When we got our puppy last October (a Lab), my husband was working locally and “normal” hours, he was made redundant at Xmas and now has a job working in London and out of the house from 7am to 7/8pm ! I work 5 hours a day , 10 mins from home and our pup has a friend come in every lunch time to let her out for a wee and my friend also cleans for me twice a week so pup has her company for 2 hours twice a week then. Summer is great as I can walk pup at 6am before husband leaves for work and we then walk her again when he gets in the evening, but I am not sure what we will do in the winter. My daughter is 5 and wont appreciate being out in the cold and wet every afternoon after school! My only option I suppose is to pay a dog walker to walk her every day? What to others do, do you take your kids walking in the rain and cold?
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter Any chance of finding another person in a similar position to you? Then you might be able to trade child care and dog walks? If you don't mind walking two dogs.
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter I don't have children, but we do plan too in the future. At the moment my OH and I work the same hours so one of us can stay home and one of us walk the dog if necessary. However I am keen to impress on my children the responsibilities of owning a pet - even if that means walking in the wet and cold! I know that's probably easier said than done lol. I guess I would be sticking to the same routine as you have at the moment but one person do the child care and one person walk the dog. I certainly wouldn't pay a dog walker, for me it would be like paying a babysitter to come in while I walk the dog.
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter I paid a dog walker when we both worked full time - well worth the cost for peace of mind
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter It sounds a bit as though your daughter is going to have to get used to going out for a walk most afternoons - that is part and parcel of having a dog in the family! But maybe you can mix it up a little - maybe swap off dog walking with another dog owner one afternoon, and combine the dog walk with a trip to the park for a go on the swings or something else fun for your little girl another day... Perhaps you can arrange an after-school play date on afternoon a week, so you can go out with the dog while your daughter is at a friend's house for an hour or so. And of course you can always employ a dog walker once or twice a week, but with a one-year old dog You will still need to be doing some training, and personally I wouldn't want to entrust that totally to a dog walker. Don't worry, you'll work it out - though it's sensible to start thinking about the organization now. I find the winter a bit of a strain myself. I leave for work at 08:30, so if I am walking Poppy in the morning before then it is often in the dark. By the time I get home from work it is dark again! Thank goodness I work in a school, so get long holidays. Dog walking is distinctly more fun in the summer months!
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter Do you pick your daughter up from school and is it within walking distance ? If yes then you could combine walking the dog with picking up from school. Then pup could have a shorter late walk when your husband gets home. If school isn't within walking distance than that idea is no good obviously. : By your daughter a fancy umberella and some cool wellies and make walking in the rain fun. I've never minded the rain. I practically grew up in waterproofs. Before we were school age all my generation of the family stayed at the farm with nan and grandad. While nan baked grandad would take us out in the field picking cabbage etc. I'm guessing he didn't if it was chucking it down but getting wet was fun. Then fresh warm bread and homemade jam when we got in. : I'm not suggesting you start baking your own bread just have fun in the wet. ;D
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter Rather than paying a dog walker, look at the site borrow my doggy, its great, your sure to find someone on there who will walk your dog for free, once or twice a week or more if you want more than one person, cutting down on the walks you have to do. I use the site, and its worked really well for me. Maggie
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter My colleague has a 2 year old (actually, she probably also has another now - she was due 8 days ago and I haven't checked her messages yet ) She found this a real problem as her OH often works away. We are quite rural, she more so than me. There are a lot of dogs in her small village, and her boy is usually outside when she is at work, and anyone passing walking their own dog will usually pick him up and take him too ;D She does use a dog-walker though - I really don't see any way around it. I know Maggie has had great help from Borrow-My-Doggy too. It is worth exploring sharing both the dog walking and child-minding. Hope it sorts itself out.
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter Expose your 5 year old to the joys of the British winter. Generally speaking it isn't that bad. Wrap up warm and dry and have the fun of crunching through the leaves. Try catching leaves as they fall off the trees (supposed to bring you luck). Splashing in puddles. Viewing the dramatic winter sunsets when the sky goes pink and you can see the dark dramatic shape of the trees against it. Watch for the first Christmas Tree to go up in people's houses. Search for the first signs of Spring with little green shoots appearing. Go home to a hot drink and a slice of cake. True, some days the weather will be too bad to venture out, but a dog that normally is well exercised can cope with that.
Re: Walking Dogs in the Winter [quote author=Mollly link=topic=6929.msg94541#msg94541 date=1405233075] Expose your 5 year old to the joys of the British winter. Generally speaking it isn't that bad. Wrap up warm and dry and have the fun of crunching through the leaves. Try catching leaves as they fall off the trees (supposed to bring you luck). Splashing in puddles. Viewing the dramatic winter sunsets when the sky goes pink and you can see the dark dramatic shape of the trees against it. Watch for the first Christmas Tree to go up in people's houses. Search for the first signs of Spring with little green shoots appearing. Go home to a hot drink and a slice of cake. True, some days the weather will be too bad to venture out, but a dog that normally is well exercised can cope with that. [/quote] Those are part of the reasons I even got a dog! I love nothing more than a blue sky with freezing cold and frosty leaves to crunch through. Ooooh makes me long for autumn now it a shame we had no snow last winter - would have loved to see what penny made of that!
