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Do you think it's possible...

Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

TalkBass' resident Bongo + cowbell player
Nov 10, 2000
6,935
155
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Bucaramanga, Colombia, South A
#1
...to have a dog while leaving alone?

OK, maybe someone would say "anything's possible", but I think it's complicated. I love dogs and I'd like to have a Labrador Retriever, but I live alone and I'm not at home during most of the day when working at the university (I stay most of the times when on vacation, though). I don't feel lonely. It's just that I've had that idea from a long time but I don't want a poor animal to suffer because nobody's at home. I have a roof in my place and I think there's a good space here to move, but again, I think that a dog is a very dependant pet. Cats are easier IMO and I also like them, but dogs are my real favorites. Any advice on this, including a different kind of dog or definitely abandoning the idea are welcome. Thank you in advance!
 
#4
I would not do it, certainly not with a lab. While you can leave a dog in the house by itself for 8-12 hours most of the time, labs are very people oriented and require a bit more attention and work than most dogs. Why get a dog that will spend most of its life curled up waiting for you to get back from work?

Ask yourself some questions: do I really want to rush home from work every day to tend to a dog? Do I really want to spend 1-2 hours playng with my dog each night after I get home so it is happy? Do I really want to get up an hour earlier each morning to make sure the dog is taken care of before I go to work?

Those are just some of the things you will have to deal with regularly if you own a dog. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, just that you should think it out really carefully first to make sure you are capable of keeping the animal happy and healthy.

Now with all that in mind, if you really want a dog there are probably ways to make it work. How far do you live from your job? Could you go home during lunch to check on puppy and play with it? What about the university itself? Many college campuses are actually dog friendly, perhaps the dog could come to work with you now and then?

Another thing to consider is breed and temperment. Labs are wonderful, I've had one purebred yellow lab and two lab mixes. Great dogs, but not for a small house or apartment! They are HYPER and love to move...and there's the tail, lab tails are one of the most destructive things in the canine world. Do not put anything within 3 feet of the ground in a lab occupied dweling, the lab will use it to play tail tennis...

My sister's 200+ lb Mastiff is actually easier to deal with than my labs were, because he doesn't move. Also all my labs like to chew and got bored easily. Bored dogs get depressed, depressed dogs are unhealthy.

All things to keep in mind.

Lastly, if you do decide to get a dog, I urge you to check out local shelters and rescue services. There are tons of unwanted or abused dogs out there that need homes, give them a shot before buying a dog from a breeder who will have no trouble finding a home. I can tell you from personal expirience that taking in a rescue dog and watching him grow from a neurotic terrified puppy to a confident cat herding dog is one of the most gratifying things I've ever done.

PS: Don't get anything that even remotely looks like a border collie unless you have a lot of space and time to work with it.
 
#8
I looked at getting a dog when I was living alone. Everyone I spoke to said it was breed specific. Some dogs need people contact more than others, especially smaller dogs. Of the larger dogs, I was told to stay away from Labs or any breed that might get bored easily. Once a dog gets bored, it starts looking for things to rip, shred, and tear. I can't tell you how many shoes and clothes my old flat-mate's dog destroyed.

My GF has a cat and while he preferes it when someone is home, he's not fussed either way. If no-one's home, he roams the neighbourhood, hangs out with my neighbours and their kids, chases shadows. If I'm home, he follows me around the house for a while, then has a nap, then follows me around the house some more, then sits on my PC mouse so I have to move him to keep working, and of course when my hand goes near him, that's the start of the "lets see who's reflexes are fastest" game.

Fish are great pets for those who live alone. Fish actually prefer to be left alone. They don't like it when people go storming past their tanks regularly, so they thrive if they're left alone most of the day.
 
#9
I do not know your situation but my wife and I adopted a retired racing greyhound three years ago. A retired racer might suit your given situation because when they live on racing farms they spend up to 14 hrs. per day locked in a kennel. When they are retired to go live with a family their bed translates as their kennel and they will stick to that spot until it is time to go out to play. There is a misconception that greyhounds are high strung and need a ton of exercise but this is far from true, they ain't called," the worlds fastest couch potatoes" for nothing! There are three important rules to having a greyhound 1. They do not make good watch dogs. 2.you can not trust one off a leash or outside a fence (sighthounds, sighthounds, sighthounds, folks!) 3.they do not like cats (they save all their aggression for smaller furry animals that resemble rabbits.) if you can get past these basic rules I suggest you do some research on the internet they are great pets!! :)
 

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