The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday in the noon hour.
QUESTION: Many people have dogs, and many of those people keep their dogs outside all day & all night. Do you believe it’s cruel to leave a dog outside all day & all night?
Talk about it….
No, not necessarily. Probably depends on the size and breed of the dog and if they have a doghouse at all.
This seems like a new development to me – this idea that all dogs (even in a CA climate) should be inside dogs. Growing up it seemed like lots of people had dogs that lived strictly outdoors.
Awwww…absolutely!!! That is no way to show love for an animal.
As long as they have a dog house it’s fine. You shouldn’t leave your kids outside, though.
Depends on the dog. I wouldn’t recommend leaving a chihuahua outside if you live in North Dakota but lots of hunting breeds and sled dogs live outside. If they are simply a pet and not a working dog then they should be able to come inside and live with the human pack animals.
Cruel? No. But why have a dog if they can’t be part of your family.
This ‘fur baby’ thing is a recent development, whereas people have had dogs for millennia. Why assume that everyone’s way of relating emotionally to their pets has to be the same as your way?
The reason for the “fur babies” is that parents no longer raise their kids. They pay others to do it so they can afford to live in a big house.
You’re not wrong, Kirkwood.
I truly hate when people get dogs just to leave them outside 24.7. What is the point of having a dog if that is what you’re going to do with it?
Uhhh, guard the property perhaps?
It would depend on the weather and the breed. Dogs with heavy coats can withstand the cold better than a dog with a thin coat, and dogs with a thin coat can withstand the heat better than a dog with a thick coat. If it’s extremely cold or hot, then Fido would probably prefer to be inside. A doghouse with some blankets should be ok, but if the thermometer dips below 45, then bring the pooch in the house. If it’s 32 or below it could be dangerous because dogs are susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia. On a hot day dogs can also burn their paws when walking on the hot pavement. In the summer, I think dogs would be perfectly fine if left outside on a warm summer night.
Yes it is cruel regardless of the breed.
Why? I don’t get this at all. If they aren’t too cold or too hot, or exposed directly to precipitation, why is it cruel? Lots of animals sleep outdoors – in fact it is the general trend as far as I can tell, lol.
Cruel?, maybe-maybe not, but why have a dog if you are going to keep them outside all the time? Sometimes the weather could be either too hot or too cold no matter the breed of a dog. Dogs, most, are very social and want to be with their human(s). Just look at those loving eyes, wagging tail and the smile on their face. 🙂
Depends on the area, type weather and type of facility. 24/7 in a country setting is one thing, but cities and towns are another.
Don’t get a dog, or any kind of animal if you are not going to treat him/her with respect. They give nothing but unconditional love. Unless some jerk turned them into a fighting beast for entertainment purposes.
You go sleep in a dog house with blankets.
Animals love their loving owners.
I find this such a weird reaction. Is it really true that all dogs mind sleeping outside in a doghouse? How do you know that?
To me this looks like one kind of pet owner deciding that everybody needs to be that kind of pet owner.
What’s cruel is the neglect and incessant barking of these dogs left out 24/7 and the inconsiderate owners who don’t care about anyone or anything besides themselves. Buy a piece of lawn furniture if all you want is property…
My thoughts exactly.
Is that piece of lawn furniture going to tear a chunk out of the asshat that climbs the fence to case the house?
That’s what security cameras and guns are for…
If a dog repels the intruder, no need for me to expend any precious ammo on the POS.
Our dog prefers to be outside most of the time. She might come to the door but when it is opened she backs up as if to say “no. I don’t want to come in. YOU come out and play!”.
I always felt a little sorry for small animals and birds on cold nights. Hoped they had a warm place to nest. Then one very cold morning just about freezing I went out on the patio to drink my coffee and saw this small bird just having a blast with the almost freezing water in the bird bath. Stayed in there splashing around for five minutes.
One dog we had we kept outside all of the time. The darn thing shed so bad if you let him in the house for five minutes there was black hair all over the place. The dog was a hair grower.
I have to add he did not bark unless he heard something. Not like my now neighbors dog who howls for hours.
I’ve had many dogs through my years. Some like to be outside, especially at night when the raccoons, possums, rodents are roaming. I don’t think they should ever be chained or not have interaction with the family.
Yeah, leave ’em out to tangle with raccoons, possums and rats.
Great idea.
@Dr. Jellyfinger,
Our dog is of a breed developed to get rid of rats. It’s what she does. I don’t know if she has tangled with raccoons but she has killed one (small) possum in addition to the rats.
If you love your dog you will take good care of her… if you don’t, you might leave her outside all night which in my opinion is irresponsible.
BTW – Your dog has not tangled with a raccoon, at least not yet.
If it happens, you’ll know & so will the Veterinarian that stitches her up.
Raccoons are known to carry rabies.
It is cruel to leave a dog outside all day every day if the dog barks all day, disturbing the peace and quiet of the neighborhood, because s/he wants to be in the house.
Unfortunately, there are other ways of being cruel to a dog besides keeping them out doors all day every day.
I’m a cat person, but have friends and family who has dogs, and my daughter has a dog (she use to work for the San Francisco SFCA), as far as I can tell, dogs are more social than cats, and do not want to be left alone for long. So from that standpoint I don’t think it is right. As someone said why have a dog if you are not going to make it part of the family. I realize some dogs are build for cold weather, Alaskan Malamute and others, so they most likely would not suffer in the climate we have here, but others would. Also if you are close to the hills and in a rural area there are coyote’s and mountain lions around, why take the risk that your pet might get attacked. When I lived on a cul de sac in Benicia, I use to let my cats out, but always trying to get them to come in at night for several reasons.
Our dog practically ate at the dinner table with us. Well, actually she did when my parents weren’t home. Slept on the bed with one of us kids at night. Sometimes under the covers. She was more than just a member of the family. She was loved that much. She wanted to be where we were, doing what we were doing … always. And, we wanted her to be happy.
So, no, I don’t believe dogs should be out at night, at least in my neighborhood. They bark all day as it is. All I can determine is that they aren’t happy being ignored. Why would I want to listen to that all night? It is also too dangerous for a dog or a cat to be out at night where I live because of the wildlife.
I totally agree with you. I know of a Dog, Biscuit, that had to be put down because a rattlesnake had crawled in the dog house and bit poor Biscuit on the leg. Very traumatizing. Also we now in this area have too many coyotes that are now very aggressive. So no! Absolutely not leaving dogs out.
For once GittyUp we agree.
No…not cruel at all. Just provide a little doghouse and thats fine
When we lived in Knoxville, hunting dogs were considered tools of the trade instead of pets. Our neighbor left his hunting dog outside all winter long because he didn’t want to spoil the dog, and he took great offense when anyone said anything about it. Even a well-built doghouse wasn’t enough, and during the five years we lived there, two of his dogs died from exposure. Each time, he would just go buy another dog.
Yeah, I call that cruel.
Tho I have been a “cat person” most of my life, I currently have 2 dogs as well as 2 cats. The dogs have access to the indoors and the outdoors all of the time via a doggy door. The only time the doggy door is closed is when I am home and the cats also have the run of the house, as I do not want them going outside at all. I monitor everyone’s comings and goings and, when it is cold, move the dog beds to the farthest point away from the doggy door as I can since cold air will slither through the doggy door, especially if it’s really windy. And yes, they are all my Fur Babies!!