I live alone in central Tokyo, in a decently sized apartment. Been living here for more than a decade, and it’s always been a dream of mine to get a dog (Shiba or corgi). The only thing that has been stopping me all this time is that I just didn’t think it would be fair to the dog to be stuck alone in the house while I work during the day (nowadays I’m away from home \~10h/day, 3 days/week. Other days away from home at most 4h at a time). So I always told myself I would wait until I had a partner and we could raise the dog together, significantly lowering the amount of time the dog would be alone.
But I just don’t see myself dating anyone (much less living with them) anytime soon, and I’m considering getting a dog. Would it indeed be cruel to have a pet given my working situation?
PS: I am aware of the responsibilities related to pet ownership. This would definitely not be a rash decision. I also of course will not do it if the dog will end up being miserable by his/herself all day.
27 comments
Can you afford a dog walker to come on those long days? Even if you want to train them to use a pee pad indoors, that’s an awfully long stretch to be alone so frequently. Every dog is different, but some get depressed or destructive when they don’t have any stimulation for that long.
Those 10 hour days are likely to be miserable for the dog, or for you, or both. I wouldn’t recommend it until you can change your schedule up some.
Given the living situation you described… Short answer: no.
Long answer: noooooooooooooooooooo.
I’m also going to mention the possibility of having to deal with noise complaints from your neighbors and landlord if the dog starts barking because it’s losing its mind of boredom. Those are always popular posts here.
Get a cat.
I don’t know much about dogs, but if a dog would make you happy but you can’t always be at home, get a dog that doesn’t get lonely easily. Or get a couple of dogs, cats or whatever pet you want, so they keep each other company.
Of course, if you get dogs you will still have to walk them and such, but they will be happier if they aren’t lonely. That’s why I can only have a couple of plants and still struggle to keep them alive 😅
I have a Shiba Inu. Shiba Inu are very independent breed and don’t have a lot of separation anxiety. They would play with their toys or sleep when you’re not home. It’s not like Labrador who demands attention all the time. Also, you can get a PetCube/camera to check on him when you’re not home.
Just invent some ritual when you’re going out. Like saying “sit” and giving them a treat. So a dog would know that when you go out it’s not something bad.
And when you’ll come home he/she would be happy with airplane ears and wagging tail. That feels amazing.
My only advice would be to get a little bit older puppy like 5-6 months and getting a vacation when you get it home to train your pet to go for toilet business on walks. It’s easy tho. They are very clean. I live in a house and my dog would almost never piss or shit in the backyard.
Leaving a dog alone for long periods of time is very stressful for the dog. Dogs are intelligent, emotional, sensitive, and socially oriented, they aren’t made for solitary life. That’s why we have two dogs. I work at home but we take a lot of day trips on weekends and holidays where the dogs are on their own for literally the entire day. They keep each other company when we’re out. We also have a security camera in their living space so that we can monitor them remotely when we’re away from home.
It’s not fair, you can’t meet the responsibilities of having a dog.
It’s cruel. Don’t do it.
I have a dog, a wife, and a young child.
The dog is what controls most our decisions. I love my dog with all my heart and I would never think of giving him up but the reality is even going out to eat is difficult because we can’t/won’t leave him alone. vacations mean we have to pay for a pet hotel that’s very expensive. It’s like having a child that stays a baby.
If you already know you won’t be able to spend most of your day at home with the pupper then why would you want to force it to be lonely as well?
Based on what you said, no.
Also Shiba breed is very stubborn and it will almost always do what it pleases, so having a stressed out Shiba left alone for 10 hours means bye bye any possession.
Don’t you dare do that to a dog…
no, do not do that to a dog.
for your situation, you want a cat or other type of pet.
Not even close to an environment any dog should be forced to endure.
No, it will be hard for the dog and also for you. You will be thinking about him all the time and that will affect your work.
People are suggesting cats but cats don’t like to be alone in a closed space so much.
Please don’t get a dog.
I have a 16mo old shiba and work from home most of the time. He gets 3-4hrs on walks a day and still has plenty of energy and mischief that I need to put him in a kennel if I need to do chores. Husband went on a business trip for a week and I struggled.
I think that getting a dog given what you’ve shared isn’t a great idea. Shiba and corgis both need a fair amount of exercise and mental stimulation that those 10 hour days will be hard to guarantee.
You could potentially look into an adult low energy breed but even for them the situation of being alone for 10 hours multiple days a week is less than ideal.
If cats are an option an adult cat could be a good option.
if you are out of the house for 10h/day, nooo.
Absolutely no way, you’ll be making your own life and your dogs life a nightmare. No dog deserves to be alone for 10 hours a day 3 days a week. Wait until you’re in a better position.
I think it’s reasonable to get a dog given those circumstances. Plenty of people work fulltime and have happy, satisfied dogs. You don’t need to be fulltime in your apartment.
But, it’d take some careful planning. Have you had a dog before, as a child or an adult? Do you have practical understanding of what dogtraining entails or what the daily exercise routine feels like? Not that 0 experience should rule out dog possibility but … it just means that you’d have a steeper learning curve and should probably do more prep.
Some things to consider:
– does your apartment have a yard?
– does your dog need you to accompany it every time it needs to toilet? Are stairs or an elevator involved? How would you feel about needing to do that at 2AM? How do you feel about cleaning up messes in the stairs/elevator?
– do you have a safe balcony or somewhere you could put a puppy pee pad? If the balcony is not safe, could it be made safe?
– consider that puppies have smaller, more active bladders than adult dogs. Leaving a dog for 10 hours will likely become possible when they become older.
– is hiring a midday dogwalker a possibility for those 10 hour days?
– would you be crate-training your dog? (Probably something I’d recommend, to prevent some destruction.)
– would you be attending some sort of obedience classes with your dog, for your own learning and for dog socialization? (Again, something I’d recommend, no matter your level of prior dog experience. You’d be getting a lot of tips there to help lead to secure, non-destructive attachment).
– can you line up a vet?
– are you prepared for the amount of time walking your dog would require? (Probably 30mins to an hour daily?)
– do you have someone you could call on or hire in an emergency to check up on or help with your dog?
– Consider that your life will likely need to revolve around the dog’s bathroom schedule, and that will impact your social event attendance and things like shopping/dinner out routines.
Hope this helps you think it through! I think if you’re ready to put in the love and work required, you and a dog could be very happy together.
I have a corgi and they are full of energy and love being around people. It would be pretty miserable not being around anyone all day. In my situation we have one person usually working from home. Our doggy sleeps most of the day, and gets a 20 min walk in the morning and a 45 min walk at night. And our full attention froun around 6PM to 11PM every night. I think its just not in the cards jack. A shiba may be fine on its own but they’re also tough dogs to take care of since they’re so stubborn. I think you should not get a dog.
Get a 1:1 stuffed dog.
That is what you need.
Unless you can find doggie daycare or a petsitter, please don’t. Maybe you can volunteer at a shelter or find a friend with a dog that you can spoil on your days off. (They’d probably appreciate the extra walks and love, too.)
Your first instincts are absolutely spot on.
i tried to send you a dm, do you have them off?
it’s doable, but depends on the dog
No no no.
Why get a pet went you’re not there most of the day?
That schedule is doable, but not so realistic for a first time dog owner and especially a larger (for Japan) breed like those.
I have two chihuahuas and I can leave them at home for most of a day no problem. They’re happy to just snooze most of the time while we’re out, and when they wake up they’re playing with each other the whole time. No issues with anxiety or boredom that way. But that wouldn’t be feasible with a 15 kg dog. I also work from home so it’s rare they’re ever left alone for more than a couple hours.