Pup alone

Whispered

Hi, I would like some advice please. I have been fostering 3 collie x pups, about 10 weeks old now. 1 Has been booked for rehoming tomorrow and I just found out this morning that another has been booked, although I dont yet know when he will be going (nor have I met the new potential owner). That leaves me with the last little guy.

I work and am out of the house 10 hours a day, up until now this hasn't been a problem as they had each other.

I know it was not an ideal situation to foster pups but they were close to being PTS, plus it was to be a short term foster (IE over christmas 2 week holiday) but unfortunately one of them was ill and so they couldn't be rehomed until he was better and we were sure the other two had not caught anything.

Anyway, my qustion please is what is the best way to help this little guy cope with being alone for so long? He will be kept indoors as he is too young to be left out, plus it is my opinion that ten hours at a stretch is much too long for any dog to be outside. Anybody have any suggestions for me to try make sure this little guy stays happy until a more suitable home is found?

Thanks

jameshayes

Is he one of these 3 critters?

A puppy kong might do him for a few hours, but 10 hours is a long time, what about a neighbour that could check on him?

Whispered

Nope, on the same website though buster buddy and benson. It's buddy thats left poor baby. I thought he'd be the first to go, he's such a happy little thing!

I live in a typical "commuter area" in that most of the neighbours are gone all day. I might have to find a puppy sitter to call in. Anybody know anyone in the Kilcullen area who does this? I will of course pay them

Toulouse

Can you not contact the rescue group you are fostering for and ask their advice? Surely after the xmas rush there must be another foster who'd have space for him now so that he wouldn't have to be on his own for so long.

Do they rehome to people who are out of the house for 10 hours a day?

jameshayes

Toulouse wrote: »

Do they rehome to people who are out of the house for 10 hours a day?

It's not rehome, it's foster. And i'm sure they are better off alone for 10hours than PTS

Whispered

No they dont rehome to people who are out for so long unless there is something sorted like a dog sitter. It would break my heart for him to go to another foster home as the poor baby had a very rough start and I want to keep him as settled as possible until a permanant home is found. I have contacted a dog sitter in Kildare and am waiting to hear back, I have also asked on the charity website of there is anybody in my area who would like to do it so I should get some response. It is no problem for me to pay for a dog sitter, thats not really an issue at all. I love the little guy to bits!

Killme00

helena.ryan wrote: »

No they dont rehome to people who are out for so long unless there is something sorted like a dog sitter. It would break my heart for him to go to another foster home as the poor baby had a very rough start and I want to keep him as settled as possible until a permanant home is found. I have contacted a dog sitter in Kildare and am waiting to hear back, I have also asked on the charity website of there is anybody in my area who would like to do it so I should get some response. It is no problem for me to pay for a dog sitter, thats not really an issue at all. I love the little guy to bits!

Hi Helen,

You are doing a great job!! Perhaps DID could arrange another foster home for a few weeks, is he better now, as i know you said he wasnt feeding well.

Best of luck,
Tom

Toulouse

jameshayes wrote: »

It's not rehome, it's foster. And i'm sure they are better off alone for 10hours than PTS

She is fostering for a rescue who then rehome the dog. The run up to xmas is a very busy time for most rescues and I was making the point that maybe now another foster home would be able to take the little fella.

In my mind a foster home is firstly a place to save the dog from PTS but secondly a place to assess the dog and get him ready to go to his new home, i.e. toilet training etc. which can't be done when a carer is gone all day.

I understand that it's going to be hard for you to let him go and you've done an amazing job with him but you need to think about pups best interests and speak to the rescue about the situation if the pet sitter can't accomodate you.

Whispered

Killme00, are you following me? :eek:LOL, it was actually buster who wasn't feeding very well but he's fine now and has put on a good bit of weight. He doesn't look lik a mangey stray anymore

I can see what people are saying about getting him re-fostered but there are a couple of problems with this. Firstly DID have an appeal for fosterers on their website, I know they wouldn't leave him with me if I HAD to have him gone but I dont want to tak up valuable foster space which can be used to save another dog. Also, he is settled now where he is, to put him into another foster home then into a permanent home would just upset him, I know I cant really put human emotions on a pup but I just feel like he's already been "passed" around and will have to go through settling again somwhere else without the added stress of a new home in between.

As for Toulouse's point of toilet training etc, he is completly TT when I am there, when I am not he goes on newspaper by the back door. And even at that, there are 3 pups there and 3 "messes" when I get home so he is doing very well. I know this is not ideal but if I got a dog sitter, who can take him out during the day, there should not be a problem with continuing his TT. But I see what you're saying about thinking about what is best for him, I do feel though, if the dog sitter can call in, he would be best staying with me. I cant just think about him either, I also have to consider the other dog which will be missing out on an available fosterer if I send him elsewhere. If I cant get a pet sitter then I will definately speak to the charity, they are a fantastic bunch of people, and I know they would help me out here, but I want to keep that as a last option.

Can a pup be happy with a morning walk/play, a mid day one with a dog sitter then all evening with the "family"?

lurchin along

With you 100% helena,he shouldn't be bounced around more than he has to be.
Although it's not ideal that he's alone for stretches like that it won't upset him nearly as much as a 2nd foster placement.
Plenty of things to chew on,a radio or tv left on for him and he'll be fine.And maybe another foster dog to keep him company?

Whispered

lurchin along wrote: »

.And maybe another foster dog to keep him company?

LOL my boyfriend and cats would murder me in my sleep (i think it would be my boyfriends idea, but i reckon the cats would b only too happy to help)

lurchin along

He has the cats for company so!
And if your boyfriend isn't 100% behind you in the marvellous thing you are doing with these poor animals it's time for a new fella!
As a friend of mine once said to her fella who resisted her rescue animals coming into the house,"which one of you owns a suitcase?"

Whispered

Yeah I thought that although he sees the cats as play things and chases them (my big tom is easily 3 times the size of him and he runs!!) so I wouldn't leave them unsupervised!! My littl girl would rip his face off if he got too close!!

I think my bf's problem is really with the fact I get a bit upset and very attached Love the one about the suitcase. I told him once that if he even tried to make me choose between him and a biscuit, I'd pick the biscuit because it didn't try make me choose.

lurchin along

By Sunday I'll have clocked up 53 dogs saved and placed.Every one would be dead (or worse) if I hadn't taken it in.
There's not ONE that I don't miss once they go,not ONE that's ever forgotten,not ONE that I don't wish I could keep forever.
Some have come to me as pups and gone out 2-3 years later.
It IS hard.
It IS worth it-and there's always more out there

peasant

From the dogs point of view I would very much disagree with the statement that a second foster home would be worse for him than being alone for ten hours.

Age 8 to about 16 weeks is one of the most important phases in a dogs development. This is the age where socialisation happens. At this age the dog should be introduced and made familiar with all the things its going to meet later in life. Other dogs, other people, children, cats and other animals but also rather mundane things like travelling in a car, not being afraind of a hoover or an umbrella, letters falling through the door and a million other little things.

A dog that is not familiarised with its environement at this age may have issues (fear/aggression) later in life that will be very hard to impossible to fix then.

In ideal world I would much prefer the dog went to a place where it could be given this socialisation.


Helena, plaese don't take this as criticism of your hard work that you have put in on behalf of these pups ...but in the bigger picture a dog that develops issues later on in life could end up as another unwanted rescue case, being shoved from pillar to post, taking up rescue and foster places ...and so the viscious circle closes.

Whispered

peasant wrote: »

From the dogs point of view I would very much disagree with the statement that a second foster home would be worse for him than being alone for ten hours.

Helena, plaese don't take this as criticism of your hard work that you have put in on behalf of these pups ...but in the bigger picture a dog that develops issues later on in life could end up as another unwanted rescue case, being shoved from pillar to post, taking up rescue and foster places ...and so the viscious circle closes.

Not at all, I appreciate your advice, but it will be for a few weeks max. Do you think a dog sitter then would not b sufficient? He has just recieved his vax so other dogs is not a good idea at th moment but he travels in the car, visits other peoples houses etc so I do put as much into him as I can, but I see your point.

Whispered

lurchin along wrote: »

By Sunday I'll have clocked up 53 dogs saved and placed.

WOW!! Fair play.

peasant

Well ...its easy for me to sit behind my computer and postulate ...I've never even fostered a dog.

Theoretically, a foster home where the pup would be under full time supervision and guidance would be best ...practically a dog sitter (one who knows a bit about pups and familiarising them with their environement) is better than no dog sitter

lurchin along

Ya-opened a bottle of plonk the day it hit 40.When it reaches 100 I've promised myself champagne!

Arcadian

I think you should contact the rescue and have them find a new foster for the pup. It amazes me that a rescue would never consider homing to a working household but because it's ''only fostering'' then it's ok to put a pup in solitary confinement A pup needs company for socialisation etc, he'll be much happier moved to another foster home than languishing alone in the kitchen for 10hours a day.

Whispered

Arcadian, didn;t you read my posts at all? If you didn't the general gist of it was........... dog WAS to be rehomed but fell ill from being in the pound, so couldn't be, if dog sitter cant accommodate me, I will ask to have him put back into another foster home but if the dog sitter can, is that sufficient.

Also I would like to point out that your comments are obviously based on some completly uninformed and ignorant opinion on these charities. How can you say it amazes you? FFS do you know how many dogs are PTS because foster homes cannot be found?? They are crying out for foster places, would you prefer for dogs to be killed than go to a home like mine?? Cop on and do your research before critizing me and the people who work 9-5 in normal jobs then volunteer their time to run this orgnisation.

Arcadian

no matter

EGAR

Let's see. hmmm

A. Pup would have stayed in pound and either rehomed to every Dick, Tom and harry who comes through the door, be they bums or full time workers or it could have been lucky and find a brill home but sadly in most cases pups are either dying from Parvo or Corona or are being PTS'd, especially the sick ones.

B. The pup is safe in foster care and the fosterer obviously cares enough to ask questions re her situation and the lone pup (fair play to you woman!). She even considers a dog sitter!

C. The pup is being shuttled about to yet another place and by then doesn't know whether it is coming or going.

D. The pup goes to a rescue where it would sit in a kennel for a loooong time each day. Granted, it might have canine company but HOW many rescues can spent adequate time with a pup ever day- REALLY?


I much prefer B.

Yes, in an ideal world the pup should not be alone for so long but I think we can all agree that we do not live in an ideal world. What about all the farm pups that grow up with minimal human contact and are then being rehomed as pets?

hel_hev

Helena , on petsireland and d.i.d , there are a few puppies at the minute ...
i dont know if you want to , but you could maybe take in a second ? then they would be company for each other ?

Also for all the people giving out about her taking a pup when shes out all day .. i have a 4 month old ... he was not in the house by himself ...
but young pups when they are 10 wk old babies ,like mine did, can sleep up to 20 hours a day ..
chances are if that pup is there and theres no people , it gets bored after a while a just falls asleep ... they like to sleep alot when that young ,
d only prob for helena is because they are asleep all day , she is prob up all night when they wake up & want to play when shes home ! lol

Whispered

Hi, well first puppy was rehomed this evening, my first ever. Very strange feeling! I've been crying through a mix of saddness and happiness. Sad he's gone, delighted he found a great home. The other two are here on the couch beside me happy as larry so that makes me feel better.

I was considering taking another one in but that just really pushes the problem back. When one is rehomed the other is still here on it's own and i dont really want a pup here all the time, which is what would happen if I got into that circle.

They really are happy little boys and have come on in leaps and bounds since I got them, and when one is alone I reckon it will be for a week max before he;s rehomed, only 4 of them he'll be alone. So I think a pet sitter might be the way to go.

Thanks for the nice comments btw.

Whispered

Hi, just to everyone who took an interest. Both puppies are now booked pending homecheck so I have been talking to the adoption co-ordinator and we are going to organise for them to go over the same weekend, so neither will be alone.

kerrysgold

Have you a relative or friend you could leave him with to mind him? maybe offer to use a little pen for him if they are houseproud? could be worth a try! have you asked on petsireland? there may be someone near you who could mind him even. good luck!

Whispered

Very old thread Kerrysgold. The pup is rehomed and happy as larry.