- Thread starter
- #21
MixedFlock23
Songster
Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. We went to the humane society yesterday afternoon and took home the Malamute Missy. She is 8 years old and has lived outside in a kennel her entire life. Surrendered due to a divorce and having no home (husband’s dog-wife got house-he is living with friends). This dog is super sweet. Good with kids and all the neighbor dogs here. She ignores the chickens and cats (which are staying in their pens). Since we got her at 4:30pm, we’ve been with her 4 hours last night and 3.5 hours so far today. We’ve bathed her, brushed out her undercoat (enough wads to fill at least two Walmart grocery bags), taken her for mile long walks, trimmed most of the matted fur out (she doesn’t like me to touch her tail or poop mat by her butt), introduced her to neighbors and their dogs, taught her to sit and lie down, and, of course, provided food, water, & shelter.
Missy the Malamute has lived outside in a kennel for eight years. She dug a dog sized hole and slept in it under the carport last night. I think she’s happy here. She smells better and has way less hair than she did yesterday. Hopefully later today I can earn her trust and trim that 8” tail mat off... and get that plate sized poop mat off her leg. Hopefully we can continue to teach her basic commands and help her get adopted into her forever home. Hopefully someone will bring her inside & let her sit by their air conditioner. Hopefully we are making a difference one dog at a time... even if we can only keep them outside. (Our shelter isn’t air conditioned... dogs are either in a concrete kennel or out on a 20’ tie out with a doghouse during their time at the humane society. So maybe being at our house is at least equivalent to being at the shelter.)
I understand some people might think what we are trying to do is pointless... but it’s honestly the best I can do. My husband is allergic to dogs. He took three allergy meds every day for the 13 years my dachshund lived in our house. Gracie was my mom’s dog; my mom passed away from cancer and my hubby was willing to take meds daily for over a decade so that I could take my mom’s dog as our own. I knew before getting married about his allergies and agreed to only having outside animals—but he chose to make a 13 year exception for me. So Gracie has passed away (last May), & I’m ready to try out outside dogs. We are starting with fostering because 1. Our shelter is often at capacity and this allows them to save more lives if we can empty a kennel by fostering, 2. We would like to train the fosters (no pulling on the leash, basic commands, socializing with other animals & people, etc), in hopes that it makes them more adoptable, 3. It is a way for me to see if my heart can handle having an outside dog—my pups have always slept in my bed. We have waited until fair weather to start fostering knowing that they can’t come inside (though, in the event of storms, I do have a garden shed that’s anchored down and on a concrete pad that the dog can go in).
I thought the point of fostering was to train the dog and make them into good companions for their forever homes.
That will be hard at best if they are on a cable or in an outside pen all day and night.
Missy the Malamute has lived outside in a kennel for eight years. She dug a dog sized hole and slept in it under the carport last night. I think she’s happy here. She smells better and has way less hair than she did yesterday. Hopefully later today I can earn her trust and trim that 8” tail mat off... and get that plate sized poop mat off her leg. Hopefully we can continue to teach her basic commands and help her get adopted into her forever home. Hopefully someone will bring her inside & let her sit by their air conditioner. Hopefully we are making a difference one dog at a time... even if we can only keep them outside. (Our shelter isn’t air conditioned... dogs are either in a concrete kennel or out on a 20’ tie out with a doghouse during their time at the humane society. So maybe being at our house is at least equivalent to being at the shelter.)