I've got it in my head that I'm being neglectful and I need advice
Title.
Please be kind - I need to know if I'm overthinking... I wasn't sure what to tag this as.
I'm a teacher. My contract hours are 7:30-4 pm. When I got a puppy this summer, I decided to sign her up for daycare. She LOVES daycare and the staff LOVE her. When we walk through the doors, I no longer exist until pickup around 4 pm.
She gets a big breakfast at home. I always pack her a lunch and she always eats most of it. And she gets dinner too once we get home. Sometimes I have meetings after work or just things I need to get done so she won't get picked up until 5 or so. And I always feel awful.
Today they're doing a little happy hour after work and for some reason, I feel like I am neglecting my puppy if I keep her there until 6 pm. 11 hours is a really long day for an 8 month old, right?
I just need Reddit to tell me that I'm being ridiculous because that's how I feel haha
Posted Nov 14, 2025, 7:02 PM UTC