I feel horrible for leaving Shadow home alone for 10 hrs

[mynameishadow]

Originally Posted by kezza

That is a very long time..I work part time,10am-2pm..I personally would not leave my dogs much longer than that without making other arrangements, paying someone to come in half way through to exercise and play with your dog for half an hour. It may be worth thinking about getting your dog a sibling too?..then they would keep each other company...dogs are pack animals and are not meant to be left alone long periods. Don't be too hard on yourself though..you can work this out sensibly.

I wa thinking about getting another dog..but I honestly don't think I am ready. And I wonder if I would feel double the pain because I'd be worry that they are home alone for so long..

[kezza]

Originally Posted by mynameishadow

I wa thinking about getting another dog..but I honestly don't think I am ready. And I wonder if I would feel double the pain because I'd be worry that they are home alone for so long..

It is very obvious that you love your baby very much! so no-one is accusing you of not taking the best care for your baby..others here leave their babies too and it works out fine...if you can get someone to pop in for half an hour, excellent!...if you do decide to get a playmate, wonderful!...but if not...don't worry! i'm sure you will do your best for your little one! best of luck to you! x

[Akina]

I too leave my Momiji home about 9-10 hrs a day since I have full time job.
I'd stay home if I didn't have to pay rent, food (for both me and her), toy (again for both me and her!!), ect.
But it is life and I do make some compromise.
I'm not a morning person but I wake up 5:30 so I can take her for walk before I leave for work.
She usually wake me up around 4am then we go to leaving room together and sleep on the couch together.
Sometime I come home for lunch and spend time with her.
I take her to daycare once a week.
I take her for walk after I come home.
I would have a sibling but I can't afford the expense at this time.
So don't beat up yourself.
You are giving loving, safe, and comfortable home for your puppy and that's good.
People have different opinion and different view about how to raise yorkie.
You don't have to please or prove yourself to anyone but to yourself and to your dog.
Happy Friday!!

[paulapoo]

I'm gone from 9-10 hours a day. I have 2 dog babies, so I'm pretty sure they keep each other company. They have free run of the house and I'm convinced they sit up on the back of the couch and police the neighborhood from the front room window. I leave the tv on for them. Most all of my time after work and on weekends is spent with them, so I don't think it's bad at all.

[Lexi Rae]

lexi is home alone for 10 hrs a day too.. .shes just fine... my mom stops
over for 5 minutes in the morning and sometimes around 430.. sometimes
she cant stop over at all and i rush home like a bat outta hell cause i feel
so bad too... i cried my eyes out when i got her, just the thought of
leaving her alone all day just kills me, but she sleeps... just make sure you
give lots of exercise in the morning and after work. dont worry, your a
good mommy and we all feel as you do, well i do anyway.

most important,, i leave the tv on for lexi all day long on the cartoon channel.
or you can put on a radio, like the tv better , sometimes they watch it.

[mminichan]

I also have to work and Chloe has to be home alone for a long time too! (8 hours +) I used to have her stay in her travel kennel all day while I am not home. I thought it was small, so I decided to buy a wire crate that holds up to 40lbs dog. Today is her first day in the crate. She seem didnt know what to do in that big space when i left work this morning!!! What should I do???

[Potter]

I am not working right now but I will be working again. It is life and with no money, it is hard. I used to think leaving your dog for 9-10 hours is bad but the more I think about it, not all of us could afford to not work; there are bills to pay etc. With 2 walks a day, I am sure the furbabies wll be fine and while you are gone, they love to look out of the windows to see what is happening around and it entertains them . After all, they have a secure home, loving owner and food. With a little exercise, I am sure they would be fine.

[mynameishadow]

Originally Posted by mminichan

I also have to work and Chloe has to be home alone for a long time too! (8 hours +) I used to have her stay in her travel kennel all day while I am not home. I thought it was small, so I decided to buy a wire crate that holds up to 40lbs dog. Today is her first day in the crate. She seem didnt know what to do in that big space when i left work this morning!!! What should I do???

You leave her in a cage for 8 hrs plus?? aww

[CollegeCutieUSF]

Originally Posted by kezza

That is a very long time..I work part time,10am-2pm..I personally would not leave my dogs much longer than that without making other arrangements, paying someone to come in half way through to exercise and play with your dog for half an hour. It may be worth thinking about getting your dog a sibling too?..then they would keep each other company...dogs are pack animals and are not meant to be left alone long periods. Don't be too hard on yourself though..you can work this out sensibly.

I used to work part time as well, so Mr. Biggs was never left alone more than 4 or 5 hours a day. But I recently started working full-time since I graduated college. I've thought about getting him a sibling... but the BF won't go for it yet. lol. The first day I left him alone, he had a hard time with it, but he was used to it by the second day, and I leave him for 10 hours... sometimes more due to traffic. But he's always super excited to see me and from the look on his face, you can tell he's been sleepign most of the day and from all the toys scattered around the house, I know he's definately been having fun! lol. Afterall, they say dogs can see things that (most) humans aren't able to see, so who knows if he has a 'special' friend that stops by and plays with him.

[Kiwiglaze]

I think a lot of people have to work and since most workplaces aren't very accomodating towards dogs, many dogs end up staying at the house for long periods of time. It sounds as though you already have one day where she is with your mom, so that's great!

Have you thought about daycare for one or two days a week? Many reputable companies offer daycare and some (like mine) have two-way windows where you can pop in anytime and watch your baby play(like during lunch break)!

My baby goes twice a week to day care and loves every minute of it. When we get out of the car to drop her off, she pulls me to the door and can't wait to see all her friends. It makes it a lot easier to leave her when she is so happy to go to daycare! She stays inside all day, so no worries about escaping, and it is at my vet's office so I trust that they can take care of her if she gets sick or something. I can't tell you what a relief it is when she is there because I know she is having a great time and she is SAFE.

[mynameishadow]

Originally Posted by CollegeCutieUSF

I used to work part time as well, so Mr. Biggs was never left alone more than 4 or 5 hours a day. But I recently started working full-time since I graduated college. I've thought about getting him a sibling... but the BF won't go for it yet. lol. The first day I left him alone, he had a hard time with it, but he was used to it by the second day, and I leave him for 10 hours... sometimes more due to traffic. But he's always super excited to see me and from the look on his face, you can tell he's been sleepign most of the day and from all the toys scattered around the house, I know he's definately been having fun! lol. Afterall, they say dogs can see things that (most) humans aren't able to see, so who knows if he has a 'special' friend that stops by and plays with him.

omg your doggie is so cute. Could you post pics of him!!?
How old is he?

[mynameishadow]

Originally Posted by Kiwiglaze

I think a lot of people have to work and since most workplaces aren't very accomodating towards dogs, many dogs end up staying at the house for long periods of time. It sounds as though you already have one day where she is with your mom, so that's great!

Have you thought about daycare for one or two days a week? Many reputable companies offer daycare and some (like mine) have two-way windows where you can pop in anytime and watch your baby play(like during lunch break)!

My baby goes twice a week to day care and loves every minute of it. When we get out of the car to drop her off, she pulls me to the door and can't wait to see all her friends. It makes it a lot easier to leave her when she is so happy to go to daycare! She stays inside all day, so no worries about escaping, and it is at my vet's office so I trust that they can take care of her if she gets sick or something. I can't tell you what a relief it is when she is there because I know she is having a great time and she is SAFE.

I wish...I don't think there's any in my area though.

Q: Is it very expensive?

[CollegeCutieUSF]

Originally Posted by mynameishadow

omg your doggie is so cute. Could you post pics of him!!?
How old is he?

Thanks I don't have any pics of him on this comp (I'm at work. lol) But if you go to www.myspace.com/little_stinky -that's his myspace page, you can see pics of him there.

I'm gonna be taking him to the doggy park after work (if it doesn't rain), so i'll be posting pics of that on YT tonight

Oh, he will be 2 years & 2 months old on the 19 (although people still think he's just a pup)

[Kiwiglaze]

Originally Posted by mynameishadow

I wish...I don't think there's any in my area though.

Q: Is it very expensive?

Well, I'm in the central valley in CA and there are three different day care places here (I mean a business, not dropping them off at a person's house). It is not very expensive at all, a full day (7am until 6pm) is $17. You could do just one day a week and that is less than $75 a month.

If I have doggie day care here, I am sure you have it in New York. Maybe you could ask your vet for a recommendation?

[mynameishadow]

Originally Posted by CollegeCutieUSF

Thanks I don't have any pics of him on this comp (I'm at work. lol) But if you go to www.myspace.com/little_stinky -that's his myspace page, you can see pics of him there.

I'm gonna be taking him to the doggy park after work (if it doesn't rain), so i'll be posting pics of that on YT tonight

Oh, he will be 2 years & 2 months old on the 19 (although people still think he's just a pup)

aaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww he is so adorable! I was only able to see the pic on your main page since I don't have a myspace account I couldn't log in.

Looking forward to seeing his pics!