I agree about dogs not being left outside 24/7. I can see hours of freedom in the yard, but certainly not at night! Of course that is your choice but you asked for opinions....and we are very, very free with our opinions are here!!!!

I have a (red neck) neighbor who has hunting dogs living in barrels on chains only a couple of houses away. We have called the humane society so many times ... and every now and then he gets a warning about their conditions. He came very close to having them taken away, but modified their feeding schedule just enough to keep them.

Anyway, heat and cold are most dogs demise. Some dogs can tolerate extremes but why would you want that for a pet?

So, looks like my vote is yes a doggie, but inside most of the time.

Keep us posted. And hey, maybe we all misread your post. If that is the case, I am sorry for being so negative about your post.