Home alone

Hi all.

Just wanted to get somones opinion on this.

Gus is just going six and Pippin is 3 and a half.
They have always had me around during the week and I worked two evenings and weekends when someone else was usually around. In the last couple of months my children are all left school and are in college so I changed jobs and now work week days and I am at home weekends. The thing is we are all out during the week and Gus and Pippin are alone.
I only work six hours a day and it takes me 15 mins to get there and 15 mins back again in the evening. My husband comes in for half an hour about an hour after I leave and lets them out to the garden for toilet if they need it. Then my son comes home about an hour and a half before me,so really they are only alone just over five hours and my husband is in for his half an hour during that time.

I bring them for a walk every evening or if the weather is bad play fetch indoors. They spend most evenings curled up on my knee watching TV. They seem happy enough although Gus sometimes looks fed up when I'm heading out to work.

Anyway I still feel guilty leaving them even though they have each other. Is it too long? Anyone else leave their babies and how do they get on? Mine always seem to be curled up in bed together when anyone comes in even though they have the run of the kitchen hall and landing and they don't bark or do anything distructive. Am I worrying for nothing?

It sounds like they are fine. If they're left alone (together!) for five hours with a half hour visit in between I think they are just fine.

I get those same looks from my crew. But hey, I've got to work some hours to afford the dogs living as well as they are. UP to about 8 hours for a full grown dog (especially with a buddy) is doable. It is when people call me for puppies and then tell me they have to leave a pup alone for 10 or so hours that I wince.

It sounds to me that they're fine. They must be very happy dogs to have such a caring parent like you!

Hi Pippa,

My three get left home & alone 2 days per week when I go to work. We have a large veranda that goes all around the house and this we can close off so the dogs can not get off it. They have warm kennels and depending on which side of the house then move to, they can choose a sunny or shady spot, in the breeze or out of it. There is one part of the veranda that they will go potty on if they need to, but mostly they seem to rather hang on. If we are expecting extreme weather (our extremes are usually heat, not cold), I leave the doggy door unlocked so that they can get inside. We ensure that there is plenty of water, that they can not knock over. We've put in one of those plumbed watering troughs that self fill.

On a usual work day they get left there for about 8 hours. On a couple of occasions when we have had to stay somewhere overnight, we've left them for up to 24 hours.

Your situation sounds just fine to me. It is in our nature to worry though isn't it. Even though academically I knew my dogs are well provided for when we are not at home, I still go through the guilt trips too. I guess it is because we love 'em so much.

Thanks for the reassurance guys..