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Originally Posted by DianaB I agree. Some dogs (yorkies and small dogs) are meant to be inside dogs. However, I think that it's ok to have outside, 24/7, dogs. We have an airdale, Molle, that is outside all of the time. I can't imagine having her in the house because she is so big. In the wintertime she grows a winter coat to keep her warm so to be in the house would be too hot for her. In the spring she sheds it to keep her cooler. God made them adaptable to handle the weather outside, whether hot or cold. When the weather is really severe we let her come into the garage.
Mollee has free run of the farm on about 80 acres. We bought her to be a companion to my daughter when she is outside because we have seen mountain lions around our area. Where Jaci is, that's where Mollee is suppose to be. We picked an airdale because they are suppose to be very good family dogs and are very protective. Living in the country, I think, gives one a different view on this than someone who lives in the city or even a town. As a matter of fact, I can only think of a few neighbors who don't have an outside dog.
We love Mollee and she gets plenty of attention. She's a wonderful dog and we don't know what we'd do without her. Just because she's outside 24/7 doesn't mean that she's not taken care of, nor does it mean that we don't love her. She is not abused, but she is able to live in an environment that she is designed for. Outside. |
Well said. Stormie (Aust. Shepherd) has her winter coat for colder weather (which in TX is hardly what it would be up North) and when it rarely gets really cold, she's quite comfortable for the night in the garage on her big bed.
I really think a lot of disagreement is related to the country vs. city attitudes. For us, an outside dog is the norm. They are raised to stay around the house even though the yard is not completely fenced. Our immediate "yard" around the house has a barbed wire fence with the lower part having a small square wire barrier (that you can't really see) to keep the dogs from running under the fence to bother the cows but we have cattle guards so they are not completely fenced in. They are raised this way and are very happy.