Keeping my dog as a single person while doing tc

[2020Applicant]

I wanted to ask whether anyone has the experience of keeping their dog as a single person while doing their training contract and the things they did to manage. Rehoming my dog is not really an option for me as they are a major part of my mental health stability which is massively important to me so I just wanted to hear of anyone that has encountered a similar situation and the things they did to get by.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I wanted to ask whether anyone has the experience of keeping their dog as a single person while doing their training contract and the things they did to manage. Rehoming my dog is not really an option for me as they are a major part of my mental health stability which is massively important to me so I just wanted to hear of anyone that has encountered a similar situation and the things they did to get by.

You are going to need to find someone who can have your dog on a regular basis, and depending on the firm you are working for, potentially beyond usual dog day care hours too.

I am not a lawyer, but I work in a law firm and I am in your position - single person with a dog (Dennis). I am incredibly fortunate that my parents look after Dennis when I have to go to work but I am only 6 weeks into being back working (and I only do 4 days a week) and I am already starting to think about what dog day care options I can have for when my parents can’t have him (eg when they are on holiday).

If your dog can be left at home on its own for periods of time, you may find a dog walker can pop in and collect it, walk it for a couple of hours and bring it home, but depending on your commute and working hours, you need to be mindful you could be leaving your dog for easily for 10-12 hours a day, and if your in a firm known for long working hours, that could easily be 14-16 hours, and therefore having someone who can have your dog for longer periods of time maybe fairer to your dog, especially if it’s used to you being at home.

I would invest the time into finding appropriate and flexible dog care providers if your family/friends can’t support you - the key will be finding a provider who can go beyond 8am-6pm and who can commit to five days a week. That isn’t going to be cheap though. Even at four days a week, my dog day care is going to end up over £500 a month.

 

[2020Applicant]

You are going to need to find someone who can have your dog on a regular basis, and depending on the firm you are working for, potentially beyond usual dog day care hours too.

I am not a lawyer, but I work in a law firm and I am in your position - single person with a dog (Dennis). I am incredibly fortunate that my parents look after Dennis when I have to go to work but I am only 6 weeks into being back working (and I only do 4 days a week) and I am already starting to think about what dog day care options I can have for when my parents can’t have him (eg when they are on holiday).

If your dog can be left at home on its own for periods of time, you may find a dog walker can pop in and collect it, walk it for a couple of hours and bring it home, but depending on your commute and working hours, you need to be mindful you could be leaving your dog for easily for 10-12 hours a day, and if your in a firm known for long working hours, that could easily be 14-16 hours, and therefore having someone who can have your dog for longer periods of time maybe fairer to your dog, especially if it’s used to you being at home.

I would invest the time into finding appropriate and flexible dog care providers if your family/friends can’t support you - the key will be finding a provider who can go beyond 8am-6pm and who can commit to five days a week. That isn’t going to be cheap though. Even at four days a week, my dog day care is going to end up over £500 a month.

Hi Jessica, thank you for responding. I think you’re probably right with the suggestion of a day care, I would be happy to do this but my only concern is whether I would be able to afford this on a trainee salary.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, thank you for responding. I think you’re probably right with the suggestion of a day care, I would be happy to do this but my only concern is whether I would be able to afford this on a trainee salary.

That is the difficulty unfortunately - it isn’t cheap.

Can your dog be left during the day? If so, a dog walker could be an option as that’s likely to be somewhat cheaper.

You might want to try and find other local dog owners who might be able to take yours in during the day, and almost try and find a reciprocal agreement where you take their dog at the weekend or while they are away. This is something I am going to explore, although I can do this where I have a good WFH pattern and also only work 4 days a week.

You can also try sites like Borrow My Doggy, but the issue there is it’s so easy for people to be flaky where they aren’t being paid.

Could friends/family help out too?

 

[2020Applicant]

That is the difficulty unfortunately - it isn’t cheap.

Can your dog be left during the day? If so, a dog walker could be an option as that’s likely to be somewhat cheaper.

You might want to try and find other local dog owners who might be able to take yours in during the day, and almost try and find a reciprocal agreement where you take their dog at the weekend or while they are away. This is something I am going to explore, although I can do this where I have a good WFH pattern and also only work 4 days a week.

You can also try sites like Borrow My Doggy, but the issue there is it’s so easy for people to be flaky where they aren’t being paid.

Could friends/family help out too?

Yes my dog can be left during the day for some hours so I’ll look into a dog walker. Unfortunately my family wouldn’t really be able to help on a consistent basis but you’ve given me great options to think about, thank you so much!