[Ojai]

Sounds like a teenager is not an option if you are home from work by 3:00. Your local vet may have part-time assistants looking for extra work. Also, some people who work as pet sitters advertise their services at the vet's office. In any event, your vet's office is probably the best place to inquire, especially in a small town. Twelve weeks is really young to be home alone for so long! I went out for one darn evening, and when I returned, my three babes (well, I know it was just two of them) had gone hog-wild, tearing through the house, pulling little T-shirts out of a bag and dragging them into another room, chewing on my work papers I had left on the coffee table! And I imagine the time will come when you will want to get a companion for Tank. My two cents is avoid Tank's breeder. He (Tank, not the breeder) is absolutely adorable, but I'm not a breeder (I would keep all of the puppies) and I know his mama, at 3 1/2 pounds, is too small for breeding, and especially a tiny should not be released at only 8 weeks. It is certainly not your fault ... how would you have known this? But you are doing the right thing in educating yourself now. Good luck, and welcome!