[Ellie May]

To each their own. I don't think anybody is calling anybody else a bad owner. It is simply a judgment call about safety.

I see NO point in leaving a small dog out alone. Go for it if you truly believe it is safe. Watching most of the time is not the same as watching all of the time. And watching behind closed doors may not give enough time to intervene. Like I said in a previous thread, if I don't want to go out, then I hold the other end of the leash from an unlocked door. No mosquitoes this way...

There are thieves everywhere, wildlife everywhere, rabid animal everywhere, etc. Yorkies have been stolen in MI from fences when owners were just not paying attention for five minutes. Heck, it can happen in five seconds. Phones are stolen out of cars in less than a minute. Surely they can find a way to take a yorkie quickly. They can and do lure them out of yards. Large birds aren't limited by fences. Any large predator can jump a fence.

I really don't understand why people feel immune to these dangers. They are everywhere.