Puppy
We are getting a puppy! I am so excited! I love animals and FDH knows this. Even though he is in farm mentality of animals are food, not friends... And Never Ever can the dog come inside the house... I'm so excited. The oldest girl has always wanted a dog. FDH has always told her no.
But out of the blue he announced he had talked to someone who had a drive and dump in their yard and we were getting the puppy!
FDH said he changed his mind so abruptly because he thought out would be a good bonding experience between me and the kids, since he is not an animal person and the kids and I are.
We have not picked it up yet, but FDH and I decided we would let the oldest girl name it.
She will be taking on the majority of the care and I will be doing out when she is on visitation, or when she forgets.
I am so excited! Oldest girl is coming with me tonight to buy pet supplies and we are going to ready the garage for the dog while the younger two and dad are at ball practice.
Again so excited!
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The garage is only while its
The garage is only while its apuppy and until we get an electric fence put in. Then its going outside.
And lots of dogs survive outside. I am an animal lover, but that doesn't mean it has to sleep in my bedroom with me or pee on my hardwood floors.
^^I'm with Echo 100%. As a
^^I'm with Echo 100%.
As a former dog trainer and animal rescue person, I have seen many dogs turned into shelters because they became anti-social or aggressive from being left alone outside. They don't develop the social skills they need if they're banished to the outdoors.
To me, getting a dog as a lawn ornament doesn't make a lick of sense. Dogs are PACK animals and need to be with their packs. Period.
That's awesome biflexed! You
That's awesome biflexed! You get 4 for the price of 1! LOL
^^^Thank you!
^^^Thank you!
I have to agree with Echo;
I have to agree with Echo; I'm an animal lover to and no way on earth would my furballs be staying in the garage, especially as puppies. Just like little kids, that's the time to train them, help them adjust to being a part of the family; they're not a disposable toy. It takes time and commitment, not just an occasional pat on the head and bowl of food. There's vet visits, grooming, and play time to be considered. As for housekeeping issues with a pet ownership, my mother was into the white glove test type of housekeeping and we always had a dog (and hamsters, turtles,etc.,we had a small zoo!) in the house. The dog was kept groomed and bathed, cages for the other animals cleaned, and rooms regularly vacuumed & cleaned. You're setting the dog up for a miserable existance, please reconsider.
^^^100% agree
^^^100% agree
I agree with the other poster
I agree with the other poster in some instances, but I also know depending on the breed they are fine outside depending on their use--
Huskies and malamutes for dog sledding are kept outside, often in subzero temps, as are collies and other working dogs on farms. My parents have a farm and the dogs and cats bed down in the barn, usually. Only issue is, once these are outside dogs, they do take on a stronger odor and are prone to ticks and fleas (but if you give them the proper preventative measures, it isn't that bad.) Other than the very princess-y dogs, most others do well outside and live their lives fine.
We had a dog (a stray we picked up) who refused to stay in the house even when the three others would. She would have a panic attack and we'd try to drag her in in the winter months but she would have none of it, a doberman mix who would bolt for outside and knock us over if she was inside. Don't know why she had such an issue with going indoors. So we had her in a dog house with a nice sheepskin and a covering for her dog house that extended like an awning behind the house so it blocked out most of the wind. She lived to 16 years of age like that and passed of cancer (we found her when she was about 2).
No one said to leave the dog
No one said to leave the dog exclusively indoors, she's saying she's going to put the dog exclusively OUTDOORS. THAT is not a life. A dog should be able to come inside and go outside, spending the majority of their lives with their pack (or family)...
And once the newness of an outside dog wears off, people tend not to spend much time with them outside anymore. I've seen it happen time and time again. Even with my first husband's family. They got a German Shepherd and left him outside. Then no one wanted to go outside with him because A. he was desperate for attention and jumped all over them whenever they went outside because they never trained him and B. people mostly spend their time indoors (especially during inclement weather) and didn't want to sit outside with the dog anymore.
They ended up giving the dog away at age 1 because frankly, all they did was go outside, feed him and water him and went back inside. He would bark for attention, they got mad at him for that. He'd tear up their lawn/patio furniture because he was bored, they got mad at him for that. He'd chase the neighbor's cat, out of boredom, the neighbors got mad at him for that.
Had they allowed him to come indoors and properly trained and socialized him, he would've had a great life!
I've seen that happen too and
I've seen that happen too and understand where you are coming from--but that's an issue with how the dog is being kept, not where. The owners were irresponsible to begin with, and they had no idea HOW to train and take care of an outdoor dog.
But as I've said, I've seen just as many dogs who are crated and cooped up at home from 7-6pm and they turned out just as aggressive.
It's the how, not the where. There are responsible outdoor dog owners just as there are irresponsible ones. Responsible indoor dog owners just as irresponsibleones.
I agree that if you don't
I agree that if you don't spend enough time or properly train your dog regardless of whether he lives inside or outside, it's not the ideal environment.
I guess after all my rescue work and volunteer work with shelters, I have a different viewpoint on pets.
My chinchillas live in their own mansion (6.5' high, 4' wide, 2.5' deep enclosure) and are let out for at least a couple of hours a day to interact with us. My cat has free reign of the apartment. We refuse to get a dog because we both work full time and don't have the time to spend with a dog, plus our apartment is just too small.
My pets are like kids - treated like a part of our family.
And what a beautiful mansion
That's what being a responsible pet owner is--knowing what your limits are with an animal. My pets are just my leopard gecko and my snake--they're like fish I can touch but they don't crave attention and clean up is easy. I knew this was my capacity and I stuck with it.
Did you see the new pics of
Did you see the new pics of it? It's all done now. They LOVE it.
I love geckos! When I lived in Hawaii they were always in and out of the house. SO adorable to watch.
What kind of snake?
I did! But I haven't seen any
I did! But I haven't seen any pics with them inside of it. They're so lucky!
A hognose. Very behaviorally interesting--they'll flatten the skin on their necks and stand up to pretend to be a cobra, or triangulate their head to look like a rattler, or their main defense is roll on their backs, open their mouths, stick out their tongues, and play dead.
Mine hasn't shown an inkling of doing any of those displays though. Not sure if it's fortunate or unfortunate (since the displays are impressive) but I have a feeling she just doesn't give a damn and nothing scares her. Docile to say in the least.
That's awesome! I love
That's awesome! I love snakes. Not a fan of spiders or scorpions but snakes and lizards, yes.
We got that stray first so
We got that stray first so she was with us for a good 9 years before we got any of the other dogs--not an aggressive bone in her body even though she was the "only" dog, but we were outside with her very often (my parents made us go outside to play from the time we got home from school until dinner) so she was never lonely.
Oh yes, hunting dogs are another one--I know people keep large hunting dogs like mastiffs in outside kennels as well.
If you can bed a pig down outside as long as it has adequate space and shelter and warmth, it would be just as happy if not more so rooting in the soil. And we all know pigs can be just as, if not smarter than dogs.
my parents made us go outside
my parents made us go outside to play from the time we got home from school until dinner) so she was never lonely.
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How many parents nowadays make their kids go outside to play with their dogs though?
But the point is that they
But the point is that they would have to if they are considering an outside life for a dog. If they can't deal with the responsibility of an outside life for a dog, they probably can't for an inside dog either. A dog's companionship should not be based on convenience, no matter where it lives.
They found that dealing with the dog itself was a nuisance, and chances are it would have become destructive and have bad behaviors even if it lived inside, because the problem was a lack of training and socialization.
Sorry, I'm totally against
Sorry, I'm totally against getting a dog just to make it a lawn ornament. Dogs need to be with their packs and if you get a single dog and just leave it outside, that's a lonely existence for a dog.
In my opinion, it makes ZERO sense to get a pet and never let it inside. How would YOU feel if you were never allowed to hang out with your family and instead had to be outside all the time alone?
Do the dog a favor and allow it to be adopted by someone who will bring it indoors where it belongs.
I can understand about the
I can understand about the dogs being treated as a lawn ornament and only left outside--but outside dogs can get the same amount of socialization if the owners are willing to work with them. It doesn't absolve the owners of the responsibility of mentally stimulating the dog and walking it and socializing it. It's just that we hear a lot of sad stories about animals who are indeed forgotten because it's easy to forget when they're outside but there are responsible outdoor dog owners.
But I hear an equal amount of sad stories of dogs who are left alone in the house, crated, and aggressive because their owners are gone most of the day. How healthy a dog is emotionally and physically has less to do with where they are kept than how they are kept.
Our dogs are sort of half outdoor dogs--they come inside at night and are let out in the mornings, they're happy and well adjusted and social with people. Not aggressive (although they probably should be a bit more alert since they let a crazy person into the yard and house without so much as a bark.) Husky and a Chow.
At least they come inside
At least they come inside though - that's my point. To banish a dog to live 100% outside is NOT the ideal situation for most SINGLE dogs.
When people say their hunting dogs are outdoors only, they usually have more than one.
Kind of a lonely existence for a single dog to be outside his entire life don't you think?
To me, a single dog outside
To me, a single dog outside and a single dog inside, if the owners are home the same amount and interact with them the same amount, to me is no different. Yes, I think having more than one, no matter an inside or outside dog (or even a cat as a companion) is always better than a single, especially if they're alone most of the day. Or if they have a job to do, like flock guarding dogs.
^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS!!^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ew. You can have that many
Ew. You can have that many pets but still keep things spotless and well groomed and not smell. It's not animal hoarding (I mean in the traditional HBO sense) but it's probably neglect or a health hazard. The rats are likely for the snakes so that's probably not counted as pets.
LadyFace, Yes, that's
LadyFace,
Yes, that's excessive for the amount of space. That's even worse than leaving them outside! 4 dogs, 4 cats, 2 snakes, a bunny and a bunch of rats? Totally excessive.
Having too little space for that many animals is cruelty in my opinion.
Too true, especially if
Too true, especially if they're not taken care of. If you have a big dog in an apartment but walk them twice a day like you should, then fine, but if you're not going to take care of them...
Honestly, they probably shouldn't even HAVE pets.