Re: worknig and having a dog My cousin and his wife adopted their first dog from the RSPCA. My cousin is the main farmer in the family so although not conventional working hours he works full time and his wife worked. The RSPCA had no problem allowing them to adopt polly as long as they had a pen and kennel outdoors for her. We have 3 other rescue dogs in my extended family now. The dogs home they came from didn't even do a home check never mind asked if they worked full time !!! As has been said everyone on this forum cares and wants the best for their dogs or they wouldn't have bothered joining a forum. We all have different ways and views of achieving the goal but ultimately it's the same that our dogs are healthy and happy. ;D
Re: worknig and having a dog I honestly think it is an awful mistake to try to shoe horn this argument into black or white, always right or always wrong. Although it does seem to happen every time this is discussed. Some dogs who are left while their owners work are going to be miserable and have a whole heap of knock on behavioural problems. But that does not mean all are - far from it. Some dogs are going to be fine. It seems blindingly obvious that not working and being at home is no guarantee whatsoever, on its own, that someone has a happy dog. Maybe we should be talking instead about how to detect whether a dog is happy and content, and free from behavioural problems that might be caused by too much isolation, and not talk about working homes or not.
Re: worknig and having a dog The rescue organizations I've worked with ask some very particular questions, but have been reassured when they realize that the dogs are not left alone until after several months of adjustment and training, and even then, there are other dogs in the home for company. I've never adopted a new animal (cats, too) except at the start of summer break, when I usually have 10 weeks of free time. Even summer school this summer was okay since I had a month with Daisy before having to leave her for several hours. The breeder also asked about timing for my return to teaching in the fall and agreed that a by-then-5 month old puppy, in the company of two older dogs, with ready access to both indoor and outdoor space, should be okay. I don't know if there are any "official" regulations on rehoming companion animals or if the organizations just do it the way they think best. I tend to think it's the latter. For example, some cat rescues absolutely will not declaw or allow it, whereas others feel it's okay if it means the cat will have good indoor home (I think the thinking is better declawed and find a home than no declaw and be in a shelter for years - but that's a whole new controversial topic! Let's not go there!). The rescues I work with always do a home visit, too, and I think that helps them make a decision, too.
