Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Right now
:: Researching dog walkers and feeling a little heart sick over the expense. For this much money I could have a house cleaner come every week (a luxury I have long denied us, citing budget constraints). But Circe > than a clean house. D has been taking her to work since we adopted her, but he's changing jobs and that won't be an option anymore. We're already experiencing major guilt. Also, it's kind of hard to find dog walkers. How do people in apartments with full time jobs have pets?
:: Thinking I should write a post called "things I planned to make for Christmas that I'm obviously not going to have time to get around to" - homemade bitters and needlepoint embroidery would top the list. Next year.
:: Related - wishing that December didn't already feel like it was speeding away from me. I would like to lobby to make Thanksgiving a week earlier. I already feel so behind that I'm not sure it's worth putting up our tree. And I don't even do any Christmas shopping anymore! But I'd like more time for the decorating and the baking and the crafting. You know, the good parts.
:: Getting excited for all the new babies coming our way! I'm helping with three different baby showers over the next month so that's where all my crafting energy is going. I love little party details and want them all to be surprises, so I can't share anything just yet.
:: Feeling extremely uncertain about some of the plot developments in Nashville. Enjoying the love-child drama on Grey's Anatomy (deeply bored by the Callie-Arizona situation). Getting pretty into the current season of Top Chef.
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I agree whole heartedly over Thanksgiving. And I had to laugh over your second point..I could write a post called "the cleaning and decluttering I always think I'm going to do before Christmas but don't!" That is if I still posted on my blog. Haha!
ReplyDeleteI go home for lunch every day to let my dog out for 20 minutes. It kills me but it's necessary for him.
ReplyDeleteOh, I can see how that would be rough to commit to! But so nice that you are that close! My commute is over an hour each way, so there's no way. D will only be 15 minutes away but his new office has a strict 30 min lunch policy. Oy.
DeleteIs Circe a really energetic dog? We considered a dog walker but decided we just couldn't afford it. Instead, we staggered our workdays slightly and the dog gets a long morning and evening walk. Our dog actually looks forward to sleeping the day away and often goes to his favorite chair before we even leave the house! Maybe you could try it out and see how she adapts?
ReplyDeleteShe isn't, which is part of what kills me. She's 9 and definitely a bit more sedentary. I'm not sure if she'll even agree to go outside for a walk in the middle of the day (she likes evening strolls, but is reluctant in the mornings a lot of the time). Our big issue is that we both have set hours and can't adjust. I'm never out of the house for less than 11 hours a day once I factor in my commute and I feel like that's just pushing it.
DeleteShe's always in the house for 12 - 14 hours at a stretch at night (we walk her around 8pm and on the weekends she won't even get out of bed before 11 or so and we have to come in and wake her up). But somehow that feels different? Even though we know she sleeps for most of the day, I worry about her not having the option to go out for that long.
Can you tell I'm totally obsessing over this? We always had dogs growing up but they had access to a yard.
How long does your staggered workday come out to? We've considered testing it out but I'm worried our day is too long.
No help on the dog walker, sorry, but I do want to give moral support on Nashville. How great is it that Ty Herndon came out - mirroring at least one of the storylines:). I keep thinking they aren't sure if they have a next season, so the finale could either marry Connie off and that's the end of the story, or she and Blake break up. Wait. Is her fiancé named Blake? Oh lord I can't remember!
ReplyDeleteOh, interesting! (I am never, ever up to date on celebrity gossip, so I had no idea!)
DeleteI'm now also blanking on his name. Blake sounds right. No, wait, Luke! That's right, isn't it?
We have a 4 year old Boston Terrier. My boyfriend works from home frequently, but in general if we take her out in the AM she is good until we come home. Sometimes if I'm nervous I leave a pee pad out but we rarely have problems. Do you think Circe needs this or is it for your own piece of mind?
ReplyDeleteI honestly have no idea if Circe needs it and I'm a little afraid to test it out, even if maybe we should. It's definitely at least partly for my own peace of mind. I'm frequently stuck in traffic on the way home and it's agonizing enough as it is, I can only imagine how frustrated I'll be if I'm counting how long it's been since Circe has been able to go outside.
DeleteDid you have to teach your dog to use a pee pad? She's never used one and I'm not sure if she's trainable at this point. She will hold it for as long as it takes (she's done this before at work, when D was offsite for a meeting and she wanted to wait at his desk rather than go out with someone else).
Have you looked for any doggy daycare centers in your area? My dog gets to go about once a week, but can't stomach any more expense than that.
ReplyDeleteMy dog is a 5 yrs old pug, and he stays at home almost every day by himself and is perfectly fine. He sleeps all day long. Dogs don't have a sense of time like we do, all they know is that you're gone, and then you're back, not how long you've been gone for.
I have looked into them just a little and you are right - so pricey! I'm not sure Circe would love going to one. She likes other dogs (as long as they aren't stealing our attention) but she hates it when we leave her with other people. It's so weird - she doesn't mind staying home, or hanging out in the car, but she gets really anxious if we leave her at someone else's house, even for a little bit. It's like she's afraid that we've passed her off to another owner.
DeleteHow long are you out of the house for? We've left Circe for up to 8 hours at various times, but never longer. We're gone for 11 - 12 hours on a standard work day, though. I'm not sure if that's too long!
I would probably try extending the 8 hour stretch of time, 30 minutes at a time to get her used to it, and/or to know what her limit is. My bf works from home so both our large dogs haven't been trained to be alone for long periods of time so when he travels it is a big issue bc I work and go to school. Our dog walker charges $20 to let them out in our yard and hang out with them for the hour before they get put back in the laundry room (to keep the furniture safe). We recently have asked our neighbor who is already home to let them out so that might be an option? We love our neighbors so we're comfortable with that but maybe not if we lived in an apt? Can I just say how much I love this blog which is so unlike all the other blogs, your candor is so refreshing. I often wonder if I'm the only one going through the drama of what to do with our dogs since everyone seems to just leave them at home no big deal.
ReplyDeleteThanks! All the dog walkers I've looked at have similar prices, except the $20 covers a 30 minute walk. We don't have a yard, which is a big issue. So someone actually would have to put on her leash and take her out. D is all for talking to our very sweet next door neighbor about it, but I'm reluctant because it seems like such an imposition (a walk is def a bigger pain than just opening a door, I think). We'd pay her, obvs, but I'm in favor of just hiring someone else that we can then break up with if it isn't working out.
DeleteYou are definitely not alone on the dog drama front! I feel like a crazy person the last couple days, since we got very little notice about this change and now I'm scrambling to come up with a solution. I think we'll have to hire someone at least for next week, because I am scheduled to work extra long days most of the week.
I think our real solution would be to move to a place where we could have a yard that was enclosed enough that we'd feel comfortable putting in a dog door. But in an LA rental in our price point? Not so easy to find. : (
I could not imagine looking for a new place since you've just so recently settled in. Our sitter would walk our dogs but only one at a time because they're so big (Alaskan Malamutes) and the one who gets left behind goes crazy.
DeleteThe only thing about the dog door is that we have a neighbor who has an anxious dog like Circe and every time it rains and she's alone, she digs her way out of the yard and comes to our house where we keep her until our neighbor picks her up. Dog drama is really funny because I love our dogs so much and we're so aware of their wants/needs its hard to trust that they will be okay.
I really hope you find a sitter, but I would suggest still talking to your neighbor and giving them a key or something because sitters sometimes cancel and then it is really stressful. I prefer to pay someone to do it as well but I feel great knowing that I have a plan B in a jam.
PS - long time reader, first time commenting. The dog drama finally pushed me to chime in!
Oh, man. Runaway dogs are one of my greatest fears. I feel so lucky that Circe is a little homebody and doesn't show any desire to run away. The fox terrier I had as a kid was a houdini, so this was a welcome surprise.
DeleteYou're right - I'll definitely talk to our neighbor. I at least want her to know that the situation is changing and Circe will be home more, so that she feels comfortable telling us if Circe is making noise during the day.
And so nice to hear from you! I love it when readers come out of the woodwork.
We leave our dog alone for 10-12 hours on a regular basis, she's used to it and can go that long without needing to go out, but I recognize that not all dogs can do that. Could you hire a sitter for the next month only and have the sitter come later and later every few days so that eventually the sitter is coming so late that waiting another half hour or so until you get home isn't a big deal?
ReplyDeleteThis is so smart! I'll talk to our potential dog walker about it (meeting up tonight!). I think we're planning to hire for a month to ease the transition. I don't want Circe to go from being with someone all day, every day, to suddenly being alone in the house and not seeing anyone for 12 hours. I'll see if we can start gradually adjusting the time later as the month progresses and we'll see how she does.
DeleteI hear you on the expense and stress. When my ex and I broke up I ended up with the 4 yr old dog (which was his dog but he didn't want her anymore). I have a 45 min commute each way and work out twice a day so I don't have a lot of time for a dog. However, I figured out a schedule that eventually worked really well for me and my extremely energetic dog.
ReplyDeleteI take my dog for an hr walk every morning and an hr walk at night. I'm usually gone from the house, with the dog alone with the cat for company, for about 8-10 hours. The dog is always extremely happy to see me and always up for her nightly walk when I come home but she doesn't act as though she's tortured being alone. She doesn't have accidents nor destroy the house. The walks and regular schedule have been key for that. She knows she'll get excitement and a chance to do her business outside on her walk. She just has to wait for it.
I found a dog walker nearby, she charges $20 for a 30 min walk, and she comes by 1-2x a week, depending on my schedule. Meaning if I'm gone several days in a row for 10 hrs or so, I'll make sure the dog walker comes mid-afternoon 1-2x a week. I honestly think the dog would be fine without this but it eases -my- mind and makes me feel better about the care I'm providing. If my dog wasn't so active I probably wouldn't bother with the additional walks from the dog walker. I have a yard but my dog wants nothing to do with it. She wants out on a leash and to walk (probably a left over from living in an apartment during her early years).
Since your dog isn't so active you probably could get away with just seeing to her needs on your own. If you are worried about the care (which I totally understand and applaud). You could start with getting the dog walker in 2x a week and see if you notice a difference in your dog on the days with the walker versus without. If the walker is providing a tangible asset, you'll notice it in your dog's behavior.
Okay, not to be judge-y, but what an jerk! I can't imagine abandoning my dog. It's so good of you to have taken her in.
DeleteWe have the opposite issue with Circe/walks! She grew up in a house with a yard and never walked, so getting her used to walking has been tricky. I think she would vastly prefer just being allowed to go outside in a yard and then walking once a day (she has figured out that walks can be fun, but she isn't into the 3x walk per day thing some of the time).
Thank you for sharing your experience! I know I sound like a crazy person, but I was having so much trouble figuring out what other people were doing, what was normal, and what dogs can handle. I think we'll get the dog walker for a month, to help ease the adjustment and then we'll see if we can reduce from there.
My roommate has two one-year-old dogs. Both are super energetic. She takes them on a walk before she leaves at 8 AM, and then she takes them on a walk when she is home at 7 PM. They are fine -- they sleep the day away! Even before we had two, the solitary dog was fine. I think if you get a dog walker in maybe two or three times a week, that should be fine.
ReplyDeleteThank you! That's about the length of day we would have. Circe is a champion napper, so I'm sure she would do the same (I mean, she basically sleeps all day when she goes to work too).
DeleteI think we'll get a dog walker daily at first, just to have a less abrupt transition for her, and then maybe we'll look into spacing it out a bit.
I've been a forever reader but never comment... but I wish I could walk Circe! For free!!! I don't live in your area, but I like going out for walks with my two daughters every day anyway. Our family loves dogs so much but can't have one because of our current situation. We compromise by visiting, dogsitting, and loving the dogs our friends have. I don't know if this would be too scary, but what if you put an ad on Craigslist? You never know who might be out there, willing to help out just for the love of dogs :)
ReplyDeleteAwwww ... this is such a sweet idea! I think I would be freaked out posting something on Craigslist, but I wish we had dogless friends or family so close that they might want to do this.
DeleteThe good news is that Circe met her dog walker last week and she's happily had two walks with him this week - so far, so good, other than the crazy wallet depletion.