Dogs are intrinsically social animals and thrive best in social settings. Their strong desire to be alongside their human companions is likely how they became called “man’s best friend.” In fact, companionship is so important to dogs, that they suffer strong emotional tolls when left alone repeatedly for long periods of time.
Thus, one thinking about adopting a dog should really consider work schedules and other commitments they may necessitate leaving the dog at home for considerably long periods of time. If a person has a very demanding work schedule that keeps him/her away from the home on a regular basis, he/she may want to rethink committing to a dog.
In some cases, we may commit to a dog and at some point in the life of the dog, our work circumstances and/or commitments change that keep us away from the home for longer periods of time than what is good for the dog. Thankfully, as our culture has become ever more dog crazy, there are options to help during these times.
Doggy day care and spa facilities are popping up all over the country and gaining in popularity. I thankfully work close to home and can usually come home for lunch to walk my dogs and spend some time with them in the middle of the day. Yet, my dogs still spend 3 days a week at Dogtopia, a popular doggy day care facility in my town.
At Dogtopia, my dogs spend the day in a large room playing with other dogs under the supervision of trained dog handlers and take a break in the middle of the day to retreat to crates with the lights dimmed so that they get some physical, mental rest and enjoy a snack. With the exception their mid-day rest period, I can long onto a webcam and watch my dogs in play at any given time of the day.
There are also dog walking services where licensed and insured dog handlers will come to your home daily to walk your dog. During my senior year of vet school, I lived alone and had a very demanding schedule in my senior year of clinical training at the vet school teaching hospital. Even back then, I was able to find a dog walker to walk my dog 30 minutes in the middle of the day. These days, dog walking services are far easier to find.
