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"Home alone"--how to handle
I went to NYC in October and had to leave my little dog
"home alone" for the first time. Usually, he travels with me--by car--but this time I was flying. First time for him not to be either with me or at home with my ex in six years. (I live in Texas and he has been to Chicago many times, New Mexico every summer, but NYC is just too far to drive if you only have a week.) At first I was going to take him to the local "country club" for dogs, where he would be in a mini-suite for not that much more than what they call the "bunkhouse"--a regular kennel situtation. About $35 a day, complete with tv (see below). This little guy is accustomed to staying with me in nice hotels when we are not at home. Well, I decided to leave him at home and I had two friends walk him and visit twice a day. It worked great. However, I was careful to leave a few lights on and also the radio. Now I am arguing with one of the friends as she is gone and I am going over there to walk her dog and spend a little time twice a day. I say, leave some lights on and also have the television on. Or at least leave some lights on. It's one thing to sleep in the dark with your dog; it's another to leave your pet in the dark while no one is there. And in the winter months, we have darkness twelve hours a day! She's aggravated with me for leaving lights on. What do you think? -- A. Brain Remove NOSPAM for email. |
#2
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"Home alone"--how to handle
On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 01:44:00 GMT, "A. Brain"
wrote: Now I am arguing with one of the friends as she is gone and I am going over there to walk her dog and spend a little time twice a day. I say, leave some lights on and also have the television on. Or at least leave some lights on. It's one thing to sleep in the dark with your dog; it's another to leave your pet in the dark while no one is there. And in the winter months, we have darkness twelve hours a day! She's aggravated with me for leaving lights on. I don't know whether the dogs care or not. It doesn't seem to bother mine whether the lights are on or not when I am here. When I have left them home with petsitter services much like your arrangements with your friends, I haven't worried about leaving lights on and they didn't seem to be unduly upset by it, but they don't speak English, so I can't be absolutely positive. Why don't you just offer to pay that portion of her electric bill and chalk it up to helping out the dog if you feel it makes a difference but she doesn't? -- Paula "Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy, so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay |
#3
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"Home alone"--how to handle
Letting a light on will not run up the light bill it may cost 2 or 3 cents.
I always let a light on if I'm going to be away and it will get dark before I get home. It's as much for the dogs as it is to make it look like someone is at the house. Celeste "Paula" wrote in message ... On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 01:44:00 GMT, "A. Brain" wrote: Now I am arguing with one of the friends as she is gone and I am going over there to walk her dog and spend a little time twice a day. I say, leave some lights on and also have the television on. Or at least leave some lights on. It's one thing to sleep in the dark with your dog; it's another to leave your pet in the dark while no one is there. And in the winter months, we have darkness twelve hours a day! She's aggravated with me for leaving lights on. I don't know whether the dogs care or not. It doesn't seem to bother mine whether the lights are on or not when I am here. When I have left them home with petsitter services much like your arrangements with your friends, I haven't worried about leaving lights on and they didn't seem to be unduly upset by it, but they don't speak English, so I can't be absolutely positive. Why don't you just offer to pay that portion of her electric bill and chalk it up to helping out the dog if you feel it makes a difference but she doesn't? -- Paula "Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy, so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay |
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"Home alone"--how to handle
"Paula" wrote in message
... I don't know whether the dogs care or not. It doesn't seem to bother mine whether the lights are on or not when I am here. When I have left them home with petsitter services much like your arrangements with your friends, I haven't worried about leaving lights on and they didn't seem to be unduly upset by it, but they don't speak English, so I can't be absolutely positive. Why don't you just offer to pay that portion of her electric bill and chalk it up to helping out the dog if you feel it makes a difference but she doesn't? Well, there is no way that you could determine what part of her electric bill is due to having one or two lights on. Plus, what about the dog's interest? This particular dog is very co-dependent and while she does not suffer from "separation anxiety" such that she tears things up, I think having the tv on would be good for her. -- A. Brain Remove NOSPAM for email. |
#5
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"Home alone"--how to handle
"A. Brain" wrote in message ... "Paula" wrote in message ... I don't know whether the dogs care or not. It doesn't seem to bother mine whether the lights are on or not when I am here. When I have left them home with petsitter services much like your arrangements with your friends, I haven't worried about leaving lights on and they didn't seem to be unduly upset by it, but they don't speak English, so I can't be absolutely positive. Why don't you just offer to pay that portion of her electric bill and chalk it up to helping out the dog if you feel it makes a difference but she doesn't? Well, there is no way that you could determine what part of her electric bill is due to having one or two lights on. Plus, what about the dog's interest? This particular dog is very co-dependent and while she does not suffer from "separation anxiety" such that she tears things up, I think having the tv on would be good for her. -- An incandescent 75 watt lamp uses less than 1 kW-H of electricity for 12 hours, and costs about 10 cents. If you have electric heat, the lamp is just another heater, so there is no net cost. If the lamp is near a thermostat, it shuts off the heat sooner and actually saves a lot of heat expense (unless you change the setting). If you use fluorescent bulbs as I do, a 75 watt equivalent uses only about 20 watts of power, so you can leave it on for about 5 cents per day. I think it is a good idea to leave a small light on in several areas. My dog Muttley seems to just sleep in the bedroom while I'm gone, and the lights I leave on are elsewhere. I don't think leaving the TV on is a good idea. TVs use a lot more power than a light bulb, and the sound masks other noises that might be good for the dog to hear (such as someone trying to break in). Conversely, if there are lots of noises that cause your dog to bark or whine, maybe some background noise is a "good thing". However, I would suggest a 2 watt radio rather than a 200 watt TV. Paul |
#6
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"Home alone"--how to handle
"A. Brain" wrote in news:THcmh.621654$QZ1.475818
@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net: Why don't you just offer to pay that portion of her electric bill and chalk it up to helping out the dog if you feel it makes a difference but she doesn't? Well, there is no way that you could determine what part of her electric bill is due to having one or two lights on. Plus, what about the dog's interest? This particular dog is very co-dependent and while she does not suffer from "separation anxiety" such that she tears things up, I think having the tv on would be good for her. The dog's interest is exactly why I'd pay the whole bill for the month if I really thought the dog needed it but the friend didn't want to pay. But YMMV. If she has that big of a problem being alone, why not have the dog come to your house to stay or stay at her house while your friend is gone instead of just going over there to check in with her a couple of times a day? Paula |
#7
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"Home alone"--how to handle
"A. Brain" wrote in message: This particular dog is very co-dependent and while she does not suffer from "separation anxiety" such that she tears things up, I think having the tv on would be good for her. This is really dog dependent. I *have* a dog with Separation Anxiety, and she doesn't care about the TV, one way or the other. It would definitely have done nothing to help her with her anxiety. Suja |
#8
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"Home alone"--how to handle
"Paula" wrote in message
9.11... If she has that big of a problem being alone, why not have the dog come to your house to stay or stay at her house while your friend is gone instead of just going over there to check in with her a couple of times a day? Her dog does not play well with others, or I'd have her here with my little one or take mine over there. -- A. Brain Remove NOSPAM for email. |
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