Quote:
Originally Posted by roseylovestosho  A few things to mention about the dogs left alone in the house for 8 hours a day.
1) They were trained incrementally to like being alone. You cannot hope to bring home your dog on one of your "off days" stay home with it all day, and then hope that he/she will be alright and "quiet" the next day.
2) Most (not all) of the people that go in to work all day, come home during lunch to check on the dog and take him/her out for a walk...AND that is with...
3) Waking up two hours before you have to leave for the entire day to give him a LONG walk and then PLAY time.
4) When you get home, that is another two hours devoted to playing/walking your dog.
5) Also, all of your examples of dogs being left alone are probably adult dogs, not puppies. As I mentioned earlier, they didn't just miraculously one
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That in blue is my life
trust me it is hard but totally worth having Rizzo in my life, and I doubt he likes being alone, but he does have his cat brother to keep him entertained.
If I don't wake up at
0500to get Rizzo playing and exercised out before I leave for work at 7 then something in my house will be destroyed when I get home for lunch or after work. He can't help it, he gets bored and energized and I can't get upset about it because it's my fault for not waking early enough to get him his needed morning exercise.
In addition I make it home nearly every day for lunch, if I don't make it home by noon my landlady will let Rizz out to play and potty. And then I get home at 1630-1700 at the latest. I used to hate working out at home, but I got used to it, I have Zumba videos and a Wii and a Kinect, all fun workout options that entertain Rizzo to no end
. Seriously the looks he gives me when I almost fall over trying to "jump" over an object...Not to mention taking 45 min to 1 hour walks everyday are nice and healthy.
If there is bad weather Rizzo won't go out , or he'll be very reluctant to do anything but potty (a yorkie trait mind you). So I have to double the play time to make up for the non walking/running around in my yard time. So, basically, 4 straight hours of fetch in my living room followed by 1 hour of tug-o-war, then 15 min nap and start again! And this is with a yorkie who is a year and a half old. His puppy energy was unmatched by me on most days, it seemed like I couldn't burn him out, ever! He has slowed down, just a tad, and rather than 12 hours of energy burning, it's only 11.5 now
If you have your mind set on getting a yorkie, you will have to make sacrifices to have a good dog, who is healthy and happy. You will have to figure out how to break up the time from when you leave to when you return from work/working out. You'll either need a dog sitter (you will need someone to come to your home until puppy shots are done) or you can use a doggy day care. I really wish there was a ddc in my area, but I haven't found any that appear clean or organized or that speak English.
If you're willing to sacrifice your gym time, and make accomidations for the pup during the day time (if you can make it home for lunch, thats great). If not, maybe a fish?
Cats are just as needy if not more so than dogs. I've met many cats that have SA and I think my cat may have it to a degree. No where near as bad as what I've seen though, puking as soon as the owner leaves, peeing all over the house, meowing all day long, chewing themselves bald and bleeding.
You can make your life work for any animal as long as you are
willing to make your life work for them, animals can't exactly adjust their lives to suit your needs. That said, just because you work full time doesn't mean you can't have a pet. But being away from home for 11 hours any day of the week without providing some sort of human companionship during that time will destroy any animal (and possibly your house!)
Good luck with what you decide, just remember, all animals, especially yorkies require lots of love and attention to remain happy and devoted pets.
