to be by itself for most of the day, it is sounding much more promising  |
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Post by monkeyboy4 on Sept 2, 2008 14:44:34 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply, yeah I knew I would not start off on a good footing saying that we will not be home all day... but I want to be 100% honest. I know alot of people who have dogs and they are left all day. My heart breaks when i see the dogs on here, sometimes i really think its best until i retire but cannot wait that long  i think its best to visit the local pund/R.S.P.C.A. centre and ask. |
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Post by Lisa on Sept 2, 2008 14:53:19 GMT -5
Hello and welcome to Gap.
We work with alot of people who are full time workers and as long as someone can definatly get home at dinnertime to let a dog out then that is fine but we have to remember that we cant realistically hold our bladder for eight hours during a day so why should it be any different for a dog? I would imagine that alot of dogs that are left for the eight hours do have accidents and although the owner may not mind this the dogs do and it causes them a great deal of emotional trauma being forced to soil as they have no other alternative. You also need to be sure that a dog is happy as an only dog and okay to be left or you could end up with upset and destruction so a dog that is a known quantity as opposed from a kennel environment where its not known how they will be alone.
As far as the cat situation goes you have to be very careful. You need a fully assessed dog one that has been safely living with cats before rehoming. All Gap dogs that show cat potential go into a foster home where they are made to co exist safely alongside cats for a period of time before rehoming.
As far as a puppy is concerned I think sadly that I would forget the idea. Puppys need lots of stimulation and training through their early months and need to be allowed out to toilet each hour on the hour to allow them to attain full house training status. A puppy cant realistically be expected to hold its bladder for more than a couple of hours to begin with. Also without the company of other dogs its going to get lonely and possibly upset and this is when you will be met with howling, crying and possibly destruction.
It would be sensible to consider a well assessed dog from a foster environment who is a known quantity with house training, being left and also its cat status.
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Post by annar on Sept 2, 2008 16:05:47 GMT -5
if i was you id see about getting someone from gap to do a home check and providing successful, letting lisa help you search for the right dog to suit your needs. a dog from a foster environment like gap uses will be fully assessed and you can be alot more confident of getting the right dog than if choosing an unknown dog from kennels. Give Lisa or Liz a call. anna.x.
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Post by Jane and Sara on Sept 3, 2008 6:32:10 GMT -5
For several months I had to leave my dogs all day, just coming home at lunchtime to let them out - it wasn't ideal but I think they had a better life than they would have done in kennels. In fact my older girl didn't even bother going out at lunchtime (but I think she has an exceptional bladder!). I don't think the size of your house matters so long as you have a safe garden and can take them out for a walk before and after work. Good luck!
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Post by elmuervo on Sept 5, 2008 11:52:17 GMT -5
For several months I had to leave my dogs all day, just coming home at lunchtime to let them out - it wasn't ideal but I think they had a better life than they would have done in kennels. In fact my older girl didn't even bother going out at lunchtime (but I think she has an exceptional bladder!). I don't think the size of your house matters so long as you have a safe garden and can take them out for a walk before and after work. Good luck! I'd like to agree with you wholeheartedly Jane, as I too think that a home environment with love and comfort would almost always be preferable to a dog staying in kennels and enduring the stress and dispair that that can bring. |
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Post by ellieraven on Sept 6, 2008 9:17:36 GMT -5
Hello there, this is my first post on the forum although I have looked up some of the other posts and got some good advice. Regarding leaving dogs alone outside all day, I don't think this is an ideal situation either. I have a neighbour who leaves her dog out and it barks constantly and whines all day until they return. Despite being asked to rectify the situation, they carry on regardless ! its extremely irritating to other people living in the vicinity and obviously the dog is in distress. Maybe two dogs to keep each other company is an option ? but they would still need someone to check on them throughout the day.
I have had my retired greyhound Kym for nearly 6 weeks now and I must say we are thrilled with her, she has a great temperament and is placid and docile but can also be quite aloof and indifferent. I 'm hoping she will warm to us a bit more in the future. She is also loosing a lot of fur but I read that this is quite normal and that her smooth shiny coat will appear, I hope so, as you could stuff a mattress with the amount of fur thats come off her !
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