Oooh boy, I am going to try and give both the small and the large picture on this one as I have wanted to write something for the library on this issue for a while, to help people think thru the realities of a dog in a working home, and this will form part of it. This will be long, as my answers often are!! :lol: :lol:
As someone who places rescue dogs, I am reluctant to put a dog into a home where members work full days as the dog is left alone all day. Dogs are social, pack animals, and unlike cats, can become despondent left alone every day for half their waking hours.
That said, there are ways of approaching this but it generally takes full commitment, money and time. If someone can get home daily at lunch to walk the dog and spend time in the house, that is one possible solution. If the dog can go to a day care facility or stay with a relative, that's another. If someone can be emplyed to take the dog for a daily walk, that is a solution too. And two dogs are definitely far better in such a situation than one -- the best option being to take on two older dogs that already know each other as it isn't safe to leave two dogs who barely know each other alone together (they could be confined separately eg in separate rooms til it is known they get along well).
I would never home a puppy to people working all day unless one is prepared to take at least one/two weeks off to settle the pup and then can make the effort to be home twice a day to get the puppy thru its first few months of housetraining or the pup goes to day care or to a relative every day.
_________
This is always an interesting issue to me, its wider dimensions that is. The thing about dogs is that many of us grew up with them, but at a time when moms tended to be at home all day and thus a dog was never alone. That was the case in my house and every house I knew. Sometimes older relatives shared the house and they were around all day. Most of our neighbour families had dogs; all my relatives did. Also those were times when people left dogs out in yards if away and also didn't tend to have smaller toy breeds until retired -- I never knew anyone under about 60 with a toy, indoor breed, of which the cavalier is one. Toys are bred as companions and thus really need the presence of people around and don't do well left alone.
Now there is a nostalgia to have dogs like before but people's lives have totally changed. Many more people are single permanently or for long stretches. There's a lot more interest in small breds with people living in smaller homes and apartments and there being restrictions on ownership of animals in many communities. Also despite the popularity of dogs at the moment, there's actually far lower tolerance for dogs -- and all sorts of by laws banning more than 2 or 3 in a home, banning them entirely in apartments, banning them from parks except on leads, banning them on beaches and lakes...
Just a few musings. Back to the original topic: I think people do need to weigh up the feasibility of a dog if both work -- is it fair to the dog, and is it more an ideal they imagine without truly considering the reality of the commitment (from vet bills and daily walks to picking up poops and cleaning barf...). They must consider their level of commitment for the next decade plus, too. What happens when/if they add children to their family? What if they are transferred for their jobs to someplace that will not allow dogs or is in another country?
I can say from working in general and cavalier rescue that the three main reasons dogs end up in the pound, in shelters, or in rescue -- and end up dying if in the former two situations, if they canot be rehomed -- are
1) "We don't have enough time for our dog because we work full time and realise he deserves 'better'." (my comment: What this really means is: "I am not willing to make the effort to change my life to make a proper commitment to my dog and surely you can find him a better home so I can both be rid of him and pretend I am not potentially sending him to his death." Too bad they didn't think this thru before they got the dog as 'better' shouldn't mean the dog will risk dying because it is inconvenient.
2) "We have a baby coming/new baby and won't have the time to give to our dog(s) and he deserves 'better'." (my comment: same as above. Often the dog is only a year or two old. Surely the notion had crossed your mind that a baby might arrive in the future? Yet you went ahead and got a dog in the meantime, as if it was just a fun, inanimate purchase like a new iPod or espresso maker? A dog is not a huge drain on time -- you can even walk the dog while the baby is in its stroller. A dog is a wonderful companion for children and helps reduce the child's chance of allergies. What you really mean is, "We casn't be bothered with the dog(s) any more because a child is a more interesting focus for outr attention and the dog is an inconvenience."
3) "Due to my new job I have to move and can't bring my dog." (my comment: What this means in most cases is: "I cannot be bothered to go through finding a new residence where I can keep my dog, placing it in boarding til I can make arrangements, or taking the simple steps to get a pet passport, which will allow my dog to travel and stay with me." In only very few cases does a dog or cat need to go into quarantine these days and most dogs would rather spend a few months in a quarantine facility and return to you, then die in a pound. In most cases, relocating the dog is just an incoveniece and the amusement factor of having a dog has worn off. Moving is a good chance to get rid of it.
I do recognise there are very legitimate situations -- death, illness, changed circumstances -- when a dog needs to be rehomed. I also know there are people who realise, unhappily, that a dog is not really for them. But most of us doing rescue hear the above excuses as dogs are left at the pound -- where they are more likely to be pts then be rehomed. Same for many shelters. Rescue has to turn away many dogs because they are not very rehomeable or they are overburdened.
So: it is very, very important for people to consider what their real reasons are for getting a dog; what they will do if and when things don't go smoothly (they never do!); whether they realise their commitment to the dog should be for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do us part; whether they will take all the steps to make sure the dog remains a valued part of the family and not an ignored 'burden'.
For those who want a pet but work, two cats are often a much better option (a single cat will also get very lonely), and bring many of the same rewards and many special ones of their own. Also owning cats for a while enables people to see what kinds of commitments are involves, and if they could make the increased level of commitment for a dog, that cannot be left alone in quite the same way.
