We already had Tess and, whilst my mum had her Monday and Tuesday, she was alone Wednesday and Thursdays, which she got used to, and as she was being mistreated before, it was the lesser of 2 evils. Now we have the pup, I have changed my work hours, so, mum comes to our house Mon & Tues now ( she won't have 2 dogs in her house ), and I have reduced my hours on a Wed and Thurs, so that I can come home for a 2 hour lunch. I don't 'do' Fridays, (yay ) so we manage.

It is a juggling nightmare though, when Bailey arrived, on 3 meals a day, we really had to rethink everything, but now she's been here for 2 months, it's like we've never been without her.

The only thing that is still hard for me, is the early mornings! I am NOT a morning person!

Hope one day you can sort out your working week so that you can get your own pup!!!

K x

I am really lucky as I live (term time) and work in a boarding school where the dogs are seen as a real asset for the boarding house. Holly, our 9 year old yellow lab is bombproof and loved by everyone, Quinn our rescued ESS wh is 10 months old really scares some of the kids (difficult to believe)!

We are really lucky that I can get to the boarding house several times a day and let them out, the older girls come by during free periods and take them out, as do the cleaners! Even with all this exercise, Quinn is still "bouncy" and we are persevering with her training.

Taking on a puppy is a really big commitment, honestly I'd stick with the advice from others and volunteer until you are able to have an older dog who still needs the time, but not so much training (hopefully )

Oh and I really wouldn't mix puppy and baby - so many pups end up in rescue centres when people try to do that!

Jac

Well, it can work out for some people working full time and having a dog, but I think you would be sensible to wait. I worked just a few hours a day and ended up packing in my job because Bilbo didn't do being home alone - everyone I worked with thought I was nuts and should have just got rid of the dog but I couldn't have done that so I basically changed my life to accommodate him!

Regarding the baby, I have two springers and have had a baby since but I would really recommend if you are planning it the other way around to give it a good while. Personally I would recommend waiting till the kids are at school then they will be old enough to participate in the training of a puppy and old enough not to be freaked by puppy biting and jumping up, issues with house training etc. With a young child in the house my dogs have had less time for walks, playing and training than I would ideally have given them and their routine has often been compromised, but to add a new dog to the household would have required stupendous efforts I think. I've just had to assess a dog for springer welfare where the owner got pregnant at the same time as getting a puppy and once the baby arrived they rehomed the dog as they couldn't cope with the combination

Do you have a dogs home near you - they often require the help of volunteer dog walkers and helpers. The dogs might not be springers but it would be fun, useful and good experience for later when you will eventually get your own dog .