I have a new job starting Jan 9th. Its only 5 min down the road in the car. Its great cos it means mine will get a good hour in the morning. I can go home for lunch, so they'll get a good 45 min run. My partner is very rarely home after 4pm so they won't get left much.
Also if my partners new expanded business kicks off well, then i won't have to work!!!!! LOL
I hate leaving mine, but they are OK & they have each other for company. they seem knackered when i get home!

Jules X

So many of us work full time and have happy dogs as well. I really can't understand the people who look down their noses at us because we don't spend every waking minute with our canines. I've always worked, and have always had dogs. Lennon is the latest, but rather than get a very young puppy, he was 6 months old when I got him. I took some time off work at the beginning, and gradually increased his time on his own (well actually with my other 9 year olkd bitch) every day. Much time was spent in various supermarket car parks waiting for the allotted time to pass before I could go home and see what the damage was, or how stressed he was. When I went back to work, I came home 3 times a day to start, then twice, then once, now none. On every single occasion, without exception, the little lad was sound asleep, and all me coming home did was wake him up! I think getting an older puppy was right for me. I believe a younger one would have required more time spent at home first. Just my opinion

Good advice! The realities of xmas are, of course, not being in all day everyday! But having more time to do 'stuff' will be fabby!

I one of the lucky ones , I work 08:30 - 16:30, hubby works shifts, 2 x 12 hour days, 2 x 12 hour nights and 4 days off but we do have a live in au pair who adores the dogs and the kids and they adore her so she's always aorund for the kids and dogs in the day, but both Murphy & Jesse are fine with being left up to 4-5 hours at a time

Dalmatians really can't be left for long so I drop mine off at a good kennels every morning on the way to work where they get to run free over 40 acres with other dogs, and meet new people every day. When I pick them up they are asleep before I reach the end of the lane!
From January they will be dropped off at a friends house where they don't quite have 40 acres, but two paddocks of an acre and they have had Dallies for 30 years so know what to expect! . They are retired so there will be someone there all the time.

I don't get much out of them in the evenings, though!

horrible isnt it, I hate it but needs must! me and OH work full time and Buster is left between 8-11 hours a day.

I do not think about him all day it upsets me so i just block him out of my mind until i get home, its hard tho!

Sometimes I wish I could phone him to see how he is, lol!

I think he is used to it by now and i leave him loads of toys and treats to keep him occupied!

Its a horrible feeling isnt it, i hate it. I often get major guilt trips about it, but at the end of the day, our dogs are greatly loved, and are fed, kept warm, played with and generally adored. There are a lot of dogs out there who have owners that are home all day, and are worse off (kept outside, arent fed, arent walked), than ours who have working mums and dads. I know shadow knows shes loved, and thats all that matters, I adore her and make the most of the time I spend with her. As do all the working mums and dads on her, I'm sure.

So true!

I work full time but luckily OH works from home and doesn't usually start til mid afternoon so he takes Cassie out early am and mid afternoon and wears her out. We usually take her together on the weekends. Hate going to work and leaving them but until we win the lottery, that's how it will stay LOL I usually get home around 6 but she's quite knackered by then so it's just playing with her in the house. OH does make a point of going out and leaving her every day, even if it's just to the shops so she doesn't get used to someone being there all the time

We are lucky as Sid works from home and I only work 2.5 days plus one in three Saturdays so Ozzy gets tons of company.

When we both worked full-time jobs however, I did find it very difficult as we had Brandy (Rott) and Jasper (GSD) and I had to get up very early to give them a morning walk and as soon as I came home walked them again, it was quite exhausting, especially when you'd had a bad day! However, circumstances dictated at the time and it wasn't for long. It was always a joy to come home to their wagging tails and a nice way to de-stress by going on a country walk.