I want to get a dog but I have to work, how does everyone on broadway market do it ?

You can always see if anyone local to you needs dog-walking help, and use it as a test run.

We've ended up with a full time Irish setter due to the owner shielding during lockdown, who we originally met via borrowmydoggy and had been walking weekly for a few years.

What a great looking dog, is it some kind of German Sheppard cross?

Looks kind of medium sized?!

From my experience spaniels are bonkers and unlikely to be calmly sleeping much of the day alongside you. Definitely +1 for sighthounds.

My partner did the DNA test thing - apparently large parts Belgian Shepherd and border collie, and a bunch of smaller parts of other things that were scrapping round the streets of Hong Kong. She's medium sized - people often think she's a German Shepherd puppy, partly because of the size and partly as she's still very playful, but at 7 years old, she's unlikely to get much bigger.

I have a working cocker spaniel, but I’ve been lucky she is very calm and is okay to spend a few hours alone (puts radio 4 on). Best dog I’ve owned, beautiful temperament.

I’d say if you do look to get one, go smaller (i.e. working/show cocker).

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Lovely looking dog

That one too

We have a collie-springer cross, which should in theory be as manic as they come, but as long as she gets a decent walk in the morning she is absolutely fine to lie in my office most of the day. I also have a lab-collie cross, who is the dopiest dog in the world, and will happily spend his day eating, sleeping and farting, and has to be persuaded to go for walks despite only a year old...

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You don't say whether you have a garden, or access to one, which might influence your choice of breed. Thumbs up for rescuing/rehoming given the number of dogs that need it and RSPCA reports that the number of abadoned and unwanted dogs is already increasing due to Covid-19

I'm biased, but a Staffy would tick your boxes in terms of size, the amount of exercise, sharing the sofa, not docile - and there are loads that need a good home.

And having a dog has been good for mental health, particularly at some very dark times...

eating, sleeping and farting

Sounds like my lockdown

My first job every morning is to open the windows to air out the office where he sleeps. Got a slow eating bowl coming today to see if that helps. I think the bigger issue is that living on the farm there are many interesting things for him to eat: Cow muck, Silage, cut off cow tails are all on the menu...

I have a whippet and he's lovely, he could cope with 1 hour of walking a day but gets more like 2 hours a day and benefits from that. I don't think there are many breeds that need less though, so a whippet would be a fantastic choice.

I think @Velocio will struggle to find a rescue that will rehome to someone living in a flat. Nowhere let us adopt because our garden is not fully enclosed - personally I think that's madness, our dog has a great life, but all the rescues seem to have very strict rules and no leeway.

We have a Springer-Cavalier cross who lives in a second floor flat with no garden and is happy to laze around all day as long as she gets one good walk in.

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And having a dog has been good for mental health, particularly at some very dark times...

Testify, bredren

Evidence of willingness to share the sofa

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Having a dog, getting out of the house and into fields has done my mental health an absolute wonder. Also don’t sound half as mad talking to her/myself at times.

Norseman apparently has the only sane working cocker known to man, my two are little sods (or spaniels acting true to their nature). I would caution against a working springer as a first dog, they can be delightful or a bit of a handful. I would also think carefully about any show spaniel, because of indiscriminate inbreeding (a bit like half the humans in this village).

Just get a good sensible labrador, which will probably prove to be equally bonkers.

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Great photo!

Ha! I’ve lucked out, definitely. Had springers before they were hilarious... so bonkers. I do keep her busy though.

That's the thing with spanners, they do have to be kept busy. My two are convinced that they are always the biggest dogs in the building, whereas the labs are fully aware that they themselves are toy poodles. Dogs don't do mirrors.

Poodle and then this

Kept away from any body of water too....my aunt's two Cockers were an absolute nightmare for rolling in anything disgusting and disappearing off into lakes for extended swims. One would do lengths of the local lake for an hour, absolutely impervious to instruction to the contrary. Sweet doggos, even if the prettier of the two bit me. That one had the dreaded cocker rage, she was fine most of the time and after a while, you figured out when to leave her alone.

If you like being stared at for 90% of the day, get a border terrier.

Took the dogs to the beach with my mother, worst thing about moving abroad is barely seeing them anymore. Their age is starting to show, every time could be the last. :(

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Here’s our recent acquisition, Phoebe. She’s about 5 months old now, golden cocker spaniel.

We got her just before lockdown and is currently going though a phase of teething and being quite shy around random people now we’re allowed outside

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