Roommate is bad dog owner
I moved in with my roommate just over a month ago and noticed she is not a good owner.
The dog is left 8+ hours, then she will come home, throw food in the bowl and leave for the night. The dog gets walked maybe 3x/week by her. She’s left alone most of the time by herself. The dog is just over a year old.
She’s a super gentle, sweet, playful and loving lab. When you ask for the ball she so gently let’s you take it from her mouth. I can tell she’s attention starved and is depressed. She just lays down looking sad all the time and isn’t social with other dogs ( I take her for walks at least 1x/day as I can). She gets so excited when I come home. The owner complains the dog is never happy when she gets home, but she doesn’t realize it’s because the dog knows she will be ignored anyway.
I’m so frustrated with my roommate. I worked in rescue for years, and while I know this is far better than what many animals have to deal with in the world , I know the dog deserves a home with a family and people who will engage her in play and take her out for activities in the day. 822
This dog deserves that. To be part of a family and feel loved.
I am thinking about how to approach this to my roommate, if I should at all. She’s younger than me, she’s 26, and got the dog after a breakup. I don’t think she realizes how much play and interaction is needed. In other words, when she’s home, the dog needs to feel like part of the pack.
I don’t know how to do this without offending my roommate. I want to suggest maybe an elderly cat as a rescue who would do much better with this type of a situation. I know if it weren’t for me the dog would never get out or get playtime and basically be alone all the time. It breaks my heart. I take her for walks and play with her because I feel so bad, but then there’s a reason I don’t have a dog. I don’t have the time to do everything a dog needs. I feel so bad I can’t do everything for her.
Feedback or advice appreciated. 601