Okay so today I landed a job which is great. The schedule is 530-1130 which means that I will have plenty of time to stay with Saya. Well here is the problem all of a sudden my oldest sister who is also responsible for Saya wants to get a job at that same place. which means that for that time Saya will have no body to take care of her. I told her to look for a job elsewhere but she refuses to do so. I study mondays and wednesdays from 8 and to 2 and she goes from 8 to 12( I had also told her to choose a different schedule from me that way there was always somebody in the house who can take care of saya) She also decided to not listen to me. Well now we are at a standstill because by the look of things if she decides to get this job it means that Saya will be alone for 6 hours on certain days. and on 2 days of the week she will be alone for about 10 hours, something that is unfair to her. She already knew about this job and refused to go and work there, well of a sudden she sees the need to go there. Had she gone to get the job before me I would've gladly looked for another job. apparently she does not want to cooperate she thinks leaving Saya alone is perfectly alone. Anyways by the looks of things we might need to get another dog now, so saya can have a playbuddy while we are away. By the way while we are gone for work there will be people in the house so saya wouldnt be completely alone. But my other sister or mother wouldn't walk saya and they will not play with her as much as my sister and I do. Any suggestions as to what we can do would getting another dog be a wise move perhaps?

I don't know that getting another dog would necessarily be the best thing to do right now, but I'd recommend looking for a doggy day care. We take Ghost twice a week to one (we're gone sometimes 10+ hours too), and she loves it. She gets to interact with other dogs and burn energy all day instead of being cooped up inside her crate forever. Get in the new job and find your routine, see how things are working with Saya, and then consider getting another dog.

So I'm curious. Is Saya your dog or did you and your sister decide together to get Saya? I'm just wondering because it sounds like either your sister (a) volunteered and it was more than she expected, or (b) she isn't living up to her end of owning a dog.

If Saya is just your dog . . . I would consider figuring out how it is going to work without your sister's help. Not that she can't help sometimes, just that if your sister is being difficult then maybe its better for your relationship with your sister to figure it out without her.

If Saya is her dog also . . . then I would consider having a sit down discussion with your sister about how exactly you are going to share the responsibility of owning Saya and then hold her to it.

Either way the doggy day care is a great idea. I don't think six hours alone for Saya would be unreasonable (especially if she has been walked and fed and gone potty first). And you could use the doggy day care on the two days a week that you will be gone for 10 hours a day. If you are really concerned about the six hour day, maybe you could hire someone to stop by at about hour 3 and take Saya for a short walk.

The issue is like you stated is our dog. We agreed to get it together. She knew what it meant to get a dog, but all of a sudden is like the responsibilities are out of the window. Its highly frustrating since the job was open to begin with and she refused to even go to get it but all of a sudden she wants in on it. And yeah I will look into a doggy day care, or perhaps getting another dog after I see how things work out.

dbingham12 wrote:

Either way the doggy day care is a great idea. I don't think six hours alone for Saya would be unreasonable (especially if she has been walked and fed and gone potty first). And you could use the doggy day care on the two days a week that you will be gone for 10 hours a day. If you are really concerned about the six hour day, maybe you could hire someone to stop by at about hour 3 and take Saya for a short walk.

I would agree. You don't want your pup getting too dependant on always having someone home with her. There will come a time when she will have to be alone and it's best to slowly get her used to it so she doesn't stress out when that time comes.

I would strongly suggest you not get a second dog just for a playmate. First off, Saya doesn't seem like she will be alone for very long/often and as you said she wouldn't even be really alone most of the time. You are young and already facing some unknowns with the dog care situation (and believe me as you move to your own place, etc. in the upcoming years you'll face even more) and this is hard enough with one dog. A second dog should only be gotten because you want another dog and have the time, resources, and stability for a second dog. It shouldn't be just for a playmate. Sounds like you have a decent support system and will make it work for Saya; plus she really can handle being alone sometimes. Definitely look into daycare, most dogs love it!

@ nardics yeah i guess you are right. We were definitively iterested in another dog way back then. Most people reccomended another one that way saya can get tired more often. Well after today I realized my sister has no sense of responsibility whatsoever. Saya eats at 630, my sister had to walk her at 6 saya was almost out of meat and i told her to stop by the meat market to get saya some food. Well her reply was that she did not know how to buy meat. So I told her to get 10 dollars worth of chicken quarters, and 10 dollars worf of breast well she still refused to do it. Then came back trying to bash me saying "jeffry go buy saya her food or do you not care about your dog." the hypocrisy kills me she knew i was busy yet refused to get her the meat when she had a chance and comes
And blames me. Clearly getting another dog and relying on my sister wouldnt be wise.

I think having your mother and another sister at the house during the day might actually be worse than if Saya was there all alone. I know my dog is a MESS if someone is home and he is not getting the attention that he thinks he deserves! When my husband and I both worked, the dog we had at the time was in her crate 8+ hours Monday - Friday. They get used to it. You will just have to commit to spending extra time with her when you are not working or going to school.