petslover, If you feel your dog is safe outside then that's great. But for me there is no way! There was an incident in the next town a few years ago where a lady had left her two goldens out and when she came home found that someone had used them both for target practice with bows and arrows, they were both dead. And what about someone stealing a dog or poisoning it? No way.
I feel a dog is like an eternal two year old, it needs your protection. Whatever you do with your dog is your business, I do not judge people, if you're happy with the situation and feel it is safe, that's great.