Getting A Puppy

[ErictheRed17]

Me and my fiancee are wanting to get a pug puppy. We both work full time and will be out of the house for roughly 8 hours. Would it be ok to be left that long? We would be getting a dog walker too so they can check up on him/her. Are we cruel for leaving it that long? Need sensible answers for this. Sick of seeing different answers on dog websites

[jennyjoan]

You are hard!!!

[Prudie]

and wrong! dogs left alone can become very destructive, you have no idea what they have going on in their heads - and completely wrong about kids too, they are all different.

[ummmm]

That's a better idea!

[woofgang]

well you got it right in the end :)

[Islay]

My dogs are without me for 7 hours a day I walk them before work a dog walker comes in during the day and takes them out for 60 to 90 mins each day then I have to walk them again when we get home. Mine are used to this and were 8 months old when we got them.
It would not be a suitable life for a puppy and very difficult to toilet train.

[ferlew]

I do so wish I could recall where I read yesterday of an increase in Pugs and French Bulldogs being handed into rescue centres because folks could not afford the vet bills that come with these flat faced dogs.
I am pretty sure it was on one of the rescue pages, as I was looking for an older cat for some mutual company.

[Islay]

Ferlew I read the same article

[Samuraisan]

Next door have a bloody Yorkie that they leave alone whilst out working and sometimes in the evening. Non stop yapping as soon as it's alone. Don't get a dog to unless you can commit to caring for it. For
Your neighbour's sake, if not the dog's.

[woofgang]

ferlew, there are loads of articles all with the same sad tale. Imagine breeding dogs to look cute all the while KNOWING that you are dooming them to a life of restricted breathing, eye ulcers, even eyeballs falling out and people thinking that snuffling noise they make because they struggle to breathe is "cute" Grrrrrr

[DarceyK123]

If you get an older dog, walk it in the morning, dog walker at lunch and walk it again after work you might just be able to strke the right balance but it will be tougher than you think.

so think about it carefully.
But well worth it if you get it right.

The comitment would be similar to that of a young child

[ferlew]

It is for this self same reason, (genetic mucking around) that I won't have a Rag Doll cat. (I know, I am straying from the dog issue) Rag Dolls originally had a genetic fault with their spine, which made them unable to brace themselves, they were selected to breed 'floppy cats' by the litter.
All very, very wrong IMHO.

[Khandro]

Don't even think about it, it is monstrous idea.

[jennyjoan]

I recall watching a documentary some time back. The lady had dogs and she adored them so much that she had a camera on them while she went out. One of the dogs sorta slept and the other cried and cried at the window until she came back.

[hereIam]

Sam - you could report your neighbours to the Council for noise nuisance, if having a talk to them hasn't or didn't work, but I feel sorry for the poor dog as it is lonely and bored and that is why it barks so much!

As for the OP, why would you want to leave a little pup alone for eight hours every day and I assume you have some sort of social life too, so it would be alone on several other occasions as well after being alone all day during the week ?? Ridiculous !

[lankeela]

i am an occasional hobby dog breeder, on four dog club committees and run dog shows and I don't know of any reputable breeders who would sell a puppy to someone who was going to be out at work for so long. As for being home for the rest of the time, don't they ever go to bed? Poor pup would be totally fed up, unable to be clean if it need to and could even suffer from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as small breeds need regular meals during the day and not just when babies. Also you cannot walk a puppy at all at first, and for very short periods of time for the first few months, so all in all a very bad idea. Maybe volunteer at a local rescue kennels to walk their dogs for them at weekends if you want the company of a dog.

[RATTER15]

Ridiculous idea, please dont do it.

We feel guilty if we leave our hounds at home by themselves for 4 hours so this very rarely happens, however they are impeccably well behaved when home alone.

[EDDIE51]

IF you want a dog fine but get a mature dog . As said, a puppy needs constant attention and needs to wee and poo several times a day.
Please do not get a puppy and leave it on it's own all day. There are many rescue dogs that need homes and many of them would be suitable for your situation, but not a puppy.

[paddywak]

Why not think about a retired Greyhound. One of my friends has taken one on.They tend to be well trained and though they require walking like all dogs they don't need as much as you'd think.Also they're so laid back, the only time my mates seems to move when you go in is to lift his head to see who's come then he goes back to sleep.