I have a little 12-year-old Yorkie; I’ve had her since she was a puppy.
I absolutely have to go away for 2 days (from the morning of the 11th to the evening of the 12th of August). I’ve never been in this situation before, so I’d like to know if I can leave her on her own or not? I would obviously leave out two bowls of water (she usually drinks one a day), a large bowl of dry food, and leave the dog flap open.
She’s used to being left alone for the day when I’m at work; she doesn't get up to much (she sleeps a lot haha), she’s never naughty, doesn’t bark...
I’d like to get your opinions and see if any of you have done this before... and if not, could you suggest a possible solution (none of my friends or family can come over)? No need for any lectures about not respecting my pet or whatever; this is the first time this has happened and I take very good care of her.
Thanks in advance! ;)
Translated from French
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If this dog has managed to survive twelve years in that house, I’m sure she’ll manage another 48 hours...
I was going to mention the water at first, but I got side-tracked by the comments.
To be fair, whenever I leave my cats on their own for a weekend, I mainly focus on two things: the water (leaving out way more than they’ll need just in case, in various bowls and fountains) and the risk of heat in the summer (I’ll close the blinds to keep them comfortable if it’s going to be a hot one).
@Lorna, if someone pops in to check everything’s okay, then that’s a different story. Leaving a dog alone for even a week with a neighbour or a pet sitter popping by twice a day isn’t the same thing. And yes, if someone is coming round to make sure all is well, then leaving the dog for two days isn’t a problem at all.
However, in this case, the poster mentioned leaving out two bowls of water and two bowls of dry food, so I don’t think there’s any plan for someone to come and check on her.
It’s not even just about the loneliness—the dog’s going to be bored stiff for two days. Mind you, she’ll get over it, it’s not the end of the world. But from a safety point of view, anything could happen. She could knock over her water bowl, get a paw stuck, fall ill, you name it. It reminds me of another fairly recent post where a member left their dog at home with someone checking in. When the neighbour (or friend, I can't remember) popped round, everything was fine, but when the owner got back a few hours later, they found their dog dead. Something silly that you’d never even imagine can always happen.
I was chatting to a man (for Lorna: the one from Lanriec) who does odd jobs; he’s always got his German Shepherd with him in his van. He goes away for a week every year and leaves the dog on its own (house and secure garden), but a friend pops in every day to feed him and have a bit of a chat. Apparently, the dog didn't seem traumatised.
Is that the guy with the Father Christmas beard?
Yes, but someone would actually need to pop in; the OP hasn't said anything at all about where they live. If the Yorkie doesn't look that old (and it's often impossible to tell their age with those dogs), there's a massive risk of him being stolen. I have a pedigree dog myself and I’d never take the risk of leaving him outside alone for two days, especially as so many people mistake him for a Corgi—and they can cost around £1,700. It’s different with a big dog that might look a bit intimidating. My mum leaves her Malinois outside when she’s away, but that’s a Malinois, not a Yorkie, and he’s the only pedigree dog in the house.
I've very rarely left my dogs alone during the day. One time my dad was too tired to drive, so we didn't take any chances, but we were back home by 6am to look after the animals. Mind you, in that case, there were several of them and we’d called the neighbours to let them out into the garden to do their business.
If someone can drop by, then yeah, why not, but personally I wouldn’t leave a dog alone for 48 hours. Unless the neighbours are a nightmare, if someone asked me to pop in or just have a look to make sure the dog was okay, I’d do it.
I was chatting to a man (Lorna: the one from Lanriec) who does odd jobs; he’s always got his German Shepherd with him in his van. He goes away for a week once a year and leaves the dog on its own (house and a secure garden), but a friend pops round every day to feed him and have a bit of a chat. From the sounds of it, the dog didn't seem traumatised at all.
I'm not keen on leaving a dog alone for two days either, it's far too long; I struggle enough leaving mine for half a day! 😁 Mind you, at that age, I wonder if putting him in boarding kennels might just upset him more than anything.
The ideal thing would definitely be to have someone pop round to the house.
I don’t see why a 12-year-old dog wouldn’t be capable of feeling lonely.
Mind you, maybe it wouldn't be an issue with your dogs because you know them well, but we don't know the OP's dog or whether they’d be able to cope for two days all on their own.
To be honest, I think saying that leaving a dog on its own for two days "amounts to animal cruelty" is pretty ridiculous. So anyway, if the OP checks back, at least they’ll have a slightly less extreme take on things ^^
To be perfectly honest, my dogs wouldn't give a toss about being left to their own devices for two days.
I’ve never actually had to do it, but I’ve left them for a long day before with the neighbours popping in to let them out for a run in the garden (we don’t have a dog flap, unlike the OP) and then letting them back in, and I’m sure if it had carried on into the next day, it wouldn’t have been an issue at all.
A 12-year-old dog that doesn't cause any bother when left alone during the day isn’t suddenly going to start the next day, Kikaah.
As for the barking, it’s the same again—I reckon the owner knows her dog pretty well after twelve years! :-)
