What job do you do that allows you to have a dog?

blackcob

blackcob

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Sorry, bit of an odd question I know! I was just wondering what kind of arrangements you all had that allow you to keep dogs. I haven't had a dog since I was quite young due to family circumstances, although I've been heavily involved in the training of various relatives' dogs and done agility and such, and I have always wanted one of my own.

We're moving into a much bigger house at the end of the month and the landlord is very amenable to pets - the current tenant has two JRTs - but it has no garden at all so doggy would have to be walked several times a day.

At the moment OH works full time 8.45-5.30 and I work three days a week 8.45-5.15. When I go back to uni in October I'll probably have to find evening and weekend work again in a pub, or else do shifts in a supermarket.

Is there any way I can make this work or is it just a pipe dream?
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How on earth do you all work full time and have dogs?!
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I've worked full time since leaving school and have always had dogs
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That is part of the reason I have rescue greyhounds, they sleep all day (and I have video evidence to prove it
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I am a freelance journalist and try to only work days where my Mum will be available to walk them or if not, be working somewhere that is close enough so that I can get up at stupid o'clock to walk them beforehand and when I come home again.

When I was at school the dog we had back then was alone for up to eight hours a day, if we had gone to a rescue for her we wouldn't have been allowed to have her, even though she had a very good life.

Is it becoming such that only PT workers or the unemployed can have a dog from a rescue?
Although I suppose dog-sitters and dog walkers are more prevalent now.
Just musing!
 
I work full-time but am based at home and home is a farm. When I am at work the dogs have the run of the garden - about half an acre - and the utility room. They run about first thing while I do the horses and get a walk in the evening/afternoon and just generally hang out in the garden and yard.

When I lived in Birmingham I lived in a first floor flat about 200 yards from a park - the dogs were walked first thing in the morning round the park - rain, shine, dark etc - and again when I got in at night and the garden for a wee before bedtime. Weekends I used to drive out to the big parks so they could have a proper long walk or I would come home to mum and dads and they would get to hoon around over here.

We have always had dogs and they have sometime had to be left from 8- 6pm but they have always been walked and have never been any problems and anything other than normal! Dogs get used to whatever routine you choose to give them. They sleep 80% of the time - our dogs are always more knackered at weekends and when you are at home for the day because they have to follow you around - always seem glad to see the back of you so they can have a decent kip!!

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I work full time and up until recently when my retired mother came to live with us my dogs stayed in all day with free roam of the house. Most days either myself or other half would try and pop home at lunch time to let them out but most days they would just look at me as if to say - what ? I dont feel like going now.

We would take them with us to the yard in the morning and let them have a good run and then walk them again in the evening. In winter they went out with coats on
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They are very happy and healthy dogs.
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I work full time for an organisation that allows dogs in the office.

Before Henry was allowed in, he came to work with me in the car and we had a long walk, then he stayed in the car with a Kong, water, and lots of snuggly blankets, we had another walk at lunchtime and I restuffed his Kong, and then another after work.

It helps that I work in the middle of nowhere so can leave all the doors and windows open if necessary!
 
I have several part time jobs, which allows me to fit in looking after the dogs and horses, and (when they were younger) the children. Before my children were born I worked full time but only a couple of miles away so i was able to come home at lunch time. When I used to breed I would not sell puppies to people who were out all day (impossible imo to house train a pup etc under those conditions apart from anything else) but see no problem with an older dog being left for longer periods .
 
See, I was under the impression I'd get lynched if I suggested leaving the dog on its own for eight hours during the day.
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Like I say it'd only be for three days a week; the other four days I am free to play with the pony and I'd eventually like the dog to be able to come with me to the yard. I have access to wonderful walking country literally five minutes from the house.

Does it depend very much on the breed of dog, or do they all settle into a routine eventually? A small dog would probably be ideal but I really don't like them; I'd ideally like a springer but I think I must be mad to consider it.
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OH is being very negative about the idea but he is both a cat person and a lazy toad who wouldn't get up in the mornings to walk a dog.
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but see no problem with an older dog being left for longer periods .

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That's exactly what I thought but I will never be able to get an older rescue dog because of the lack of garden at the new house, right?
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It's a shame as I would definitely consider an older dog for this very reason.
 
I think you might have problems with rescue societies with the lack of garden, but there is only one way to find out. There are quite a few in Shropshire, why don't you justcontact them and ask a few general questions re their requirements.
 
As suggested you would need to go for a calmer breed of a mature age to be fair on the dog, not all dogs would suit that routine, but there are definately dogs thats would.
Im lucky to deal with rescues and home board, so my dogs fit in with this and I work the emergency shift (vets) at night so I can take a few dogs with me even then, and my OH dog walks after major back surgery went wrong and he had to give his job up.
 
i work full time but my OH works shifts.. I am lucky in the fact i get flexi time from work and also only work 5 miles from my house so when OH happens to be dayshift i come home at lunch time and let all the dogs out and have quick walk then back to the hell hole.. sorry i mean work.. lol..
 
We are both self employed wedding photographers so at least one of us is at home the majority of the time. We will leave him for up to three hours in his crate but if we are out for any longer we get someone to come in and spend time with him while we are away. This only happens about 10 days a year though - we are very lucky!
 
Both my OH and I work full time and have a 2 year old boxer.

I used to have a dog walker who came and walked the dog for an hour at lunchtime. We would walk him before work and then for 1.30hrs after work - all worked fine till she stopped turning up (apart from fridays to collect her money).

He now goes to a dog day care facility where he gets picked up at 8.30 and dropped off at 4.30,

I wouldn't be allowed a rescue dog either cause of the hours i work.
 
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I think you might have problems with rescue societies with the lack of garden, but there is only one way to find out. There are quite a few in Shropshire, why don't you justcontact them and ask a few general questions re their requirements.

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It's worth asking, isn't it?
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We won't be fully settled into the new house and into my new work routine until the new year I think so plenty of time to do some research. I was just worried I'd either be laughed out of the centre or offered a fluffy lapdog.
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Apart from the obvious Dogs Trust at Roden and RSPCA at Dorrington, try Grinshill Animal Rescue near Wem. Jenny is pretty realistic so would be prepared to discuss options with you. There is also another one, here in North Shropshire. I hae heard some not very good reports about the chap who runs it, and suspect he is not too fussy about his home checks. I hope you don't take that the wrong way but understand what I mean
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Pm me if you want the name, best not put it on here after I have been rude about him.
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I work 13 hour shifts (mainly nights).
When I am sleepign during the day the dogs have the run of the kitchen diner and the back door is left open so the run of the garden too.
My OH takes them to have a run while he does the horses in the morning then I get up and take them for a walk in the aftrenoon before going back to work.
I only do 3 nights a week so this works well.
I occasionaly will do a 13 hour day shift. In the instance OH takes them to the horses in the morning, I try to get home at lunch to let them out (the nature of my job means this isn't always possble) and then OH is usualy home between 1500 and 1700 so they get another walk then.
I have 2 labs a 4 year old and a 6 months old. The puppy had to get used to being left for for upto 4 hours from an early age and it doesn't seem to bother him. The older dog just sleeps all the time anyway!!!
 
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I hae heard some not very good reports about the chap who runs it, and suspect he is not too fussy about his home checks. I hope you don't take that the wrong way but understand what I mean
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PMSL!
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No I understand totally what you mean, it's unlikely we'd pass a standard RSPCA home check but we could still offer a dog a cracking home. That said, we'll probably still be in touch with the RSPCA centre as OH is also desperate for a cat (why I let myself in for all this, I really don't know!
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I may hold you to that PM in a couple of month's time when we're all settled in, cheers.
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I do support work for people with special needs, I work for 4 different employers and some days I don't know where I'm supposed to be! But it does allow me to come home and feed the old lady and walk them if I'm working late.
 
I work a 7 hour day in the City plus a 3 hour commute, in total......I leave at 5:30am and get back 3:30 - 4pm.

When I got the last dog as a puppy, I never planned to be working those hours - but needs must and all that especially when 1 dog has cost nearly 8k in vets bills in the past 2 1/2 years
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The dogs have access to the garden through a dog flap. They get a 10 minute lead walk in the morning that usually involves many attempts to "get" the badgers and foxes at the bank of the brook, the reason they are on leads. Their big walk is when I go to check the horses in the evening, anything from an hour to 3 hours depending on what's going on.

If I have to work late, a friend comes in to dog sit and horse check, she also covers business travel and holidays...Bless her
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When the dog had his (many) ops I used a dog walker to visit twice a day and walk the terrors as big dog went mad if I took them out but £100 a week wasn't sustainable in th long run.
 
I work 9-5 3 days a week and my husband works away differing days. The days hes away when im working our dog either goes to my parents house and my dad goes home at lunchtime to let him out, or my mother in law comes to the house for a couple of hours at lunchtime.
On the rare occasions our parents are away on hols at the same time, he goes to the kennels near my work for day care. Hes dropped off an the way there and I pick him up on the way home.
I have searched everywhere for a local dog walker but they just don't exsist near me. If I had a reliable dog walker I would get another dog as I would love another!
 
i work full time at a digger hire company - so obviously not a fancy office or work environment ! it was a lot easier that my boss is my dad, but to be honest i cant say it wouldve been much different if anyone else had asked - he isnt a dog fan at all but even he has warmed to my tiny chap. luckily he's reasonably well behaved, sleeps all morning anyway and has most definately reduced stress in the workplace.
He does bark at some customers though, but hey who's perfect, i bark at some of them too.

when i leave here if i cant take him to work, my sister will have him in the afternoons for me as shes a self employed photographer/full time mum. I dont believe in him being home alone all day everyday, i wouldnt like it so cant imagine he would either.
 
one of my neighbours works full time as a postman (crack of dawn til lunch) and does not have a garden.

he was allowed to home an elderly jack russell by Wood Green Animal Shelters. Although he works more hours than they usually allow, i assume that the fact he could offer oodles of attention (single and dotes on everyones dogs), no other pets and happy to take on an old dog that needs it sleep, swung the decision.

it appears the shelters can be a little flexible in the right circumstances.
 
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