I live on an acreage so no strangers walking by to snatch, they have a doggie door to come and go as they please, and the patio is fenced in. they have escapped a couple of times, but they stay right around the fenced area. By the end of summer I will probably have the entire fenced area lined with concrete blocks so they can escape under the fence.

We are in the process of building a house right now. We are living in a little 17 foot camper! One of the things we are doing is building a small area with a cover so nothing can get to Murfee, not that he would go outside alone anyway. He is kind of a mommy's baby. A friend of mine in Vegas had her yorkie in the back yard and a hawk took him. She of course was devestated. I am not taking a chance...even with a cover on the yard!

Mine are never, ever outside alone. Even with an enclosed deck area, I'm still right there watching for hawks, raccoons, owls, foxes, etc. Would NEVER take the chance of leaving them unattended.

I don't have a Yorkie yet but I'd never let it outside by itself. When I was younger mom let our Yorkie PeeTree outside in a fenced in yard for alittle while to run around and go tee tee and somone stole him out of the backyard. Its not so much you worry about your babies running off, its people these days you have to worry about. Sad but true! PeeTree was one of the prettiest male Yorkies I had ever seen. He like never grew. Stayed so small and didn't change colors. He never turned silver. Remained Black and gold. God I miss him! :(

My reason for NEVER leaving the girls outside unattended is because we don't have a yard. So they have to be on leash and watched. They do get to go off leash at my hubby's work where they have a big park like area and at the dog park.

Living in Arizona, I would never let my gang out by themselves but probably wouldn't in Philadelphia either:D ...heck they had a nesting pair of Peregrine hawks in downtown Philly a number of years ago. My sister sent me the headlines. Along with the hawks & owls you have to be careful of rattlesnakes and coyotes...fun living in the desert.

http://www.hawksaloft.org/faq.html

Can a raptor carry away/eat my pet?

Raptors hunt a variety of prey, including rodents, birds, rabbits, snakes, and insects. And yes, large raptors, such as Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls, can indeed kill a small pet. We have received dozens of inquiries about 6-pound dogs, 10 pound dogs, 10? pound dogs, etc., all the way up to a 60 pound dog. There is no specific cut-off weight at which your pet?s safety is guaranteed. If the size of your dog or cat is similar to or not much larger than naturally occurring raptor prey, there is a risk.
If you are concerned about your dog or cat, the best advice we can give you is to keep your pet indoors or supervise them closely outdoors. There are several good reasons to keep cats indoors. Outdoor cats face considerable danger from vehicle traffic, as well as harrassment from larger animals, such as dogs and coyotes. We think these threats are responsible for a much greater share of mortality than raptors. In addition, outdoor cats are responsible for killing millions of wild birds every year. Turnabout may not seem fair play when it comes to a raptor threatening our beloved cat, but by allowing our cats to roam free, we are exposing them to this uncommon danger.

When it comes to dogs, we know it is often necessary to keep them outdoors. If you live in an area with a substantial population of large hawks and owls, perhaps you can protect your dog by providing an outdoor shelter or covered run.

As pet-owners ourselves, we at Hawks Aloft share your concern for the safety of your pet. But while keeping your pets secure, we encourage you to take an extra moment and appreciate the remarkable wildlife that also shares your space. Like our faithful dogs and cuddly cats, backyard birds and wildlife can greatly enrich our lives.

Katy has a doggy door and comes and goes as she wants. We have a 8ft private fence that sits on top of a small concrete base (so she can't dig under it) all around out house. We have a large covered porch and a 24 x 10ft pergola covered in vines. Katy loves to lie out side and catch some sun. We don't seem to have any large predator birds around and since we finished securing the back yard all of our wild life have moved on.

I try not to be paranoid, but I just don't feel right leaving them out alone. I know they're dogs.. but if I had children I'd never leave them outside w/o being supervised, so why would I leave my dogs who are dependant upon me out there by themselves? It just doesn't seem safe to me.. plus w/all the small dog snatchings and horrible things you hear about all the time.. it's hard to not worry.

i do let him out alone in our secured backyard during the daytime, even then its only for a few minutes to do his "duty" , but never ever at night.:animal36

We were at the shop today and while waiting for hubby to come back out, I was walking Milo around the graassy bits on the outskirts of the p-lot.

He was fine, sniffing all and sundrey when al of a sudden he gets all nervous and starts shaking.

I look around and see nothing.

Then I heard them and looked up.

Three red tails circling above us!

Scooped him up faster then you can say, Bob's your uncle!

If the deer get close when we're in the back garden, he does the same thing----actually, when there is a male with them he does that.

These lil guys have great noses!

I checked "yes," but I'm impressed with all the "no's". We have a fenced backyard, and I will let Eddie outside for up to a half hour. I'm always aware of where he is in the yard and what he's up to, and in truth I'm probably checking on him physically every 10 minutes. I have two worries: 1, Big dogs leaping our small x-pen fence (that's happened a couple times) and 2, predators (never happened but my biggest fear).

I do let Hannah out in our fenced back yard alone. I check on her often and the door is always open if she wants back in. But I only let her out there in the day time alone, at night I am afraid an owl will get her.

I've never let them outside alone. Too many things could happen to these little ones.

My girls spend most of the day outside, but since me and hubby are outdoors people either him or I are always out there with them. We moved into a new construction home last august and we are landscaping the backyard, so thats where we spend alot of time. Other than that the girls are in doors and they are never left outside if we are not home.

I live in the country in NW Florida so mine cannot be out without supervision. Hawks, turkey buzzards, and owls from the sky; fire ants, snakes, and who knows what from the ground; not to mention the occasional wild animal that sneaks into our fenced yard. We also have a pool and they are all too interested when the auto pool cleaner comes on. So, taking all those dangers into account, no way can I let them out alone.