Runoff of the Daisy thread-kinda!

[DrKym]

I have very strong feelings on this but don't want to come off sounding harsh. I hope I can do that. I think most of us look at dogs as family members. We keep all of our family members inside the house and interact. I cannot understand, and never will, how people keep dogs outside. I wouldn't do that to a family member. I don't understand how someone can develop a relationship with a dog that isn't with them inside 24/7. When I see a dog outside all of the time and, worse yet, chained outside, I think the people who own that dog see them as *lawn ornaments.* I do not buy into the argument of having a dog for protection. Believe me, my Ripley (all 14 lbs. of him) can alert me to anything going on outside. After I am alerted it is my responsibility to see if there is a reason for the alarm. I would certainly never have a dog for protection with the idea of having an *attack dog.* I am sorry but I just cannot fathom any reason for ever having an outside dog.

Pam I am going to agree to a point,........ I have a few friends that raise sheep in Ga, and years ago I had a small herd also, the Border collies that he raises and trains the pack of them have outdoor kennels. I never had an issue with this type of "outdoor" dog, simply because when they weren't working on his farm, they were with him at trials etc. Fact was and is in that case and many others , keeping them all in the house isn't an option.

I asked him once what happens when they are old or pups? as they spend their lives working for you don't you feel that you owe them something in return? His answer.....My bitches whelp in the house the pups are loved as their mom is , and they stay with me till I cull the workers from the pets, they go to good homes that will make them just that a pet loved and spoiled. When they are old I show them more kindess then most kids give their old folks, they get the house a rug in front of the fire and peace in their last years.

So as I agree completely that dogs should be a family member , it needs to be borne in mind that are many types of families.

As for those that are chained, or simply kept as a lawn ornament.....well there is a special place in hell for callous heartless people, I just hope I get to peek in it and have the satifaction of seeing several people I have met over the years reaping their well earned rewards!

Hug those beautiful poodles for me!

Just my thoughts

[kallisto4529]

My family has had dogs my entire life, I have never known what it was like to not have one for more than a few months maybe. Some of them like larger breeds were outside/inside dogs, they all were spoiled rotten and loved so much, for example. Natasha was a rotti, we were given her by a friend when she was two months old, we had no idea how to raise a rotti, so the next day off to the vet we went and all the advice we could get, we followed the advice to the letter, she stayed inside 24/7 until she was about a year old, then she was inside/outside dog, sometimes she stayed outside with her own dog house for however long she wanted, but she was always allowed inside whenever she wanted, and we had two cocker spaniels as well.
She never was out when it was cold or excessively hot or bad weather, she knew she could get on the beds, she had no idea how large she was, at her healthiest 130lbs. We lost her at 6yrs old, it was devastating, anyway, i think that you can do both worlds sometimes, but not all the time, primarily they should be inside dogs, i would feel to guilty other wise.

[caseysmom]

For me the whole problem was him want to sell the dog, and wording it that way. There are dogs that are outside that are fine. The whole thing just seemed rather cold.

[critter crazy]

My question is this, why would you get a dog for protection, but keep it ether chained up, or in a run?? how does that protect your family?? The dog cant do anything but bark, and if the person who is meaning harm, knows the dog cant get in the house, how does that protect anyone? seems quite pointless to me! JMO!

[Pam]

My question is this, why would you get a dog for protection, but keep it ether chained up, or in a run?? how does that protect your family?? The dog cant do anything but bark, and if the person who is meaning harm, knows the dog cant get in the house, how does that protect anyone? seems quite pointless to me! JMO!

Agreed. Also if the person is totally cruel and heartless, a dog on a chain or in a run is very easy to *take care of* (can't escape) if you get my drift.

[cali]

I think it depends on the owner. my moms boss has 2 dogs that are not allowed in the house. 2 dogs that were dumped along the highway and he rescued, when he tried to adopt from a rescue they turned him down flat because the dog would be oustide....ya ok but the guy lives on a farm, owns his buisness on the farm, has offices on the farm where the dogs are more then welcome inside, has a heated and A/C attached garage for them to sleep at night, and the guy works outside, he is only in his house to eat and sleep, otherwise he is outside or in the office, both places tha dogs are more then welcome. not to mention they get attention from there ad AND all the employees who play the the dogs on their breaks. they get home groomed regularly, plus a professional groom twice a year. all dogs in their care are promptly fixed, and fully vaccinated and visit the vet once a year unless an emergancy. it is a dream life for a dog to end up living with this guy, but he was turned down flat by rescues. so he took in a aussie mix some highway workers found dumped, they tied her up away from the road so she would not get hurt, and tried to find her a home. she is now living very happily with my moms boss.

[coco-bean]

even though i really didnt want this thread to turn out to be bashing Tim, i realize some of us(including me) cant stray away from what is really happening with poor daisy! Seems to me that all tim wanted to do is to make her mean and scary...and now is turning her mean and scary.
He cropped her ears to make her look mean to anyone intentionally trying to hurt his family, and by cutting off interaction with her is going to contribute a LARGE deal to daisy's neglectful actions.
i just dont even know what to think of this poor situation! If my boyfriend would let me i would take poor daisy off his hands and treat her the right way!
okay thats all i had to say on this topic...lets try and not totally bash Tim, i give him credit for trying to find her a better home, but things just need to be done a little differently!
anyways moving on...

[sasvermont]

Hunting dogs and working dogs are often left outside. I think working Huskies often prefer outside to the inside. Beagles and Spaniels often used for hunting are kept outside. It is the owner's choice in all instances. I, for one, remember my parents allowing the dogs in the "back hall" when the temperatures dropped so low the dog would cry to come in..... I never knew it was so hard on a dog until I got old enough to understand.

All that said, it is really up to the owner to take the necessary steps to socialize the dog and keep it well fed and vetted. Usually, if there is failure, it is all around. Pets take a great deal of care, inside or out! Out could be more difficult if you are truly faithful to the process.

Tim is one of many folks in this world, who think of dogs as not an inside pet and part of the family. It is his choice!

It is not my style, for sure, but let's give Tim room to make one more move in the right direction .... and rehome Daisy, to just the right home. We will never really know what the final decision will be........never.

[critter crazy]

I for one have no problems with someone having an outside dog. What I dont like is when the dog is neglected, because it is outside. Kind of like, "out of sight, out of mind". Dogs need to be properly taken care of, and yes this can be done if the dog lives outside. But moer often then not, outside dogs,are left on their own, get no socialization, no interaction ect..... Yes this can also happen to indoor dogs. People need to take responsibility for their pets, and do everything needed to make sure the animal leaves a good life. They are not a toy, to be just tossed aside, when you get bored.

[Nobas Mom]

Guess I have mixed thoughts on this subject as well as many do. I would never think of keeping Noba outside for any reason, however... growing up we had Newfoundlands. We had four of them (2 boys, 2 girls). We had a HUGE old farmhouse that we lived in (when I say big, picture 7 bedrooms alone and there were only four of us in the fam including parents). Anyway, two of our newfs insisted on staying outside, especially during the long cold Maine winters... We would bring them in at night when it was especially cold and they always got one on one time inside for three hours a day. But whenever Bonnie and Duke were in the house for any extended period of time, they would start pacing in the kitchen by the door and want to go back outside... so mom and step-dad built them a ridiculously huge dog run in the yard, complete with heated dog house (insulated and heated)... they had a kiddie pool for the summer and plenty of room to run. The other two crazy newfs (Mariah and Bruin) REFUSED to go outside for anything other than walks, playtime and potty. We had these neighbors up the street that tried to call animal control because Bonnie / Duke were always outside in the winter... after the agent called our vet, he began laughing. Our vet had told him that Newfies prefer to be outside in the snow (as long as it's not too cold) and that he should tell our neighbors to leave us alone. Bonnie and Duke were intended to be inside dogs from the time we got them. We got Bonnie as an 8 week old, and Duke as a 4 year old rescue from a pound in Canada (pure-bred with papers, champion lines, gonna be put to sleep three days later, bi-lingual for $50... )... but they chose the outside life much to our chagrin... and not for lack of attention and love!!! How could you not love a big slobbering newf!!!

Sorry this is so long, but just another affirmation that no matter how much love and devotion you give dogs, some of them just prefer to be outside. Bonnie lived to be 14 and Duke ended up living to be 12 I believe (we had to re-home him due to major agression towards cats). But don't worry, he went to a great home where he had undivided love and attention!!!!!