struggling to care for our dog- difficult decision to make.

[missk1989]

We have had our dog for four years. She is great. She is so mild mannered and placid. Great for lo to play with and a beautiful dog. But since returning to work after maternity we are really struggling to care for her. OH has just started a new job too so has to leave earlier and it is stressful trying to get ready in the morning and take care of a toddler and walk a dog. Then she is locked in the house all day for about 10 hours until we get home and walk her again. My mil offered to have the dog mon-fri as its less hassle for us and they are home most of the day and even though I was concerned about her constantly being moved around i couldnt find a better solution so agreed. We have had this arrangment for a couple of months now and its not working that great. We still have the same troubles when mil goes away and more importantly the dog isnt coping. Most weekends she is home she is sick which i believe is the stress of being moved all the time. She doesnt seem happy anymore and I think we need to seriously consider rehoming. The thing is we got her from a rescue centre and she has already been through so much before we got her. I dont want to put her through more heartache but i dont think we can meet her needs anymore. I would be gutted to see her go but I know MIL wont have her full time and I think it may be the best option for her. What would you do? How do i even go about rehoming without taking her back to the kennels?

 

[MrsButterfly]

Would a dog walker be an option for you? We have one for our dog and it means she gets out for an hour walk every day while we're out. It tires her out so she sleeps until we then get home. But obviously there's a cost attached to that.

Such a tough decision. You're in the uk aren't you? If you decide to rehome I would probably go to dogs trust etc. They're experienced in rehoming and can weed out people who wouldn't be as suitable a home. I adopted a rabbit once from a shelter and it was in my contract that if I needed to rehome her again I had to take her back to them - do you have anything similar?

 

[lilyd]

How did you manage before you went on maternity leave?

I think pp idea of a dog walker is probably the best solution, it would be such a shame to rehome, especially as she is a great dog and has already had a troubled past x

 

[Lauraxamy]

I agree with the other ladies, a dog walker would be the best option. I'd re-home as a last resort especially because of her already being from a rescue place.
My dog is shut in while I work 4 days a week, but as soon as my Mum finishes work she walks him (which is usually around 4pm) and lets him out. He's the happiest dog ever and he's used to his routine.

 

[Eleanor ace]

Agree with the others, I'd go down the daog walker route, or have your MIL walk her if she's able to. It might be a real struggle for her if she's rehomed having been through it once already. And a shame for you having to lose her when she's a lovely dog who you're fond of by the sounds of it

 

[missk1989]

I would definitley consider a dog walker im just not sure we can afford it. How much do you pay?

 

[RaspberryK]

I'd suggest a walker too - there are lots of websites where you can search for one locally.
Xx

 

[MrsButterfly]

Our dog walker is £10 for an hour walk. Ones round us vary quite a bit in price though. Search around and meet them. You're giving access to your home so I think its important you like and trust them. Our walker has become like a friend now so it works fab for us. She also does home boarding which has been a fantastic alternative to kennels for when we're away and can't take the dog.

 

[Lauraxamy]

It's probably best to research or ask about because I know there's some round here that are really reasonable and others that aren't. Someone I know has one who comes in twice a day and takes them out for half hour at a time and I think she's really reasonably priced.

 

[Kay_Baby]

A dog walker is a good suggestion.

Some rehoming charities have people who foster dogs for them, my boss does it as his OH works from home, so they are not always in kennels. If you are having issues and a walker is not an option it's best to talk to a rehoming place as soon as possible to make a plan.

 

[Peanut78]

Dog walker sounds like a good plan if that can work.

Otherwise I agree with you that you need to think of the best interests of your dog - even if that means letting go. We moved countries a few years back and knew it was not in the best interests of our dog who would have gone from a spacious out-door environment to one where there was very little space and the climate was inhospitable for significant parts of the year to the point where he could only be out a matter of minutes. It was a really tough decision, but in his best interest - we re-homed with a loving family where he could continue to have the quality of life he deserved.

 

[RachA]

With you being out of the house for up to 10 hours each day I wouldn't actually suggest a dog walker as it still means your dog is on it's own for too long a period of time each day. I would instead look into getting someone to have the dog for a set period of hours each day. They can walk the dog but they can also give it attention in their own home for a few hours.
I am coming to this from the position of someone who looks after a dog Mon-Fri each week (excluding school holidays). I kind if job share with my mum so if I'm away she has the dog every day and the other way round if they are away.
I get paid £6 per day for doing this.

However if the dog has anxiety then I'm not sure if having a dog walker or someone to look after it during the day would work anyway. It's possible that it'll still be anxious because of being left alone do much.
I would try the dog walker/carer route first though. Hope you can work something out. I know how if feel if I had to think about rehoming my dog.

 

[missk1989]

The cheapest dog walker round here is £6.50 for 30 mins. I dont think we could really afford to do this more than twice a week and that doesnt really solve the problem. Is her being locked in all day worse than being moved from house to house? she usually ignores us when we are home anyway.

 

[RachA]

The cheapest dog walker round here is £6.50 for 30 mins. I dont think we could really afford to do this more than twice a week and that doesnt really solve the problem. Is her being locked in all day worse than being moved from house to house? she usually ignores us when we are home anyway.

That depends on which causes her more anxiety. My dog can be left for 6-8 hours if we absolutely have to. She also goes to my parents if I'm not going to be around-neither of those cause her anxiety but she does quite often give us the cold shoulder when we get home. I wouldn't say that she totally ignores us when we are here but she isn't all over us (unless we have food lol)

I'm no expert but I wouldn't of thought a 30min walk each day is the best if you are out for 10hours although that does depend on the type of dog I guess.

I think though that you know your dog best and deep down you know what's going to be for the best.

 

[lhancock90]

I think maybe the dog going to MILs a couple of hours? Then perhaps she won't be as upset because she comes home still?

xx