Both of my grandparents had outdoor dogs and I can tell you they didn't lack for love. We tried to take them inside and both of them ate through the doors. They had wonderful setups in the garage, and both of my grandpa's would get up at night to but more logs on the wood stoves they had in the garage. Snoopy had a large fenced yard that he and my grandpa spent the day in together, and Pal got several long walks a day as well as lots of attention. I like my pets indoors, but I don't think that if you have outdoor animals that means you abuse them. Both dogs lived 16-18 years and were put down for different health reasons (they were in lots of pain and couldn't even get up). Thats just my opinion though. I think that a dog can live a great life outdoors if treated right.