Hi John,
I was wondering what your thoughts were on getting a companion animal for our dog. He’s only alone 3 days a week for a long period (about 8 hours), but I feel bad for leaving him. I’ve heard that a cat can be good company, and I’d rather go that route than get a second dog (not completely opposed to another dog , but I don’t really want the extra work involved).
Do you find dogs do better with another animal in the house?
Thanks,
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
The only time I’ve found that it really benefited a dog emotionally is when their very early life history had more dog to dog contact (or dog to cat) then dog/human contact. Most dogs cope better with those longer days just by upping their running/trotting time.
One way to find out is to contact a shelter and offer to foster an animal for a while.
Hope that helps.
John
