Mom's of two: Is it mean to leave one home alone?

[Jill]

Today's agility workshop got me back into wanting to train again with Bailey. I'd have to take a Saturday class, and now that it's summer, there is no guarantees Dan would be home to stay with Reese or Bailey, because ideally I wanted to do a class with both. I feel terribly guilty about leaving one home alone. Is this normal? :duh:

[Tex]

I sometimes feel guilty when I take Julie somewhere (like to work with me) and I leave Jax at home....so I would say that you are perfectly normal. Are you thinking about doing a class with Reese too, maybe on a different night? Or, do you have a friend that would be willing to go with you to class and ya'll take turns running each dog. That's what I'm doing right now with Zandra (Sophie & Lili's mom). I've been to 2 classes and run Sophie both times. I'm having a blast!!! Just a thought, good luck!

[Bella's Mom]

Yes! Sometimes DH likes to take each outside for quality time and the other mopes around. It tugs at my heart but they are fine. The time alone with them is good for both!

[Otto'sMom]

I have major guilt pangs when I leave an anipal behind. Pearl really wanted to come with me to work today, but she doesn't enjoy actually BEING here the way the other big dogs do. I just took Pearl out one day for a morning pee walk (since she refuses to use the back yard 100% of the time) and the dogs sitting at the door were pitious. Sometimes though, one of the pups needs verification that they're special to me so I'll do something with just them. Darwin gets that alot....actually they all do, just a moment here and there but it adds up.:hearts:

[Lisa]

Pogo doesn't give a rat a$$ if we go somewhere with Pixel. We even went to Chicago with Pixel only and Pogo missed him, but not terribly.

[areese]

I do feel bad when I leave one at home... I always took Owen to Laika's classes but didn't take Laika to Owen's...cuz I felt he needed the time with just me. I think I almost cried the first time I left her and took Owen...
Then they both were in the same class, once Owen started competing and progressed quickly. But now I started Salsa...I can't afford to have 3 dogs in class so she goes to intermediate and O goes to competition. I take Laika with us to competition class only if she wants to go...and sometimes she'd rather stay in bed. I take Salsa too...cuz she has to be crated if I leave her and she gets so mad. She likes going...and it's outside now so it's no big deal to bring them all...I just stake them out and let them watch. It's not as hard to leave one at home now. I always though 3 dogs would be perfect cuz you could leave two at home and not feel guilty if you took one...but it still took me awhile to not feel bad leaving some at home.

[Fluffy]

I feel bad when i leave one home alone, but then I usually make it up to the other one. For example, I felt HORRIBLE about not taking Heidi hiking, but I knew she couldn't hack it. So I took her to the park the next day to make up for it. She even got ice cream and Buddy didn't (shhhh don't tell him that!!). I think its normal to feel bad, but I think they enjoy the solitude sometimes.

[Courtney]

I don't think it's mean....just take Reese someplace special too! I can't take all my dogs out at once so someone's always left behind. They're dogs - they really honestly don't know the difference I think....

[Anatresia]

My two have NEVER been left home alone without the other one. I never tried it- I know how insane Butters was about being left before we got Rigby and I'm scared to see what SHE would do if left alone (I think he is a calming agent toward her.)

I always have the inlaws babysit the one left behind and they still don't like being separated.

HOWEVER, I think that I'm wrong for not breaking them in alone and that you should not feel guilty and just do something special with Reese some other time.

[Alex's Mom]

I know when Maxe was alive, for the first two years after I got Alex I never took one without the other...and they certainly weren't particularly bonded! It was more for my feelings than theirs. Then Maxe had to go the vet college for cancer surgery and Alex was alone with me here for a week, which she :hearts: :hearts: ...not happy when Maxe came home to be coddled like crazy by her mom! I rarely took one and not the other...Maxe couldn't care less one way or the other, but Alex with her SA was never happy being left home alone. I guess it maybe depends on the dog...but I KNOW that I ALWAYS felt guilty doing it! (Except for the time that Alex tried to kill Maxe...then I had no compunctions about leaving her at home while I rushed Maxe to the vet :mad2.