We both WOH. We adopted our then 5 year old dog (pug-mix) from an animal rescue about 2 years ago and we love her and she is great! She gets walked in the mornings and then is typically home for about 7 hours before my teenage son gets home to let her in the backyard. You have to figure that most dogs can go at least 9-10 hours without going out (that's a conservative estimate of how long dogs go without going outside while we all sleep). So I don't think this is a problem at all.

My biggest bit of advice is not to get a puppy. They: (1) are full of energy and need more attention; and (2) require more effort to house train and need to go outside more often. The other thing is, especially if you are thinking of a rescue dog -- a lot of organizations will not like the fact that you are away from the house so long during the days with a puppy. They are far more lenient with full-grown dogs. When we were considering getting a puppy, we got a lot of push back from these organizations. They wanted to know if we would be able to come home in the middle of the day to let the puppy out or if we would have a dog walker. I get that now, and I absolutely think adopting a grown dog was the right choice for us for that reason.

I also telework once a week and it's true that my dog sleeps almost all day long. I do end up letting her our a few times - but mostly to lay in the sun or chase squirrels She refuses to go out when it's raining or cold

We had her in a crate during the day for a short period of time, to be sure she was house-trained and wasn't going to eat shoes or stuffed animals or who knows what when we were gone. There are people who are strongly opposed to this, but we have been told by vets and rescues alike that this is acceptable. She was very good about it and I think it was necessary at the time, but I'm glad we didn't have to continue it very long.

Anyhow, OP, I think you should go for it. Don't let people make you feel bad about not being there 24-7. There are so many dogs that need a loving home, and you sound like a genuinely nice and caring person who has given this plenty of thought. Enjoy your new companion!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you do this to an animal? You are not yet at a station in life to bring in a new pet. I think people who do this are thinking more about themselves and wanting it to be blessed by others who do it, rather than putting the best interests of the animal first. Just ask yourself a simple question. Is it in the dog's best interests to be home alone, all day, in a crate or not, for 4 out of 7 days?

Dogs sleep most of the day. Many, many working families have very happy dogs.

I don't like the idea of crating a dog all day, personally, so that's not what I would choose - but at the end of the day, even with crating, most dogs would rather be in a family that works full time, than in a shelter. So, consider the alternatives.

Dogs do not experience it this way. They don't think hey, this is better than that shelter. They just know that they are stuck in a box all day long, every day.

It is CRUEL and inhumane and unhealthy for the dog to do this. Don't adopt a dog if you are going to cage it all day every day.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/animal-doctor-prolonged-caging-of-dogs-is-cruel-and-harmful/2015/11/05/b7c8432a-828f-11e5-8ba6-cec48b74b2a7_story.html

That dude is a freakin loon, he also thinks giving your dog kibble is terrible and raw is the only way to go.

Actually, he supports high-quality kibble diets.

In any case, here are other authorities who decry the all-day crating of dogs. No one thinks it is a good idea.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/crate_training.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-information/dog-trainer-morn/dog-being-crated.aspx

http://3lostdogs.com/dog-crates-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

The humane society link says crates shouldn't be used day and night. No one here is advocating that.

The second link doesn't work.

The third link is not from an organization I've ever heard of so I don't really care what they say.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you do this to an animal? You are not yet at a station in life to bring in a new pet. I think people who do this are thinking more about themselves and wanting it to be blessed by others who do it, rather than putting the best interests of the animal first. Just ask yourself a simple question. Is it in the dog's best interests to be home alone, all day, in a crate or not, for 4 out of 7 days?

Dogs sleep most of the day. Many, many working families have very happy dogs.

I don't like the idea of crating a dog all day, personally, so that's not what I would choose - but at the end of the day, even with crating, most dogs would rather be in a family that works full time, than in a shelter. So, consider the alternatives.

Dogs do not experience it this way. They don't think hey, this is better than that shelter. They just know that they are stuck in a box all day long, every day.

It is CRUEL and inhumane and unhealthy for the dog to do this. Don't adopt a dog if you are going to cage it all day every day.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/animal-doctor-prolonged-caging-of-dogs-is-cruel-and-harmful/2015/11/05/b7c8432a-828f-11e5-8ba6-cec48b74b2a7_story.html

That dude is a freakin loon, he also thinks giving your dog kibble is terrible and raw is the only way to go.

Actually, he supports high-quality kibble diets.

In any case, here are other authorities who decry the all-day crating of dogs. No one thinks it is a good idea.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/crate_training.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-information/dog-trainer-morn/dog-being-crated.aspx

http://3lostdogs.com/dog-crates-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you do this to an animal? You are not yet at a station in life to bring in a new pet. I think people who do this are thinking more about themselves and wanting it to be blessed by others who do it, rather than putting the best interests of the animal first. Just ask yourself a simple question. Is it in the dog's best interests to be home alone, all day, in a crate or not, for 4 out of 7 days?

Dogs sleep most of the day. Many, many working families have very happy dogs.

I don't like the idea of crating a dog all day, personally, so that's not what I would choose - but at the end of the day, even with crating, most dogs would rather be in a family that works full time, than in a shelter. So, consider the alternatives.

Dogs do not experience it this way. They don't think hey, this is better than that shelter. They just know that they are stuck in a box all day long, every day.

It is CRUEL and inhumane and unhealthy for the dog to do this. Don't adopt a dog if you are going to cage it all day every day.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/animal-doctor-prolonged-caging-of-dogs-is-cruel-and-harmful/2015/11/05/b7c8432a-828f-11e5-8ba6-cec48b74b2a7_story.html

That dude is a freakin loon, he also thinks giving your dog kibble is terrible and raw is the only way to go.

Anonymous wrote:For heaven sake, crate training is about containing the dog in certain situations, not putting the poor creature in a crate for hours and hours every day. Every last animal protection/humane society in the country agrees that crating a dog all day every day is cruel and inhumane.

I suggest you adopt a low-energy middle-aged or senior dog who can be left alone in the house safely. Hire a dog walker to come in mid-day.

Either that, or forgo a dog until you have a different situation at hand.

Really? Source? Because I've volunteered at plenty of animal shelters and humane societies and fostered with rescues and there were PLENTY of dogs where it was recommended they be crated when the owners were not home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you do this to an animal? You are not yet at a station in life to bring in a new pet. I think people who do this are thinking more about themselves and wanting it to be blessed by others who do it, rather than putting the best interests of the animal first. Just ask yourself a simple question. Is it in the dog's best interests to be home alone, all day, in a crate or not, for 4 out of 7 days?

Dogs sleep most of the day. Many, many working families have very happy dogs.

I don't like the idea of crating a dog all day, personally, so that's not what I would choose - but at the end of the day, even with crating, most dogs would rather be in a family that works full time, than in a shelter. So, consider the alternatives.

Dogs do not experience it this way. They don't think hey, this is better than that shelter. They just know that they are stuck in a box all day long, every day.

It is CRUEL and inhumane and unhealthy for the dog to do this. Don't adopt a dog if you are going to cage it all day every day.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/animal-doctor-prolonged-caging-of-dogs-is-cruel-and-harmful/2015/11/05/b7c8432a-828f-11e5-8ba6-cec48b74b2a7_story.html

For heaven sake, crate training is about containing the dog in certain situations, not putting the poor creature in a crate for hours and hours every day. Every last animal protection/humane society in the country agrees that crating a dog all day every day is cruel and inhumane.

I suggest you adopt a low-energy middle-aged or senior dog who can be left alone in the house safely. Hire a dog walker to come in mid-day.

Either that, or forgo a dog until you have a different situation at hand.

Anonymous wrote:Why would you do this to an animal? You are not yet at a station in life to bring in a new pet. I think people who do this are thinking more about themselves and wanting it to be blessed by others who do it, rather than putting the best interests of the animal first. Just ask yourself a simple question. Is it in the dog's best interests to be home alone, all day, in a crate or not, for 4 out of 7 days?

When I telework my pets sleep most of the day. I don't think they mind my not being here when I am in the office.

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I have always wanted to get a dog. Would have gotten one pre-kids but lived in a building that didn't permit pets. We've lived in a house for several years but I have been reluctant to get a dog because our children were young and I was concerned that we could not dedicate the energy to a dog that I think it deserves. I'm now feeling that we can devote the necessary time and energy to a dog, when we are there. And that's where the problem lies. My husband and I both WOH. I am able to telecommute one day every two weeks and my husband (for now) can work from home more often. However, he will not be in this position long term. We leave the house around 8:30 and return between 5:30 and 6 (and I am home by 4 a couple times a week).

I am interested in hearing from other dog owners who are not there during the day. I grew up with a golden retriever and a stay at home mom, so this is just not an issue we dealt with growing up. My dog owner friends, for the most part, either work at home or have a stay at home parent. My feeling is that we would try to select a medium energy breed (or mix, as we'd likely adopt a rescue). If you aren't there for most of the day, did you crate train? Is that humane? Is a dog walker a good idea/worth the expense? It's important to me to be a responsible, caring dog owner, so we won't get a dog if we can't meet the dog's needs. However, I really want one so would love to hear how others manage to be good dog owners while working out of the home.

We didn't crate, and having a dog walker come in every day stressed our dog out and she wouldn't potty with them most of the time, so we stopped using one. Dog is fine!

I've had a dog since I was 12. I took her to college with me, she came to my wedding, etc.

Now we're on my second dog. We got the second one at a time when one of us could be home for two weeks straight to train her. She went in her crate each time we left the house. We hired a dog walker to come twice a day, then once a day. We gradually increased how much space she had to run as she got older. By the time she was 8 months, she had the whole house.

These days we have a full time nanny who is happy to take our now-well-trained dog on an afternoon walk each day.

I'd wait. I have a 13 year old dog who is at the end of his life. We both WOH - and though DH only works 2 mi from home - I work 60 mins away. We're gone from the home from 9 AM - 6 PM most days including kids activities. (Twins are almost 7)

This is ok for my old dog - he's used to it and sleeps 22 hours a day. I don't think this is ok for a puppy or younger dog. I think they need more exercise and interaction.

We will probably wait until the kids are 13 or older to get another dog after our dog passes. We just aren't home enough and the kids aren't old enough to reliably assist with the dog's care. And if I'm honest about it, while I love my dog so, so much - I'm looking forward to a time being able to leave home for more than 12 hours without arranging care. And, I'm pretty sure we won't find a dog better than ours anytime soon.

Anonymous wrote:If you get a slightly older dog who's been fostered in a home like yours - young kids, parents working outside the home - you'll know they can handle their routine.

Dog walkers are also a great option.

Good luck with the new addition - dogs are so great, you're going to love having one.

This is what we did. adopted a 4 year old spaniel/border collie mix who was already house trained. We have always had a dog walker come mid-day and never are away from the house for more than 6 hours.

During the snow days, my dog was like "I just want to nap. It's a weekday. Why can't you all go to work already?!" It was hilarious how fed up with us he was. He wanted to have his house back. He adores following up around on the weekends, but after a full weekend he expects us to go back to work and leave him be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you do this to an animal? You are not yet at a station in life to bring in a new pet. I think people who do this are thinking more about themselves and wanting it to be blessed by others who do it, rather than putting the best interests of the animal first. Just ask yourself a simple question. Is it in the dog's best interests to be home alone, all day, in a crate or not, for 4 out of 7 days?

Dogs sleep most of the day. Many, many working families have very happy dogs.

I don't like the idea of crating a dog all day, personally, so that's not what I would choose - but at the end of the day, even with crating, most dogs would rather be in a family that works full time, than in a shelter. So, consider the alternatives.

I work from home every day and you know what my dogs do all day? Sleep. Sleep some more. Stand up and stretch. Maybe go look out the window at the birds. Go back and sleep. Scratch 3 times. Sniff their butts. Sleep.

My being home has very little impact on their day, other than I walk them a bit at lunch. Their lives are not significantly improved by my being around.

+1. I came home to let my dog out (DH usually works from home but is out of town today) and thought we might go on a nice long walk, given the lovely weather. My dog had other plans - napping.

^^I meant to add, I would never crate my dog all day or keep him closed off in a room because it's too confining. He enjoys the freedom even if he's sleeping in his bed most of the day.