As the days creep closer to our move, I’ve been thinking about how to restructure my day to accommodate a dog. I already worry about giving my dog enough time. A dog’s ideal human is someone who works out of the home, or better yet, someone who just lives there with them all day long and doesn’t do anything but walk, train, and love on said dog. This is a nice idea, but I don’t know anyone who has that kind of life.
I have a full-time job, but here are some things that I think are in my favor, with regard to scheduling and bringing a dog into our lives:
- My office is a 6-minute drive from our new house.
- My husband is a grad student and so his schedule is much more flexible than mine, meaning that he can often be home when I can’t.
- I have a very dog-friendly boss, who has already said she’ll let me come home for an hour at lunch each day to walk the dog.
- I’ll be done with work right at 5 p.m. and I never have to work late.
That said, I’m thinking a lot about our mornings. I have to be at work at 8 a.m., so my mornings start fairly early. Here’s the rudimentary schedule in my mind, on days that I don’t shower:
- 6 a.m. Wake up. Take dog on walk.
- 6:40 a.m. Feed dog/get self dressed
- 7 a.m. Pack lunch for self/eat breakfast
- 7:30 a.m. Play with dog/brief training or grooming/let dog out once more
- 7:50 a.m. In the car and off to work
Clearly, this is something that will have to be finessed once we actually bring a dog home and evaluate his or her needs, but I like to think about it now. It’s a weird form of daydreaming for my highly Type A personality.
What does your daily routine look like with your dog? I’m especially interested in hearing from those who also have full-time jobs. How do you manage it? Any recommendations?
Doggerel 