I am the only human in my household with 4 dogs (ages 9, 8, 7 and 16 mos) and 7 cats.   I work Mon-Fri 8:15 a to 4:45 p and usually go straight home and am home in the evenings.  Saturdays and Sundays I spend from about 10 a to 3 p helping my elderly mom.  I find myself not being as social as I could because I feel I should be home with my pets, after all I made the commitment of having them in my life for the length of their lives.

My question to you is what do you think the minimum amount of time is to spend with pets?  I understand about their basic needs of food, exercise and pottying...I'm referring to companionship time.  In working with rescues I despise the excuse of "I'm not home enough" when folks turn in their dogs but maybe in some cases it's valid. 

Thanks for your input!