Is it okay to leave a dog home alone for 12 hours, Monday - Friday?

I wouldn’t do it, especially if you get a puppy. A puppy can’t go that long without needing to potty and dogs in general need to get some exercise. If you aren’t crating the dog, it will get bored and perhaps start chewing up the furniture, carpet and even walls.
It would get lonely too.

Like @chyna said, definitely not a puppy. You’d come home every day to clean up pee and poop and house training would be extremely difficult. Also, dogs need to be properly exercised and socialized or they’ll wreak havoc on your house. A bored dog is a destructive dog, and a dog that’s home alone for that long will certainly be bored. It doesn’t sound like you have enough time for a dog. Have you considered a cat?

If you want a pet you can leave alone like that get a cat.

I wouldn’t want to be locked-up for 12 hours, all by myself and with no access to a bathroom.

Way back when I had a job, I hired someone to stop by, midday, and take my dog for a walk.

No. If you know that you will be forced to leave a social animal alone that long, there’s no excuse for getting one.

It’s really not fair for the pet. Especially coming into a new environment. I mean, 8 hours away is kind of long if you think about how long they are holding in their potty time… 12 hours is quite the stretch especially for a toy dog.

If you had an outdoor kind of dog I’d probably hone my answer the other way if it’s got it’s own backyard etc.

And of course depends where you live. Sundown in southern California in the summer isn’t until 7:50pm

Plenty of time to walk the dog after work

No prob. Unless it pooping or peeing in the house is a problem for you. Be sure it gets lots of exercise while you’re at home. An older dog may not suffer as much from separation anxiety as a younger dog.
My old German Shepherd stayed in the house all day when he stayed with my folks. They’d let him out in the morning and when they got home. He was a dream!

IIf one doesn’t have time for a dog, why would one own a dog? One of the reasons I don’t own a dog because I have too much to do than walk, wash, feed, etc. a dog, so i won’t do it to the dog. I know people that chain their dog up for long, long periods in the yard because they are gone, but I can’t do a dog of mine like that.

A cat would be a better option for your schedule. Dogs need to be let outside, and taken on walks.

I’d wait until you have time to have a pet.

Those who suggest a cat rather than a dog apparently haven’t see the havoc a bored cat can wreak. Cat’s can climb the curtains and knock things off of the highest of shelves. Nothing in a room is truly safe from a bored cat.

How about 2 cats?

I’m with @jaytkay

Get two cats, any single pet is going to be very lonely and bored by themselves all day and dogs are major high maintenance animals, they need much more interaction than cats, even though cats want to be with their humans too.

If you put up a cage barrier or put him in a cage so he doesn’t poop and pee all over the place, it might be ok, but I wouldn’t advise doing so. One or two hours alone should be fine but not all day. If you really want to leave him alone, you should get someone to check on him twice a day.

I do not believe that would at all be fair to the dog. That is a long time. Imagine if you were left alone for 12 hours, five days a week, with no access to a bathroom.

At the end of 12 hours the dog will be well rested and ready to play when you only want to eat and go to bed.
Not to mention it will be lonely and probably develop a stress disorder. Don’t do that to a dog. That would be cruel. Unless you can hire a dog sitter to be all day with your dog or put them in a doggy day care, you shouldn’t do it. If you don’t like the idea of cats then get two turtles or or fish. Let the pug get adopted by someone who will have time to take care of it.

No, that’s cruel to the dog. They need social stimulation. Also they may not poop or pee in the house but they will need to go when you get home, badly. Do you want to force the dog to wait that long?

I have a cat. I am gone for 12 hours, sometimes more, during the week and sometimes weekend. She does just fine.

You can’t do that with a puppy. Grown dogs can be left alone, but it depends on their temperament and breed, but 12 hours is too long to be left, I would say, for any dog. 8 hours tops. They will end up going nuts.