I have seen some people chain thier dogs up, leave food on the ground for them, etc. That is cruel. My neighborhood is sooo dog friendly, most everybody has a dog, that I feel very comfortable leaving Cinnamon outside. When we are home we leave the door from the garage to our house open and if she wants to come in she can, she chooses to stay outside most of the time, especially in the summer. If you provide plenty of clean water, food, and shelter for the animal, there is no problem.