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

[Hoosiermomma]

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I think redhen said what I was thinking.

I don't think it's a matter of a dog being ABLE to survive outside - many of them can. I think the social nature of a dog make's him/her want/need to live with the pack and it's unfair to isolate them.
I had a dog that was outside only because DH wanted it that way and our dog had a medical problem that went unoticed because he was outside until it was almost too late. Our dog is now an inside dog and I will NEVER have an outside dog again for as long as I live. I would rather have no dog at all.

It's fine to restrict a dog's access to parts of the house - my dog is mainly in my kitchen because he drools - alot - not good for carpet.

I do see the exception with a working outside dog such as a - farmdog/ranchdog(where it's human pack is mostly outside all year round) or livestock guardian(in the case the dog is bonded to the herd/flock).

I tend to agree.

 

[chickenzoo]

I have 3 outside dogs, 1 White Female GSD and 2 GP males out back. My dogs love being outside and when given the chance to be inside, decided to stay out. They love being with my other animals and guarding them. I spend time outside, spend time with the dogs, but most of the day and night they spend guarding the flock. We play with them, train them but they are guardian dogs and love the farm animals too. So I guess we have the best of both worlds, outdoor dogs that love us, are good dogs and love their job.

 

[slf_fry]

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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!

I think we must have been seperated at birth! I knew I had a crazy twin out there somewhere!

 

[Crittercrzy]

I have 6 dogs..all shapes and sizes..5 are inside dogs and I wouldn't have it any other way..thats just my preference. I sleep with my Rat Terrier under the covers snuggled up close. The 1 dog that stays outside chooses to stay out..if she wanted to sleep inside she's more than welcome to. My dogs are members of my family..all my dogs are rescues...Sure its like another fulltime job to take care of all my furkids, but thats my choice that I made and they are SOOOO worth it.

 

[Duck Keeper]

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If they ever get around to feeding them...

I just love how you see a dog outside with a perfect circle of dirt and crap surrounding his gnawed-to-pieces dog house and empty, overturned bowls. /sarcasm

 

[Duck Keeper]

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LOL!! I laughed for like twenty minutes straight!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but how much more sanitary is it to have children?

They poop in diapers that the parents have to change, they get food everywhere, and talk about noise pollution!

It's only a joke.

Once again, no offense, but if I was so worried about sanitation I would have no immune system and would have to live in a bubble anyway. Talk about unnatural!

 

[Duck Keeper]

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Um, last I checked there was no feces hanging off of my animals anus'...or my children's, for that matter. And my pets are not allowed on the couches...though the cats do sleep with us at night...(sometimes a kid or two, also)

I think its what you are comfortable with. My animals are all box trained, or go out to do their business. I can't imagine having my animals confined to the outdoors (unless they have a home outside, ie the chickens, goats, etc) some people can't imagine having animals in. Whatever works for ya...

Yep! Yep! Dogs are not allowed on the "human" furniture. Jax has a comfortable roomy crate. Cats have a certain chair that is theirs to get comfortable on. The only ones sleeping on our bed is me and DH. The one time KiKi (siamese) decided not to use the litter box I immediately took her to the vet to find out why - kidney stones.
Actually I think my animals are cleaner than some kids I know.

I don't THINK my animals are cleaner than some kids I know, I KNOW they're cleaner than some kids I know.

And that's sad. Because it's not like we're talking about 'outdoor kids' here. Not goats either.

That's another thing; outdoor dogs generally SMELL. TERRIBLE. A horrid disgusting dog stink you would never fully appreciate unless you've inhaled it so generously before.

 

[NurseNettie]

Just my 2 cents--- there's nothing wrong for wanting a companion animal that's also a working animal. You don't need to explain or apologize for wanting that, and I don't begrudge anyone their choices, as long as the animals are treated humanely.

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[Picky Chicky]

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I've noticed a lot of comments on what Beekissed suggested and you know... I have to say that I sort of agree even though I have 1 dog and 2 cats in my house right now.

I'm extremely OCD and when I read what Beekissed was saying, I have to admit that it was the biggest complaint I had for my indoor animals. I can't tell you how many dingleberries my cats have left outside of their litterbox because they didn't pinch it off completely.

And my Sara girl - she'll lick her butt for 20 minutes straight (she sure is thorough) and then want to lick our face.

Yeeeuck!! And can I just tell you guys how many times she's squatted to use the bathroom and it still puddles onto her foot?

Probably their (the animals) only saving grace is that somehow I manage to go to my happy place and pretend I didn't see .... XYZ.

As for my DD - she's probably half as disgusting as the dog - she forgets to flush, will have drippage on the seat, play with the soles of her tennis shoes and then proceed to bite her nails.

Ok, everyone go eat lunch!

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

I have a neighbor that busts on me for having a LGD GP puppy that lives 27/7 with over a hundred ducks. Says my dog should be sleeping inside the house.

Personally I feel sorry for a lot of inside dogs. They are cooped up in a house or an apartment all day while the owners are off to work. Then when night comes they get stuck in a small crate. If they want to urinate or defecate, they need permission from their human. That just doesn't seem like much of a life.

At least my dog has acres of land in the country to explore, and a job to do. She doesn't need my permission to urinate or defecate.