In or Out - Cruel to leave a dog outdoors? Opinions Are Appreciated!

[fldiver97]

Dogs are pack animals....if they are suited (size, coat, temperament) for living outdoors they still need company/socialization/work....And shelter!!! I have a malamute, loves to be outside when it is cold, inside in A/C when it's hot. But she does not want to be left out alone all day....she wants her pack. Many dogs develop problems if they are kept outside - they can get bored and/or lonely...... digging, barking are just some of them. Also ticks, fleas etc often more of a problem. If you can't keep both dogs together, inside...I would not get another dog....JMHO

 

[chicks4kids]

Sorry, you beat me to it..........

Would it be outside 100% of the time??

 

[Boyd]

in VA i would imagine you won't have any problems having an outside dog.

In michigan we kept beagles waaaaaaaay back when I was little. My dad used to have me run their food and water out twice a day, with him doing it in the mornings. they survived -20 degree cold easy. they had a large run, doghouse, and clean dry bedding.

I don't know how cold it gets there but i am thinking wintertime might be a bit warmer than here?

 

[teach1rusl]

There are hundreds of thousands of people out there who just accept it as the course of things that dogs stay outside. I grew up with outside dogs myself.

But all of my dogs (all 3 lol...the two I have now and the one I had for 12 years) have been inside dogs. Well...technically they're indoor/outdoor dogs; our yard is fenced and they have a dog door, so they come and go. My dogs are pets and part of the family, so like you said, they're always in among us watching what's going on in our home. Plus I have golden retrievers, and they are extremely people oriented. I ended up with 2nd dog because my male golden, an only dog at the time, would look so sad and depressed when I left for work each day.

Goldens have long hair, and lots of it due to the undercoat. So we could knit dog hair sweaters for a small village with the hair tumbleweeds we vaccuum up.

I guess I don't see the point of getting a dog as a pet if it's goiing to be away from people 22 or 23 hours a day. Let's face it, most people don't spend more than an hour or two a day outside on work days... Working breed may be different...

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Well you are not making an enemy with me - that is the purpose of our dogs too, and two of the are big fat FAILS and we are getting rid of them. The third one is wonderful!

 

[Picky Chicky]

Quote:
DH would say yes. I would say no. We would both say the dog would be safe inside during storms, etc.

FLDiver mentioned maybe have two outdoors to keep one another company - I was thinking about that too, but since it's still early in the game, I haven't brought it up to DH... still taking baby steps.

 

[aussieheelr]

Do some research on your breed if you're going to have an outside dog. Make sure you get a pup with two coats, under and outer coat. Example a boxer, any bulldog, or chihuahua do not have under coats so they would get too cold being outside. A husky, ACD, german shepherd etc have two coats and do very well outside.
Our ACD and border collie stay outside all the time. They have their dog houses and a large tree in their yard. My ACD comes in when DH is at his pool night and we watch a movie but he's usually panting through most of it and I'm pretty sure only puts up with being inside so he can spend extra Mommy-only time with me. He's much happier outside swimming in the ditch, rolling in horse manure and snapping at bees.

 

[slf_fry]

I have 3 dogs and they all are indoor dogs and 2 even snuggled under the covers at night with me and my DH. I know it sounds crazy but they are just so cute and they keep my feet warm when winter arrives.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

My husband and I had this "argument" 10 years go when our Rocky, a german shepherd mix came home with me. Hubby's from the south where most dogs were left outside 24/7. I'm from the north where most dogs are inside 24/7. I refused to budge on the issue one little bit. Especially in the winter time when the temps can go to -20.

Now we live in the south. I know ALOT of people who have dogs outside 24/7. But in our area we also have a climbing coyote population. We also have neighbors who have lost full size dogs to the coyote packs. So guess what? Our dogs aren't living outside here either. One neighbor has lost 6 dogs since April to the coyotes. I'm not losing mine to them.

So my dogs will live indoors. They are outside all day long from about 6am until 8pm. They have food, water and shelter out there. But at night, they're inside.

Laurie

 

[Picky Chicky]

Quote:
This morning I woke up (in our king bed) with me practically falling off... the cat between my calves, Sara (our GS) laying where DH should've been laying, and DH squished to our side as well - snoring louder than a pair of chainsaws.

Go figure the reason I woke up had to do with Sara having a dream where she was chasing something - her foot kept spasming and kicking my butt!