On the topic of outside dogs.

I have never owned a larger dog, but personally I would not be able to leave them outside. It feels too sad...but I know there are many who own homes who leave their big dogs outside.

But...just to vent on the side, in my neighborhood of dog friendly condos, there's one ground-floor unit that has a beautiful Samoyed dog who permanently stays in this small 4' x 10' patio in his small igloo-style dog bed.

I cringe every time I walk by that unit and pray to God that the owners take it for a walk several times a day. Otherwise it doesn't seem to get any human interaction (I'm not monitoring it 24/7 but I've never seen it not on the patio) and unlike a house with a backyard, it literally sleeps all day in that very very small confined space.

At first, the dog bed was faced so that people who walked by could see the dog inside. Now, the owners have turned the bed around, so you can't see the dog anymore, nor can the dog see anything but a wall.

It's so sad....
Is this considered animal cruelty?? I mean, it has shelter food and water. But it's confined to such a small space...for such a big dog. :(

Well, as you said, you don't monitor it all day so hopefully, he does get to go on walks and come inside to interact with the family. Perhaps he is just there during the day when they are at work. it's probably more humane then forcing them to stay in a crate all day or in a house where they can't go to the bathroom if they need to. Pee pads don't work to well when a dog lets out a quart or two of urine. Also, you have never seen damage until you come home to a completely demolished sofa with fluff all over the place.It not ideal but most people have to work to provide for themselves and their dogs and that generally means the dog is going to be left alone for several hours a day.

They are OK, they feel like our babies but they are not, and if they could talk they are probably nowhere near as impressed with our presence as we think they are. My dog snuggles up to me for a few minutes then he disappears in the house doing whatever unless I am actively playing with him, he'd love to go outside and chase birds and dig holes but we have raccoons and tough stray cats twice his size, so he is only allowed outside supervised when I am around.

That's different then most cases. Most outside dogs are pretty much forgot about. I follow an organization that helps outside dogs and you would not believe the neglect they get.

There are some breeds that I wouldn't judge someone for having an 'outdoor dog'. Depending on the climate of course. But there ARE many dogs who are much happier outside -- not just happier, but THRIVE outside and are miserable in a home. As long as the dog has proper housing, food, water, vet visits, stimulation, training and walks, I don't have a problem with it for the right dog. Is it how *I* would raise a dog? No. But I'm not going to sit back and judge a different situation so long as the dog is being cared for properly.

Husky's and Malamutes come to mind. Most I know would kill to live outdoors especially in a climate like Alaska. I would never fault a person for letting a snow dog live... in the snow. lol. It's what they were bred for.

It sounds like your dogs are being properly cared for. You're obviously not a typical "throw your dog outside and neglect them" person or you likely wouldn't be on this website. I AM glad to hear your Yorkie would not be an outdoor dog. They certainly were not bred to withstand too high or too low temps.

I do sometimes wish rescues would take things on a case by case basis. I understand the concern of course but if you raised a Yorkie to be 14 indoors and this dog is also going to be a beloved indoor pet and all checks out properly with your outside dogs regarding their care and vet checks, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to adopt.

Find a reputable breeder and talk to them in depth about your situation and I am sure you can find what you are looking for. Or go into an animal shelter type place (not necessarily a rescue, if that makes sense?) as you tend to be able to adopt easier from those sorts of places, but you may deal with issues you weren't aware of if they are not coming from a foster home situation.

I had Rottweilers, they loved the outdoors, you could see it in their faces. I tried to keep them indoors but the fact is, once a dog gets more than 100 lbs, they simply can't play indoors the way they want to, they would destroy a house. My yorkie currently runs around the house like a pingpong ball, on the couch, on your face, LOL. Thats no problem because he is 5 and a half pounds but i have had my legs knocked from underneath me by a 125 lb dog before and severely sprained my knee. I ended up splitting the time between the kennel on good days and in the house at night, and inclement weather. Rottweilers can't take heat though so they had to suck it up for most of the hot southern summers.

It's not typical that the dog is taken care of that's my issue. There is a group of people over in VA who build houses and help make better outside pens for outside dogs and most of them are definitely not cared for. I know many people who do only what the law requires sometimes less and don't interact at all it's sad but it's rare at least from what I have seen for people to interact with there outside dogs so yes there may rarely be a grey area but most of the time sadly there isn't.

Couldn't agree more. Some large breed working type dogs are not happy unless they are outside as much as possible, especially the scenter, hunter, herding, drover type working dogs. They love their peeps to bits,alright, but they ever LIVE to be outside in their natural world, afire with the passions of life - scent, forever foraging, hunting and inspecting, enjoying their world. Most will accept periods of inhouse feeding, romping, loving, grooming, resting but the urge to be outside often prevails until they begin to age. But that's most big, working type dogs who've been raised by human partners who indulge their breed's purpose in life - to 'work' for their living in this world at whatever in their particular breed's genes move them.

I've always been told that Yorkshire Terriers were bred to catch vermin from the mines and factories of olde so back then they were hardy little fellows that guarded the workplace from creepy things and guarded the lunches but rather than running the yard the rest of the day, spent their evenings fireside with the family and sleeping on the rug by or in the bed, in the home, happy with their 'pack'.

Yorkies have no double, protective coat like most other breeds and little capacity to regulate their own body temperature so they could die from exposure more easily than other breeds. Most are hypoallergenic, too, I think.

I think everyone thought your yorkie was an outside dog. What came to my mind and I'm sure others is picturing our yorkie outside all day. They are a companion dog that is glue to you so the thought of one outside was heart wrenching for some of us. I'm in a recliner right now and if I get up I have to be sure Max isn't under to get crushed. He sits under me like I'm what his mother bird? That being said it's 30 degrees here and Max makes a beeline for the door with any movement from me so he can be outside. He sits on the deck for a hour until I chase him in so I can shut the door. That boy does love the outdoors! He can see everyone from the upstairs deck and I think he likes watching what's going on.