Being alone for hours a day is too hard on dogs. They are the most sociable of beings and they suffer from isolation. Being alone can bring out anxiety-behaviours such as destroying things, barking, over-stimulation behaviours when someone does come home, obesity, and depression. But it is the dog that is punished - by being given away, or muzzled, or crated, or kept in the laundry room, or being dumped at a pound. Dogs can be trained to accept being alone most of their lives, but that does not make it right. Puppies need full-time family for months, newly adopted adult dogs need someone at home most of the time, or to be taken out with their family, until they get used to be alone sometimes. AAS will not give a dog to anyone who will consistently leave it alone all day.