‘He’s always had company all day. Now he’s lonely...’
‘DURING the pandemic, myself and my husband left Dublin for the Kerry coast to work remotely. Not only was it a chance to enjoy more space than our citycentre rental offered, but it also meant we could adopt a dog.
‘When the time came to return to the office, we fully expected that finding somewhere dog-friendly to rent would be a challenge.
‘One landlord even, rather sinisterly, said he’d be happy to proceed with the tenancy if we “resolved our dog issue”. But we never envisioned a lack of doggy daycare being a worry, and it very much is.
‘I’ve sympathised with friends who had trouble finding childcare in Dublin, and it feels almost silly now to be having a similar conversation about a dog. But anyone who loves their dog knows that they are more than just a dog – they’re a member of the family, and their happiness is tied up with your own.
‘Freddie was nine months old when we adopted him from Cork Dawg [Dog Action Welfare Group], and working from home meant we were there to bond with him and had time to train him. But he also doesn’t know anything else other than having company all day.
‘On top of that, the move back to Dublin has been a total sensory overload. With less space for him to run around and because he loves to play, I wanted to get him into doggy daycare two or three days a week, but everywhere I’ve tried is full and the waiting lists are long, especially for big dogs.
‘I’ve even tried to get dog walkers on various apps to have someone to visit him mid day, but I emailed 20 people within our area and everyone is already booked up on the days we need. Tuesdays and Thursdays seem to be the most popular days.
‘Both of our workplaces have adopted a 50/50 hybrid working policy, but there are days when we both have to be in the office.
‘While we’re on the doggy daycare waiting list, my current workaround is to walk him for an hour before work, cycle home at lunchtime to play with him and let him out to go to the toilet, then give him a bone to chew and cycle back to work. It’s another hour-long walk in the evening. And while that’s doable, I know he’s lonely when we’re not there, and that’s the hardest part.’