Hi! Are you new, or I have not been paying attention?

You aren't paying attention.

Although she is kind of new. (I think it's a she, right?)

I should log in, so I did!

Squid asked the other day - I'm MeMe, just decided I didn't like that name so went w/ my nickname instead of login name. Yes, female.

How's the puppy, Xica?

Hi MeMe! heh

Theo,
the puppy is the sweetest thing evah, but we're seriusly thinking in giving her to/finding her another family :'(

I've been doing my best to get home super early to be with her and play with her, but I always find her with the saddest eyes and traces of puppy tears. she brightens up the minute she sees us, but she feels lonely. We don't want to be selfish, if she's not happy with us, we don't want to keep her just because we love her.

Finding her a family shouldn't be a problem, the breeder is my BIL, who gave her to us as a gift, but he has a waiting list. Anyway, we will try for a couple more days, but if she not happy with us, we don't want to wait for too long, and find her a new, suitable family now when she's still a puppy.

My heart is broken . When we got her, my husband was spending most of his day at home, doing some freelance work, but now he's got a full time job, and the puppy is lonely

We leave her every day in an enclosed, large, suitable area of our house, where she can play (we leave her with PLENTY of toys, and some old socks with our smell), and where she has access to both a room for shelter and the fenced-in patio. People keep telling us that she will eventually get used to be alone, but what when I can't come home early? We both have a 40 min commute time from work, and cannot 'visit' her during the day. We just don't want a puppy, we hope to have a happy, healthy puppy living with us.

I'm sad, but we want to do what's best for her.

Xica - puppies sleep for an average of 18 hours/day. What you are probably seeing as tears is eye boogers because she has been sleeping all day waiting for you to get home. Anyway, if she is eating and sleeping and playing, she is probably a pretty happy dog. I'm sure you guys are doing great.

Heh?

Good luck with your puppy.

I actually can relate to that in some aspects. I've been dying to get a dog for a while here, but I'm single so no one stays at the house and I commute about an hour so I'm gone for at least 10 hours a day...I hate to leave a dog at home alone for that long. I dunno a ton about animals so I'm seeking advice from some friends that work with animals but ultimately, its the same situation: if I think the dog is gonna be miserable I hate to get it just because I want a dog.

Dogs are social animals, especially labs. Why don't you get her a buddy? Personally I wouldn't leave a puppy that age home alone for longer than a few hours but you'll do what's right for her, I'm sure.