"outside dog"

what in the world is the point of having "an outside dog"????

why get one in the first place?

when i was little my uncle had a german shepherd and he kept him outside chained to the tree... even put a muzzle on him.

poor thing would cry and bark and was covered in ticks. COMPLETE animal abuse. if i was older and would have known better i would ahve called the aspca on him.... i think my mom even may have. she was always yellign at him about how he treated his dog.

i used to wait til my uncle left the house and then i'd let Sargent inside with me. he was my best friend.

it broke my heart to see him outside sad all day.

i find its actually quite common ppl have 'outside dogs'..... and i just cant understnad why??

can anyone enlighten me

(please note im not talking about security dogs)

Message edited 11/22/2006 2:56:08 PM.

Re: "outside dog"

I don't know. But one of my neighbors has a dog that lives tied to a tree. It's so sad.

And my sister's Bullmastiff is not allowed inside their house anymore because he's too big...so he lives outside. But he has a house...I still think he needs human contact at times other than feeding.

Re: "outside dog"

i never understood this either- it seems so mean

if you can't handle a big dog in your house, then get a smaller one or don't get one at all

Re: "outside dog"

I am SO with you on this issue....I simply do NOT understand the point of owning a dog/dogs if you keep them chained to trees on a lead, in a small pen in the backyard, or letting them roam free.

How is that a pet? How is that companionship? how is the dog a part of the family if the only interaction it gets is when you bring it food and water?

Dogs are pack animals....they need companionship, interaction, the NEED to be a part of a group.

SUCH a shame.

Re: "outside dog"

OMG ...my neighbors behind me have 2 dogs and only occassionally let them in..I think they are in all night but all day they stay outside, whether it is 100 degrees or 20....poor things hop around because it looks like their joints are so stiff... I always want to leave an anon. note on their door.

Re: "outside dog"

I agree...why have a dog if you are going to leave it outside...Yes I think that is TOTAL ABUSE

Re: "outside dog"

OMG, outside dogs break my heart. i've come across them so much more since moving to NC, i guess because people tend to live on more land down here... it really is cruel... one positive thing is that when i adopted my second dog from a shelter down here, they totally screened for it - asked you where the dog would be kept, whether it would be kept on a leash/chain, how much daily contact it would get with its owners, etc. i mean, i guess if you really wanted a dog to keep outside, you could just lie. but i felt like at least they were screening for this, and maybe in the process informing people who might not know that keeping dogs outside all the time is NOT acceptable...

Re: "outside dog"

Luckily I have not met anyone who has an "outside" dog, the thought of it is actually sickening! What is the point? Why get a dog? It's not fair at all

Re: "outside dog"

There are two dogs in my neighborhood that are "outside" dogs. One is across the street and down a couple of houses and I feel so bad for him every time we walk by cuz he barks every time. Another is a few blocks away and even worse cuz it's not even in the backyard, it's in some creepy little run on the side of the front yard with an igloo doghouse. I can't even walk past that house because I feel so bad.
If you want a pet, why would you keep it outside where it can't be a pet?

Re: "outside dog"

Thats how we ended up with our huskey!
His original owner got him when his girlfriend and him broke up...the first year of his life they spent 24/7 together. Then when they got back together her son was allergic and she didnt like dogs so he chained the dog to a tree at his mothers house and no one even lived there!!! He claimed to go there every night to feed him but we know this did not happen every day! My DH would go down there and let him loose and play with him and it would break his heart. Then the poor thing started to get off the chain....he ended up in the pound 3x and the original owner finally said he was just going to leave him there...my dh refused so we took him in.
The chain marks around the tree was so deep I almost cried when I seen it.
Granted he is a huskey and is built to stay outside but it was so cruel and because he was outside for a year and he was so young he developed that thick huskey coat (I vacuum a lot).
Our vet said because he is the type of dog he was able to handle it...if it was a different type dog aka a dobi he would have become vicious from lack of affection.
As cruel as his life started....he is now a very happy & spoiled little boy! He just turned 6yrs old and I can honestly say he is one of the best dogs I've ever had or even know....
So obviously I hate hearing people leaving there dogs outside all the time. He does like to be outside (most animals do) but he prefers to sleep snuggled up with us!
I wish I could put a chain around the original owners neck and leave him outside for a year without a dog house!!!
(pic in my profile of my boys)

Message edited 11/24/2006 9:16:30 AM.

Re: "outside dog"

Re: "outside dog"

My ILs have "outside dogs". They are hunting dogs and live in their yard. The dogs have a heated/air conditioned shelter.

They don't view their dogs as "part of the family", but take very good care of them, regardless.

Maybe their dogs are not considered the same thing, as they are not chained and they have the ability to come and go inside a shelter. They just don't go in the house.