What to do when you don’t have time for your dog
As most of you know, I’m a huge dog advocate. We have two pit-bull-german-shepherd mixes and I love them just like I love my own son. I mean I’m one of those dog-people that if I had a ton of money and the ability, I would love to purchase a huge property, rescue all the dogs from shelters, and find them their forever home or just have them live with me, haha.
So with that, today I’m hear to chat with you about something that I’ve been seeing SO MUCH lately. The, “I Don’t have time for my dog, I need to give him a new home” post.
Now, I completely understand that life gets busy and some people truly don’t have time or the resources to care for their dogs but sometimes giving your dog away can lead to more damage. Ideally, you’d give your dog away to a family that has TONS of time.. but what happens when that family you give your dog too gets too busy and doesn’t have time? Then that dog is going to be transferring from pack, to pack, to pack (aka family) which can lead to anxiety and instability in dogs. I would know, after all that’s what happened with my girl dog. She experienced a family that didn’t want her anymore so they decided to let her out which resulted in the shelter taking her. My sweet girl was very lucky that I drove from California to Washington to save her life (she was the biological sister of my 1st puppy) but.. a lot of dogs aren’t so lucky to have people rescue them before they’re put down.
So, in efforts to help you when you feel guilty about your dog being home alone, here are a few things/ideas that I’ve come up with because, just like you.. I felt guilty when we had our one dog. We’d be gone all day and he wouldn’t have anyone with him while we were at work. But, here’s what we did to cope with the “I don’t have time for my dog” phases that most of us go through.
1. You can get ifetch. It’s a device that your dog drops a ball in, and it shoots the ball across the room. Leaving the dog with hours of entertainment.
2. You can get your dog a friend. We did this, when we rescued our second dog. It was a lot easier to know that while we were gone working all day, our dogs now had each other. Someone to rest with, tackle with, and so on. We also also take them for walks in the morning and at night. Since I work from home now I’m able to spend a lot more time with them and even take them out during the day.. but regardless it’s nice to know that if we’re gone all day, they have each other.
3. Hire a dog walker. There are so many services and college students that would love to make $10-$20 bucks a day to go and spend an hour with your dogs. Find a reputable service such as Rover, or a recommendation from a friend. This will leave you guilt free and gives your dog someone to love on him and play with him.
I don’t like to see dogs lonely, and I don’t like to see people stressed. I know sometimes life throws you a huge curve ball and it’s really in the dogs best interest to find a home that’s more suitable for him but regardless, I hope these little tips help you!
Feel free to share this post!
Sincerely,
Brittney Kincannon
Also, just a tip & side note: Your local rescue may have suggestions as well. I didn’t know this until I became a dog-obsessed person, but animal rescues are a great source for information, and helpful at helping you find a suitable home for your dog. There are specific dog breed rescues. Try googling them and seeing what you find. They’ll usually have a resource page and helpful tips on their website.. even for dog-friendly apartments and hotels in the area. :)