[y0rkiesR0ck]

Kash is going on 17 weeks (this Saturday, April 5). I've had him since Feb 9 (about two months), and since both my boyfriend and I work from 8-5, I've been keeping Kash confined to the kitchen with a baby gate, and coming home at lunch to let him out...

well, at first i left out a pee pad, but everyday, i would come home to find one or two puddles of pee that were in other areas of the kitchen, and not on the pee pad... my kitchen is pretty big for such a small dog, so he has free access to pee anywhere he wants, and i can't cover the whole kitchen floor with pee pads. lol.

so, anyway, the point of this thread is that i decided two things, and i need to know what everyone thinks: 1) i just can't come back home for lunch every single day of the week because i work too far away. after doing this for almost 2 months, the cost of gas is killing me, not to mention the added wear & tear to my car from driving nearly 60 miles a day is stressing me out; 2) i needed to make the area where Kash is kept smaller so that he has no choice but to pee/poop on the pad that i lay out for him.

i feel that by solving problem #2, i solved problem #1 because with a smaller area, even if i don't come home to let him out, he'll be able to pee/poop on the pad. i bought the north state xt superyard playpen (and set it up as a 60" x 30" rectangle), which gives enough room for his crate, food/water bowl, a little bit of floor to play on, and the pee pad at the end...

i'd like to see what other people think of my solution because i'm just stressing out about leaving him home alone for 8 hours straight, even if he's not locked in a tiny crate. but i'm also a little relieved that i don't have to drive so much.

p.s. i only have 1 hour for lunch, and since i live so far (about 20-25 minutes), i am only able to see Kash for 10 minutes (15 minutes MAX)... so, i feel like i was only getting him all excited to see me, just to leave shortly afterwards, and getting him upset all over again. although this doesn't make me feel better about him being alone for so long...

thanks guys!