Dog owners of NYC, can you help relieve my anxiety about moving to the city with my pup?

Currently, I live in a small city. It's a 5 minute commute to work. So I go for a run/long walk with my pup in the morning, come home and hang with him at lunch, and bring him to a dog park in the evening. It's very manageable and comfortable.

But as much as I like my job, this city lacks future opportunities. It's social life is non existent. As a young professional, I need to move. NYC has all that I'm looking for, in addition to a friend base that already lives there.

However, I'm worried about how this will affect my dog. I anticipate making ~$70k a year, so I cannot afford a ~$400 a month dog walker or daycare. My prospective jobs are in Manhattan, but I feel I can only afford to live in East Willy/ Bushwick, Brooklyn. So that means over an hour round trip commute, at best, plus an 8 hour work day keeping me away from home.

I'm scared I can no longer provide the best life for my amazing dog. 9-10 hours home alone? Having meetings or obligations that might bring my back to Manhattan some nights? Is any of this possible?

I raised this dog since he was a baby, and I'm all he knows. He's the best dog I've ever had. The thought of giving him up has kept me up at night.

Please help.

Posted Aug 25, 2017, 12:29 PM UTC

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