I just got me a dawg and I love her. She's a basset hound, big, chunky, slobbery and generally smooshy.

She's an adult basset so she's hardly sprinting out the door every minute but she does enjoy a long sedate walk where she can sniff each individual bit of grass.

We gel pretty well and we do our thing but sometimes I wonder how I could do more. I've changed my lifestyle considerably to make time and I think she's happy enough but I wondered how you guys (who are pooch parents) organise your daily routine to maximise quality time with your furry buddies whilst getting your phd work done...

I don't have a dog, so I don't know if this would be relevant, but here goes anyway :)

Couple of years ago, we adopted two elderly rescue cats. One is like a normal, tom cat, but the other had become very needy and insecure due to being abandoned by their previous owner. So she had abandonment issues. We've tried all sorts, but realised that she cannot be left alone for more than one night, so we now don't go away for longer than an over nighter.

She also DEMANDS attention constantly. It means me working at my desk at home is hard because she will mew and meow and mew until I pay her attention. I had to try all sorts of places around the house and finally found that she was happy if I worked on the bed. She's quite happy to sit next me and requires no additional attention (= I can get on with work!). So I've been writing up my thesis on my bed for the last few months!!

It might seem extreme to others, but the way I feel is that I took the responsibility to look after these cats, and so I should do everything within my ability to keep them happy.