@joeypope We have an ACD and a chihuahua/Pomeranian mix. The biggest issue with leaving our ACD home longer than 6 hours is the dude’s bladder! He is thankfully not destructive at all. Our little dog has no issues and I got her when I was working and in grad school. She fit my lifestyle really well. I didn’t think I was a small dog person at first but she is honestly the best dog in the world!! She is 13-14 now and I used to take her on hikes all the time. She traveled with me all around the US touring National Parks. I love my ACD, but I’ll admit, even with an active lifestyle and previous herding dog experience, he has been more work than I could have imagined, especially after becoming dog reactive around 10 months old.
TLDR; ACDs do look awesome but there are lots of other kinds of dogs that might fit your life better. Id recommend medium sized black lab (I’ve seen many working as therapy dogs) or a mix
