My yorkie is a house dog. Some days she spends alot of time out in the yard (by her choice) but most of the time she's running around under foot. My dogs have always been inside dogs even when I owned labs and goldens. I beleive that a member of the family should be in with the family not left alone in the yard by itself. :aimeeyork

You have to admit your pretty kindhearted if you rescue a turtle. :)

You have to admit it would be pretty crazy for any YT member to come on here and say their Yorkie is an outside dog but I can tell you from experience many are due to housebreaking issues. All I can do here is beg people to please turn your little one over to rescue if this is what you are doing. I have more respect for people that realize, this is no way for a Yorkie to live and do the right thing. Please offer a second chance for your little one.

Very good post!!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

I hate hearing about dogs who are kept outside all the time. It breaks my heart. Stewie is obviously an inside dog. He hates going outside for longer than an hour - he doesnt like to be too far away from the couch ;) My 80lb Lab was an inside dog, too. She loved to go outside and run, but she liked being around people too much to be outside all the time.

Actually, to be perfectly honest, I have no idea why I am even distinguishing about inside dogs and outside dogs. I think all dogs should be inside if they want to be

That breaks my heart...all animals want is to be with you. How sad.:(

Ramsey loves outside. I think she'd live out there if I'd agreed we'd ALL lived outside. :rolleyes: She loves it, but only if she has company....good thing 'cause she's not allowed outside alone any way.

One of the most heartbreaking psa commercials they run here....is of a dog chained outside, alone, the voice overs are people in the house....and the dog is looking so longingly at the house. The voice over says....oh, where's that cute puppy...another voice...oh, he's all grown up now...he stays outside.:(

Between Myself and my in-laws (we live on the same piece of 40 acre property) we have a total of 8 Great Danes (one is mine) and one lab/chow mix that are outside dogs. I think they have a great life!!! They have 40 acres to roam on. The don't get lonley b/c they all get along great. Every day when I get home from work they all come and meet me at my car and I can't go inside to see Lucy and Tank until all of them get their seperate rub down. My father in-law travels sometimes during the week and he also has an office in his home and stays home sometimes. The days he's home he stays outside with the dogs pretty much all day. Lucy and tank love all the dogs also. Whenever we take lucy and tank for walks all the dogs just follow right behind us and when we put them in their fence then the outside of the fence is covered with all the great danes just watching them play. Also they all have shelter from the weather that's about as big as my house that is filled with some kind of bedding (it kind looks like hampster bedding to me)

But when it comes to a Yorkie I would definatly so no way. They are small dogs and cannot put up with the canges in the weater like a big dog can.

Crystal

I do not like when people chain up dogs. Dogs need room to run and If the don't have the freedom to run around then you shouldn't have an outside dog.

Crystal

Good post.

They have actually passed a law here against chaining dogs outside. You're still "allowed" to chain them for four hours. :( Of course, I think someone has to report you for doing it though...so I don't know how well it's enforced. :(

Ha....Watching Bailey shiver when I take him out in the morning to do his first "business" of the day.....I couldn't imagine him being out all the time.

[QUOTE=red98vett]I'm one of those people that feel IF you bring a dog into your life - it should be IN YOUR LIFE... not outside.


I agree! Bridget isn't outside alone ever.

I would like to say that I have three labs and they are outside all the time..they come in very little. My femele would if she didnt shed to much and than my 1 male pees on everything and than i have the pup that comes in every once in a while. My dogs are outside but they have a huge concrete pad and they have runners and also we built this doghouse that each side is 5 ft long on the inside (ON EACH SIDE). Our dogs are very well taken care of and are warm in the winter and cool in the summer as we give them a pool with water and spray them down everyday and they are let out of their pens daily to run and play. Im not trying to be defensive but saying it's abuse leaving animals outside 24/7 is dumb and if you dont have a large breed dog you really have no place to make judgements like that. Our dogs are very well taken care of. My husband sprays their pens out TWICE a day so its clean of dirt, poop, pee, etc. In the winter they each get about a bail of hay EACH in their dog house with a pillow......YEAH I am probably abusing my dogs!!:( :rolleyes: :mad: Yorkies and other small dogs I agree should not be left outside during the winter especially.

No way. Mac & Mellie only go outside supervised. Mac won't go out if the weather is not "just perfect."

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Hmmmmm
Well I think when you add any furbaby to your family, they become part of your family, and they live and sleep where you live and sleep. We have Princess, who when I'm outside she's outside. Poncho is in and out all day, mostly in but sometimes finds a nice warm sun spot to take a nap:) And Mandy our 120 pound Rottie, who is also in and out all day. They all know the door is open for them to play, we have a very large yard for them to run, no one can get in or out without me knowing about it. At night, they all have nice warm beds to sleep in. Poncho sleeps upstairs with the kids, Mandy's bed is in our room, and Princess is so sweet she lets my husband and I share her king size bed.:)

The only way my furbabies would live outside is if I lived in a tent.
And I don't do tents!:2hearts2:

My Yorkies lives inside with the 2 Doberman Pinschers that I am actually showing . Big or small , I really can't imagine a dog living all his life outside .

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I totally agree - I have a Cocker Spaniel and 2 yorkie girls - when I'm out ...they're out with me -

and if I DARE sneak back in the house and shut the slider door for just ONE MINUTE - I have 3 pitiful faces looking in at me ...acting all put out that I had the NERVE to shut the door on them....we're talking ONE MINUTE here -

That's how I get them in sometimes .... I close the door and they come running......I need a picture of their sad faces - it's too cute.:D I could never ever leave a yorkie outside unless I was right there with them.

edited to add - I DO have a picture....

yeah well maybe if you tried haveing 2 125 pound labs, 45 pound lab puppy and a 5 pound yorkie and two kids int house.....it would be different!

:thumbup: :thumbup: Yep!


Francie

Hahahaha Vilette! That is such a CUTE picture!


Francie

Now see, that's just not a fair generalization to make. While we all agree that most/all small dogs should live inside, not all of us want the big dogs - shedding or not - inside the house. Dogs were not always domesticated and some really are "made" to live outdoors. I totally agree that chaining a dog for a long time is the ultimate cruelty. Stormie does have a tie out that she sometimes has to be put on for a short period of time because she is still being trained to herd cattle and not chase them, but she is in no way neglected. That tie out is used for a very short period of time and always for her protection. And it is connected to a column on our covered porch where she can reach the grass and her bed and water. Also, having an outside dog that you ignore once it outgrows the puppy stage is horrible BUT not all dogs have to live inside. If you provide shelter and companionship to an outside dog it should not be considered any different than the shelter and companionship you give to your house dog. I'm sure there are inside dogs that are ignored and not treated well too. We'll have to agree to disagree on that generalization.

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I see where you're coming from. HOWEVER... if I didnt want a big dog inside the house, I wouldn't get a big dog. Some people make it sound like they have no other option but to keep their dog outside! I wouldn't get more dogs than I can handle inside my home and I wouldn't get any animal that would not be allowed to sleep in the house. I wouldn't get one, two. or three or ten if they were going to have to be outside. I think that I'd rather be an ignored inside dog than an outside dog who gets some attention/companionship. And I don't think anything anyone could say would make me change my mind. I've had big dogs all my life and they've never been outside longer than an hour at a time. and they've never been unattended. I treat all dogs the same way. I don't discriminate against big dogs.

Oh and again, if the dog cries to be let out 24/7 I think its a diffferent story. I would always make them sleep inside though or be inside during inclimate weather no matter what they want.

Would it matter to you if the dog wanted to be outside?? Hunter use to stay inside as a pup. Until he actually started crying at the door and would not come back in after I called and called him.

I think it does matter if they always want to be outside. But I could honestly swear that I would make my big dog sleep inside. I would be way too paranoid about what could happen during the night or getting sick in the hot or cold.

My brother's Shar Pei (60lbs) loves being outside. I dog sit for him when my brother and sister in law go on vacation or if they are working long hours. When I am there, I sometimes have to LITERALLY pick him up and carry him inside so I can make sure he eats :) He clamps his paws to the ground and wants to stay outside so he can spy on the neighbors.

again....ever have a 5 pound yorkie, 2 125 pound labs and a 45 pound lab with two kids in your house? Everybody has their opinion but for those saying its abuse to have them outside.....is wrong.

I feel the same as Kristy.
I have debated this issue for years with my dad and his German Shepherd he has outside 24/7, till I'm blue in the face. Yet, I have witness him being inside pacing,and wanting out, and him being too hot, and the shedding.
So this is why I opt for the small, non shedding dogs. I have plenty of friends who have large dogs inside, but it is not for me.. and leaving them outside, I could never do it.. IT's JUST ME. And I will NEVER tolerate or accept dogs being tied to a box outside, that breaks my heart...

No, I haven't. I would not choose to have more dogs than I could handle in my house.