Please don't get frustrated with us. We do understand your question, but you have to realize that we are taken aback by how you have chosen to accommodate a dog into your life. First, I believe you care for your dog or you wouldn't be here or asking this question. Second, I believe your instincts about the welfare of your dog in the cold is correct. A Dalmation is not a breed that can tolerate temperatures that are too hot or too cold, and no breed should be left in the sun without shade or the rain without shelter. The mental health of your dog is important as well and I don't think you want to jeopardize that either. A dog is a very social animal and in that respect probably closer to a human than any other animal. They are able to make a lot of adaptations to our routines and schedules but they want to live their lives in the company of their precious loved humans. A dog may be able to accommodate the fact that their human works all day, but they need to be part of the family for a good portion of the day. A good size dog such as a Dalmation also needs a LOT of exercise. Generally he won't get sufficient exercise left to his own devises in a pen. Don't leave us. Please read some of the posts in these forums and try to understand what we are all about. We get a tremendous amount of pleasure, joy, and restoration of our spirits from living our lives in the company of dogs. There is not one of us here who would not do things differently if we could go back and do it all over again with the dogs we have owned in the past. I would not want to have to enumerate all the mistakes I have made over the years. One of the reasons we are here is to learn from the experiences of others to improve the quality of our lives as we live them with our dogs. Some of us (I count myself as one of them) are probably more challenged than others. Please stay with us. I think you will find the people here willing to listen and to try their best to help. Read the posts here with an open mind and I think you will find your life with Presley can be more rewarding.