I have never let Jada and Bogie off leash even with me outside with them. We are out in the country and too many neighbors who don't keep there dogs in there yards, they just roam where they want to. We live on 60 acres and there are all kinds of hawks, owls, coyote, not to mention feral cats. Heck I don't even let them on our screen porch by themselves. (had an opossum eat through a screen once:eek:)

No way! Never ever ever ever ever!! I live in the country. She is a snack waiting to happen if I let her out alone!!

Mine have not been outside by themselves - I am glad to hear there are others who share my concern. Where I live we have hawks, owls and SNAKES and have heard many stories of people losing their small pets. (My dentist had a hawk swoop down and take his cat during a family bbq and the yard was full of people!)

I have a small covered patio on the back of my house - about 120 square feet. Several years ago when I had my little girl Poppy, I had the patio enclosed. Now Max and Abby have a safe area where they can get fresh air.

One of my friends - who has two mini-pins - had a doggie door installed and an enclosed doggie area built. It is like a doggie run - completely fenced in with a canvas cover for shade. The only issue they have is they have to bend over and walk bent over to clean up the doggie poop!

I go out with Teddie, although I have let him out if all 3 of his fur-buddies are with him. I don't think a hawk would mess with Teddie while he's with his 100 pound black lab brother. :D Honestly though... I have seen an uptick in hawk presence in the farmers field behind my house, and those things are huge, so I am cautious with Teddie and my pom as they are small.

I have an area fenced off with 2 ex pens off my sliding glass door. I open the door for Pixie to go out (the others pee on pads) and stand on the stoop while she's out and keep an eye to the sky. Sometimes the other 3 will go out with her but that's usually when I am sitting out there with them. I would never let them alone even for a minute.

No, Gracie only goes out on a leash. We don't have a fence but when we are on the patio she is on a tie out with us. I would love to be able to let her run but we live in a wooded area and have tons of wild life around. We have had people come into the area that steal animals from the owners yards to sell to labs. They seem to go for fenced yards because many people with fenced yards have animals. It's disgusting but true. Years ago, before microchipping, people used put a tattoo in their pets ears for ID. They had to stop because these thieves would cut off the tattoo so they could sell the pet.

Nope I can't I live on a city street with no fence. And there are many stray cats that roam around my neighborhood.

I go out with my girls, even though we have a fenced-in backyard. Just never know what you will find.... For instance, a few times cats have been in the yard and once an opossum on the other side of the fence. Of course, there are red-tailed hawks nearby too.

Like everyone else answered....NO! We DO have hawks around here...we have a man in a near by town that left his little Pom outside alone...yep! a hawk cam down and grabbed him....the dog must have been too heavy for the hawk and he dropped him...You should have seen what the talons did to that poor little guy! HORRIBLE!! it was on our news. He did survive He must have been in so much pain...My two girls don't want to stay out with out me...if I need to go in for a second they follow me in(their ropes are long enough to do this.

Oh, no, never! I don't have a fenced yard, but it wouldn't make any difference. It's too easy for someone to grab them or they can get into something. I love to go outside with them (Bichon, Chihuahua and Yorkie) and we go for long walks and have a good time. Mine are inside potty trained so they don't have to go out to potty, but we go out for walks and fun. And, yes, I am very protective of them!

Jeanette

I have a 6 foot privacy fenced in back yard...and we pretty much live out on our patio outside space so I'm out with my babies the whole time...I don't worry so much about Bella she is 9.9 lb teapot...but my little man Harley is 9 mos and only 4.4 lbs and Ivy I think is gonna be a teapot she is 9 mos also and 5.7 lbs, but I always have an eagles eye on all of them especialy Harley cause he is so little, I know a hawk would get him for sure...so if I have to go inside for something they follow me in or I'll call them and make them go in with me...but I don't have to much of a problem with the hawks....my huge problem right now is bufo/toad frogs, they are very toxic, just last week on the news, a family not to far from me lost they dog to one of those frogs...he either bit down on the frog or it got into his water and it killed the bulldog...so Hubby & I have to put the kids on their leash in the evenings and early mornings when the bufo are very active to go out to potty...its awful...and Thanks to a very nice YT member, gave us a few tips on keeping them out of our yard, so Hubby is in the middle of digging 2 foot down below our fence and adding chicken wire fence below ground and bring it up 2 foot above ground as well to help keep these bufo out of our yard and we spread out salt in the yard, especially around the fence inside and outside and our house to protect our kids....soooo hoping this helps cause they have gottem really bad in the past year...before that I never seen or had any problems with them...The YT member said the chicken wire will keep them fron digging under our fence and getting in and the salt will burn their feet and make them leave the area...fingers crossed this works.

Never! Our yard is all fenced in but I only take Sammy out on his leash, I never let him roam around.

Never! I am probably a little paranoid too, but why take any chances. We have hawks here. If Calleigh sees anything, she will run after it and who knows where that would take her. I would never consider doing it.

Lulu NEVER goes outside without one of us watching her.... She is only 2.7 lbs and would make a tasty snack for even a snake let alone a hawk. There is alot of hilly areas with alot of trees and trails in our area, so she is not allowed to go outside without us. We were thinking about getting her a "Popemobile".. A stroller with a fiberglass bubble around it. lol