Let me share a story with you
He can live without food for hours, but not water.
Years ago, I had a young dobie- I had a crate in the kitchen for a bed, but basically she stayed in the kitchen with a HUGE ceremic water bowl. One night coming home from work, they had a huge accident- to make a long story short, I did not get home but 4 hours later than normal. Coming into the kitchen expecting only a hungry dog, instead I found my girl laying down, barely able to wag her stubby little tail. I looked at her and as I tried to figure out why she would not get up, I glanced at her water bowl. It was moved- and empty, and the rug near it was barely damp. I filled the water bowl, and she drank the WHOLE BOWL then threw up.
You prepare for the worst so the care meets the worse case scenio.. That is why my constant inquiries. Since then, I leave more water than any dog could drink. Unable to spill ( even my dog bowls here are in a elevated stand- but the stand is literally attached to something to keep them from being spilled. Also- keep in mind- if animal control drops by when you are not there, and its the one day in a million but the dog has no water, you will be charged with abuse... Worst case scenio- probably- but Murph's law is just that..