Runoff of the Daisy thread-kinda!

[shais_mom]

Just wanted to add, my pup used to get tied out to a tree in the front yard while we were doing yard work or playing,

Keegan used to get tied when she was a puppy at times at my parents house - now I'm not even sure where the tie out at their house. I usually have her on leash for potty trips - Tho she does go offleash quite a bit. The only time she is tied to a tree now is when I mow the yard. I like to have her outside with me to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air too but she likes to be the Neighborhood PR person so ya never know where she is going to end up. So I mow the area where the tie out is and then tie her to it and finish the yard.

[Twisterdog]

Just wanted to add something for all the young people living with their parents, where the parents want the dog to be an outside dog and the child has no choice in the matter:

I hope anyone in this situation realizes that everyone's comments on here stating that they don't agree with outside-only dogs are directed to adults who choose to do this, not children who have no choice in the matter. We realize that you all must live with rules you do not necesarily agree with, and no one is placing any fault on you whatsoever.

And I say this also from experience. When I was growing up, our dogs were outside dogs. Period. My parents both grew up on ranches, where dogs had a job to do and lived outside. Dogs were another animal with a purpose, and my grandparents would no more have let one of their ranch dogs in the house than they would have let in a horse or a goat or a chicken. It never crossed their minds, I'm sure. These dogs were not pets, they were employees.

My parents continued that philosophy. However, our dogs were pets, with no jobs to do. There is a difference. Now, my parents are the sweetest, kindest people you'd ever meet. So I'm certainly not saying people who have outside dog are mean, horrible people. My parents were simply ignorant of the ways dogs function socially, and carrying on an outdated practice out of habit.

The three dogs we had when I lived at home were in no way abused. They had a double-walled, insulated, raised dog house heated with a lightbulb. It was probably almost as warm in there as it was in the house. They had water and food. And in the summer when we were young kids, they had some company, when we were all playing in the back yard. Honestly, though, as we grew up that play-time diminished. They were never abused. But were they neglected? I think so. They spent no time in the house, they had little human interaction compared to a house dog. They had a good life, if you look in terms of basic necessities ... food, water, shelter, vaccinations, vet care. But they didn't have much quality of life, in terms of being part of the family. And they had it a LOT better than a lot of outside dogs ... they were never chained, we had a huge yard, and they had each other. My heart truly breaks for the single dog living alone outside. That is like a life of solitary confinement for a social animal.

Just wanted to clarify.