What do you think of dogs being kept outside?

Asphyxia · 15-11-2010 11:17pm

My dog is outside most of the day when I leave in the morning, I bring him inside in the evenings and we usually go for a walk and then he stays inside for the night. He is great at letting us know he needs the bathroom as he jumps at the door, he is still a puppy so I don't like the idea of him being outside.

Every dog is different if they want to be outside I think it's grand as long as there is a kennel or something for him to go in.

Tranceypoo · 17-11-2010 2:26pm

perri winkles wrote: »

My friends mum is a classic exampe of what I find so frustrating about some pet owners. She says the dog "stinks" and carries "diseases" so the children in the house arn't allowed hug the poor thing or play with her Its so sad to see. Also "a dogs place is apparently outside" no matter the weather. Makes my blood boil just thinking about it :mad:
Why even have a dog!?! Oh yeah, as a security measure according to her :rolleyes: ugh

Sounds like my mother-in-law, currently 'in negotiations' with the in-laws to take the dog 'off their hands'. Sigh.

Tranceypoo · 17-11-2010 2:28pm

perri winkles wrote: »

Its so silly, because when they are out of the house, the dog is locked in a run!! So hardly going to stop a burglar breaking in, but apparently her barking will scare them off :rolleyes: Just thinking about it really makes me so cross

Change 'run' into 'shed' and it's my dear mother-in-law again!!!

enda1 · 17-11-2010 2:41pm

dvet wrote: »

I agree with you all that there's no point in owning a dog at all if it's going to be shut outside and forgotten about (like the woman that perriwinkles described). Even if your dog lives outside it's no reason to ignore it or not look after it properly - as I described in the first post, my parent's dog lives outside, and she gets great love and affection and is a big part of the family. The same goes for a load of other dogs I know belonging to friends and family... there will always be ignorant people who don't look after their animals properly, unfortunately. A 'guard dog' - come on. More than likely it was a 'puppy as a christmas present' situation, and they just have no interest. Sad.

A lot of people keep dogs as work dogs. Remember they are not people and not everyone has the same use of animals as you.

Dogs can hunt, pull sleighs, guard, shepherd etc.
Not everyone requires emotional support from their dog.

dvet · 17-11-2010 2:56pm

enda1 wrote: »

A lot of people keep dogs as work dogs. Remember they are not people and not everyone has the same use of animals as you.

Dogs can hunt, pull sleighs, guard, shepherd etc.
Not everyone requires emotional support from their dog.

Yes, I agree with you and I'm not against working dogs at all, or how they're kept. Working dogs are far from forgotten about, most of them get plenty of interaction and stimulation in their day and even though they may not necessarily be pets, they are usually looked after very well. And overall, I'm in favour of dogs living outside (it was me who started this thread).

I was referring to dogs who are bought as pets and then are more or less abandoned once they're a few weeks old, as they owners can't be bothered/don't care that much.

Graces7 · 17-11-2010 3:38pm

feelingstressed wrote: »

Our young collie is always outside. It's a farm so she can wander around the land.
Has a shelter under the oil tank and straw in there. It's cosy enough

Our golden retriever through is nearly always inside. Poor fellla is pretty old so spends his day by the radiator. I'd say he spends more time asleep then awake.
He goes for the odd walk but comes home wrecked.

Realy, when both dogs were healthy, they were happier outside and were never let in the house.
Only brought in if it's exceptionally cold.

Not kind or wise; hope there are no sheep around?

Just because they were not allowed in does not mean they preferred to be out..... Collie here had never slept inside until we let here. Now she of course is indoors when we are.. she has arthritis because of those early years outside.

enda1 · 17-11-2010 3:48pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Not kind or wise; hope there are no sheep around?

Just because they were not allowed in does not mean they preferred to be out..... Collie here had never slept inside until we let here. Now she of course is indoors when we are.. she has arthritis because of those early years outside.

I'd like to eat a couple of bags of sweets, have a few pints with some crisps and finish off with a rasher sambo every night. Doesn't mean its good for me.

A collie is well able to sleep outside on its own, and arthritis is not caused by being outdoors per se. Perhaps the dogs more active lifestyle had a part to play or maybe its one of the genetic faults often present in pure breed dogs, I don't know, but I wouldn't believe the cold caused it.

Old_-_School · 17-11-2010 4:13pm

Two things I never can understand about people in relation to dogs
1. Keeping a dog as an indoor animal
2. Leaving a child on it's own with a dog.

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell. Why would you subject yourself and your family to this smell 24/7? As another poster said, dogs eat their own sh*t and lick their balls. These are not clean animals. They are not meant to live in the same environment as people.

2. Over 1000 kids in Ireland every year require medical attention after being bitten by a dog. It's likely that thousands more are bitten and either don't seek medical attention or it's not reported. These bites cover practically all breeds of dogs. There's no such thing as a dog that isn't capable of biting a child.
My brother works in an A&E room and has encountered dozens of such cases and in particular the excuses the idiot parents (mainly mothers) give:
"I was only in the kitchen 30 seconds while I left my 2 year old in the sitting room watching tv"
"It had never bitten anyone before"
"It's a breed that's quite placid".
These morons have no idea. Do they not realise that *all* dogs are evolved from wolves? They're all capable of biting, at any time, regardless of whether it's bitten before and it only takes a few seconds to bite a child. In 30 seconds a dog could have done enough damage to a toddler that death would be inevitable, and that's any dog not just pitbulls and rottweilers.
Any parent that lets their kid alone with a dog for *any* length of time is not a fit parent.

kylith · 17-11-2010 4:26pm

Old_-_School wrote: »

Two things I never can understand about people in relation to dogs
1. Keeping a dog as an indoor animal
2. Leaving a child on it's own with a dog.

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell. Why would you subject yourself and your family to this smell 24/7? As another poster said, dogs eat their own sh*t and lick their balls. These are not clean animals. They are not meant to live in the same environment as people.

Point 2 is a no-brainer, so I won't respond to that one.

My family members who don't have pets say that my house smells of dog, but I honestly don't notice it at all. I love going to other people's houses and smelling that warm doggy smell, it's reassuring to know that there's a 99% chance that at least one member of the household will be delighted to see you.

sophie1234 · 17-11-2010 4:39pm

Two things I never can understand about people in relation to dogs
1. Keeping a dog as an indoor animal
2. Leaving a child on it's own with a dog.

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell. Why would you subject yourself and your family to this smell 24/7? As another poster said, dogs eat their own sh*t and lick their balls. These are not clean animals. They are not meant to live in the same environment as people.

i have to dogs and a cat all kept inside weather were at home or gone out! and i dont notice a doggy smell no1 who comes to my house does either and tbh i wouldnt care if someone did!

Tranceypoo · 17-11-2010 4:44pm

sophie1234 wrote: »

i have to dogs and a cat all kept inside weather were at home or gone out! and i dont notice a doggy smell no1 who comes to my house does either and tbh i wouldnt care if someone did!

+ 1, I have always had a dog and now have a cat as well, both indoors, my house is extremely clean and smells of Jo Malone candles or naturally scented cleaning products, all you need to do is wash their bedding once a week and clean the floor, it's not difficult. I resent the statement that all people who have dogs and/or cats inside have smelly houses. If you weren't so ignorant I'd invite you round for a sniff of my front room.

kildareash · 17-11-2010 4:45pm

My own two dogs are outside when I'm not there. That part of the day when we're at work. They also sleep in a kennel outside at night.
They are in and out when I'm there.
I do sometimes feel bad putting them out at night, but they run out go to the toilet and straight into their kennel. If they were crying or barking, then I would bring them inside.

They're well fed, well looked after, walked every evening. They're very much apart of my family and when i'm visiting my sisters or my parents, the boys are always brought and love spending time with their canine and human cousins.

As for people getting dogs for 'security' and then leaving them outside all the time, with no human interaction. This really annoys me. How can they expect a dog to "guard" them when they have no relationship. Sounds so ridiculous.

dahat · 17-11-2010 5:43pm

Old_-_School wrote: »

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell.

entirely a diet issue and easy to change if owners are willing to feed correctly and not take the easy way out n get a bag of cheap food.

Discodog · 17-11-2010 6:10pm

Old_-_School wrote: »

Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell.

There's no such thing as a dog that isn't capable of biting a child.

Do they not realise that *all* dogs are evolved from wolves? They're all capable of biting, at any time, regardless of whether it's bitten before and it only takes a few seconds to bite a child.

Any parent that lets their kid alone with a dog for *any* length of time is not a fit parent.

My dogs assure me that most human homes that they go to stink of human & their sense of smell is way better than ours.

The rest of your post features some common sense & a some misunderstanding. The evolved from Wolves bit is still used by outmoded trainers but in reality a dog behaves very differently to a Wolf. Yes a dog is physically capable of biting but, as to if it can be left with a child, it depends on the child & the dog.

The idea that older children, who have learnt how to relate to the dog, cannot be left is wrong. The key is in educating the children. It is insane that we do not spare an hour, during the years of education, to explain to children how they should behave with dogs. A recent survey in the UK found that, when most kids were shown a photo of a snarling dog, they thought that it was smiling.

I have three dogs & when my neighbours moved in their kids were scared of dogs because their parent were also nervous. Now my dogs are welcome in their house & the kids have enjoyed learning how to communicate with dogs & understand what the dogs are telling them.

The five needs of animals were laid out for non companion animals. The key one that is missing is human companionship. Many countries that have update animal legislation have included this as a basic requirement for dogs.

I am at a loss as to why "Working Dogs" should not be treated any differently to any other dog when it comes to comfort, warmth, companionship etc.

dvet · 17-11-2010 6:23pm

Discodog wrote: »

A recent survey in the UK found that, when most kids were shown a photo of a snarling dog, they thought that it was smiling.

Yikes! That's a bit of an issue alright.

bladespin · 17-11-2010 6:27pm

Dogs belong outside, by all means give them the choice to come and go via a dog flap but I do think it's wrong to lock a dog inside, it goes against nature IMO.

Discodog · 17-11-2010 6:35pm

dvet wrote: »

Yikes! That's a bit of an issue alright.

Researchers at the University of Lincoln found the majority of children under the age of seven do not see the warning signs when dogs are angry.

The team tracked the eye movements of children and found they tended to look only at a dog’s mouth, ignoring other signs of aggression that adults see, such as the changed position of ears.

The scientists concluded that children could be putting themselves at risk of being bitten by the family pet because they cannot read dogs’ body language.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pets/8018784/Children-bitten-by-dogs-because-they-think-angry-animals-are-smiling.html

dvet · 17-11-2010 6:42pm

Scary. Our older dog is an absolute pet but has never been around kids much. She's a little wary when my little niece comes around, so we never leave them in the room together - ever. No point risking it!

Lee1982 · 17-11-2010 6:50pm

heres 2 different dog stories one is my dogs and the next are my sisters

my 2 dogs are in all day,they live and sleep inside only going out to wee

they are great calm and well mannered dogs with plenty of affection and attention giving by my family and guests,my house does not stink as i keep it clean and my dogs too :P

my sisters 2 dogs are outside,she has one big kennel for both of them,she hasnt bonded with them so im urging her to give them up,they have no quality of life and are just "forgotten" what u cant see you dont miss,to keep amused they run up against the wall for ages wearing themselves out :mad:they are hard to handle now,they jump up and have no basic manners because nobody sees them in the garden all day!! it makes me crazy!!!!
i think dogs SHOULD be a part of the family,not treated as a child but at least given a warm home to call their own :cool:

Deeanimallover · 17-11-2010 7:02pm

Old_-_School wrote: »

Two things I never can understand about people in relation to dogs
1. Keeping a dog as an indoor animal
2. Leaving a child on it's own with a dog.

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell. Why would you subject yourself and your family to this smell 24/7? As another poster said, dogs eat their own sh*t and lick their balls. These are not clean animals. They are not meant to live in the same environment as people.

A house shouldnt stink of anything if its cleaned regularly! Id much rather the smell of dogs than stale cigarettes or BO anyday.

And btw humans can be dirty animals too - I'll leave it up to your own imagination

lrushe · 17-11-2010 7:13pm

Old_-_School wrote: »

1. Any household I've been in that has a pet dog always stinks to high hell. Why would you subject yourself and your family to this smell 24/7?.

Have to say I'm a big smell freak, I would hate to think someone coming into my home could only smell dog so I invested in a steam cleaner. It's brill, I steam all my soft furnishings and dogs beds forthnightly and my floors daily, the steamer cleans, sterilises and de-odourises without any harsh chemicals, just water!
Just in case there is any stubborn odour still floating around after that I always have a Yankee Candle burning, simple really if you're willing to put in the effort.

Sigma Force · 17-11-2010 7:39pm

Houses with pets only stink if the people in them are too lazy to clean up after their pets and too lazy to groom their dog.

Plenty of rescues keep their dogs housed outside.

I have 2 housed outside, I am not 100% happy with it though would prefer if they were all in, one has issues when kept indoors esp. if she is left alone, bursts out through windows etc. They have a shed of their own with a dog flap and run attached and large fenced in garden/jungle.

Now plenty of dog owners in the countryside do keep their dogs outside and only give them attention the odd time usually when the weather is nice then the novelty wears off, others keep their dogs outside not fenced in and allow them to roam which really pees me off. Town people do exactly the same they don't care wether they dog wanders or not and just fek them outside from dawn till dusk, some don't even enclose them in the garden at night they can be roaming at any time.

I think traditional kennels are pretty rubbish though at keeping dogs sheltered, and some breeds of dog can't cope well outside and yet people still leave them out even though they have huge houses or a big garage that they could use.

I think it should be compulsary for all outdoor dogs to have a few changes of vet bed, it's brilliant and they really appreciate the comfort and warmth of it.

moving_home · 17-11-2010 10:09pm

my dog sleeps in a draught free shed outside in her crate. She is outside during the day while we are at work then inside at lunchtime and all evening until we are going to bed. No room for the crate inside due to the shape of our kitchen with the island in the middle. She gets loads of attention, walked everyday and is well loved so I see nothing wrong with her sleeping outside.

BUT I do agree with what people are saying about dogs left outside with no interaction whatsoever and that isn't right.

veruca salt · 17-11-2010 11:00pm

moving_home wrote: »

my dog sleeps in a draught free shed outside in her crate. She is outside during the day while we are at work then inside at lunchtime and all evening until we are going to bed. No room for the crate inside due to the shape of our kitchen with the island in the middle. She gets loads of attention, walked everyday and is well loved so I see nothing wrong with her sleeping outside.

BUT I do agree with what people are saying about dogs left outside with no interaction whatsoever and that isn't right.

This is the crux of the issue, there is nothing cruel about having pets who sleep in an outside kennel or spend time outside with proper shelter and water. However, if the pet is outside and totally ignored then this constitutes neglect and is totally unacceptable. It's also unacceptable to leave ones dog roaming freely, it's not safe for the animal or fair on drivers or pedestrians, particularly children. I adore my dogs but would never leave them unsupervised around children.

We have 3 dogs, they sleep inside and stay inside if the weather is bad. If the weather is good they are outside when we are not home and they go between inside and out when we are at home. Our house doesn't smell because the dogs are only allowed downstairs which is swept and mopped daily, all hard surfaces are cleaned daily, their bedding is laundered regularly, we light candles and have fresh flowers. It's hard work keeping a clean house with three dogs inside but it's worth it

.

storm2811 · 17-11-2010 11:07pm

I have three dogs, they all live outside, free to roam wherever they want, but they sleep in the extension, which has kind of turned into just a giant dog house!:pac:
They are played with and walked, well fed and kept warm.

I know a lot of people have a problem with dogs being let loose, just free to roam, but if they don't go causing trouble(killing sheep, harming farm animals etc) then I don't see the problem.

I'd just like to say aswell, we live in the country, have very few neighbours, most of which are elderly and are all used to the dogs when driving or walking by, they'll bark but won't hassle them.

moving_home · 17-11-2010 11:24pm

ya my dog is not fenced in either which i know is frowned upon as we are in rented house with no proper fenced garden. There is about half an acre of a garden. We are half a mile up a tiny laneway which is a dead end and nearest neighbour is over half a mile away so doggie doesn't pose a danger to passing traffic and no sheep around us. She would never go into a field with cows.
When she was little we trained her as to where she was allowed go and she never crosses the boundary.

Discodog · 18-11-2010 1:15am

Dog Wardens, Vets & Rescues will all tell you about the dogs that never wander, worry livestock, or get killed on roads. Everyone says that there dog won't until it does.

My neighbours dog lived in their open garden by the road for 6 years until it was killed. No one knows why it crossed the road.

Graces7 · 18-11-2010 7:31am

storm2811 wrote: »

I have three dogs, they all live outside, free to roam wherever they want, but they sleep in the extension, which has kind of turned into just a giant dog house!:pac:
They are played with and walked, well fed and kept warm.

I know a lot of people have a problem with dogs being let loose, just free to roam, but if they don't go causing trouble(killing sheep, harming farm animals etc) then I don't see the problem.

I'd just like to say aswell, we live in the country, have very few neighbours, most of which are elderly and are all used to the dogs when driving or walking by, they'll bark but won't hassle them.

That is both dangerous and illegal. Utterly irresponsible also. Any dog also can start to worry sheep.. We have always lived in rural areas and always make sure our dogs are well fenced and also always know exactly where they are.

irelandspurs · 18-11-2010 7:58am

I think its ok outside if they have shelter and warmth,dog next door is out side all the time with no shelter and never walked never let in and somethimes gets the wheelie bin pulled down for it to go in. :mad:

Graces7 · 18-11-2010 8:11am

When we moved here a couple of months ago, we found an excellent dog kennel here.

Collie will not go near it; a few years ago when we found her, she had a good kennel outside but stopped using it when we started letting her indoors.

The only time she used the kennel was whem we moved into that house, rented out then for the first time, they could not lock her in the shed any more.

Her issue with indoors was that because she had also been locked in a dark shed around 16/24, she was terrified to come in in case she could not get out again. We had the "door dance" for months.. half way in then panic would set in.

This did not mean that she was happier outside; far from it.

Now, in her arthritic old age - and yes, that is because of bad conditions in her early life - she chooses the old settee every time.

Any change takes time. Period. As with us so with dogs.

Because dogs tolerate ill treatment does not mean they like it or that it is good for them. Remember Bill Sykes and his loyal wee dog....

All of which makes it worse when they are left out to roam.

Another issue is that almost all of the complaints re barking dogs are of course re dogs left outside when their owners are out and have no idea what their dogs are doing.

storm2811 · 18-11-2010 12:25pm

Graces7 wrote: »

That is both dangerous and illegal. Utterly irresponsible also. Any dog also can start to worry sheep.. We have always lived in rural areas and always make sure our dogs are well fenced and also always know exactly where they are.

Our family has had dogs for the past 30 years, each one of them living outside(sleeping inside) but entirely free to roam.
They're quite happy out there, all the freedom they could possibly want.
There's never been an incident where they bit/attacked someone or any livestock, there are only two farms nearby, one owned by my family and the other by a neighbour, never had any complaints.

The only problem we've ever had with our dogs living outside is that one of them accidently ate rat poison, yes it was unfortunate but it was also an accident, and accidents happen.

The rest of our dogs have lived long healthy lives.

lrushe · 18-11-2010 6:13pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Another issue is that almost all of the complaints re barking dogs are of course re dogs left outside when their owners are out and have no idea what their dogs are doing.

My neighbours leave their 4 Jack Russells indoors and every morning between 8-9am the high pitched barking and running up and down the stairs like a herd of elephants starts ( I work shift so I would still be in bed). People who leave their dogs inside when they are out have no more of an idea of what their dogs get up to when they are not there.

Whispered · 18-11-2010 6:25pm

I understand what you are saying lrushe, but indoor dogs causing noise problems are very few and far between compared to the regular problem of barking dogs out their back garden all day. Particurlary in a housing estate. (we have one family who seems to have a different barker in their garden every few months.

)

This is down to bad ownership though and a dog should not be making such noise if sufficiently exercised and has enough stimulation, whether they are indoors or outdoors all day.

lrushe · 18-11-2010 6:32pm

Whispered wrote: »

This is down to bad ownership though and a dog should not be making such noise if sufficiently exercised and has enough stimulation, whether they are indoors or outdoors all day.

Well this is true, it would be safe to say the dogs living indoors next to me have never even seen or felt grass. Which really just goes to show (as you say) that dogs kept indoor can suffer from bad owners too.

Jinxi · 19-11-2010 5:06pm

As stated already I think that as long as dogs are cared for(shelter and human interaction, whether you keep them in or out thats a personal issue.
I realise that some people don't understand/like that there are working dogs that are left outside. As Graces said transitioning a dog inside if they are not used to it can be stressful on the dog but they can adapt.
But I really have a prblem with people who let their dogs out without a fenced in garden(unless you live in the middle of nowwhere). I came from teh country and often had dogs fighting our dogs in our garden, sh*ting on our property, chasing our cats, growing at us when we tried to run them. Now I live in town, there is more of the same. The dog three doors domw uses our front lawn as a toilet and I often come accross him in the town centre. When his owners come home from work he is pleasantly sitting outside his home.
I'm sure all those owners thought that their dogs only stayed where they were "trained to go".
I'm all for having your dogs outside if you choose to do so, but that means also resticting where they go.

Graces7 · 20-11-2010 11:06am

storm2811 wrote: »

Our family has had dogs for the past 30 years, each one of them living outside(sleeping inside) but entirely free to roam.
They're quite happy out there, all the freedom they could possibly want.
There's never been an incident where they bit/attacked someone or any livestock, there are only two farms nearby, one owned by my family and the other by a neighbour, never had any complaints.

The only problem we've ever had with our dogs living outside is that one of them accidently ate rat poison, yes it was unfortunate but it was also an accident, and accidents happen.

The rest of our dogs have lived long healthy lives.

It remains illegal and irresponsible.. and really you don't "have" dogs in a situation like this.

The law states clearly that dogs have to be under your control at all times.

Lost count of the number of timew we have narrowly missed a dog while out driving.

storm2811 · 20-11-2010 11:53am

Graces7 wrote: »

It remains illegal and irresponsible.. and really you don't "have" dogs in a situation like this.

The law states clearly that dogs have to be under your control at all times.

Lost count of the number of timew we have narrowly missed a dog while out driving.

I don't really "have" dogs? I love my dogs to bits.
I live in the middle of no where, my closest neighbour is a mile away for goodness sake!
About 4 cars drive by everyday, including ours, and no one drives irresponsibly enough to hit a dog, plus our dogs have enough cop on to not run out in front of a car, they never stray towards the main road.

I have a license for all 3 of my dogs, for all the years we've had dogs they've never been reported.

I don't think you understand, it's the norm here to let your dogs roam and they never stray too far from home.

dahat · 20-11-2010 12:30pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Lost count of the number of timew we have narrowly missed a dog while out driving.

same can be said for children.

Graces7 · 20-11-2010 3:50pm

storm2811 wrote: »

I don't really "have" dogs? I love my dogs to bits.
I live in the middle of no where, my closest neighbour is a mile away for goodness sake!
About 4 cars drive by everyday, including ours, and no one drives irresponsibly enough to hit a dog, plus our dogs have enough cop on to not run out in front of a car, they never stray towards the main road.

I have a license for all 3 of my dogs, for all the years we've had dogs they've never been reported.

I don't think you understand, it's the norm here to let your dogs roam and they never stray too far from home.

Whether it is the norm or not does not make it responsible ownership.

We live in a similar setting and our landlord's brother, when we were making sure the fence was secure spoke just like you are doing. And we rejected his 'advice' as we do yours.

We would never let our dogs roam like that because we care about them and their safety. The world has changed in the last 30 years also.

It is still illegal and still irresponsible and still bad "ownership".

Which we see so much of in Ireland, sadly.

We have in the past reported dogs who roam free like that and will do so again.

Graces7 · 20-11-2010 3:51pm

dahat wrote: »

same can be said for children.

And your point, as relevant to this thread, is????

storm2811 · 20-11-2010 4:10pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Whether it is the norm or not does not make it responsible ownership.

We live in a similar setting and our landlord's brother, when we were making sure the fence was secure spoke just like you are doing. And we rejected his 'advice' as we do yours.

We would never let our dogs roam like that because we care about them and their safety. The world has changed in the last 30 years also.

It is still illegal and still irresponsible and still bad "ownership".

Which we see so much of in Ireland, sadly.

We have in the past reported dogs who roam free like that and will do so again.

"ownership"?
I love my dogs and care for them, I wash them and walk them and make sure they are fed. There is nothing wrong with them, they don't hassle people or animals or anything else.

Go ahead and report away, you may have taken people's beloved pets away from them, were the dogs malnourished?Diseased?
I look after my dogs & I love them. I know it doesn't matter if it's the norm, but the fact of the matter is, my dogs do not harm anyone or any animal, they don't mess in other people's gardens, they are well fed, well looked after, have a roof over their head and are washed regularly.

What don't you get? The dogs are fine, the people are fine, why shouldn't I just let them run around and have fun?

kylith · 20-11-2010 4:48pm

storm2811 wrote: »

including ours, and no one drives irresponsibly enough to hit a dog, plus our dogs have enough cop on to not run out in front of a car, they never stray towards the main road.

You don't have to drive irresponsibly to hit a dog that suddenly darts into the road. You may say that your dogs would never run out into the road, but all that really means is that they haven't done it yet. Fingers frossed they never will, but I definitely wouldn't take that risk.

andrewire · 20-11-2010 4:53pm

It depends on the conditions you have your dog outside. What you described here sounds like a good, responsible way to keep a dog outside. I always leave my dogs inside since they hate the cold and I come home every few hours.

Graces7 · 20-11-2010 5:56pm

storm2811 wrote: »

"ownership"?
I love my dogs and care for them, I wash them and walk them and make sure they are fed. There is nothing wrong with them, they don't hassle people or animals or anything else.

Go ahead and report away, you may have taken people's beloved pets away from them, were the dogs malnourished?Diseased?
I look after my dogs & I love them. I know it doesn't matter if it's the norm, but the fact of the matter is, my dogs do not harm anyone or any animal, they don't mess in other people's gardens, they are well fed, well looked after, have a roof over their head and are washed regularly.

What don't you get? The dogs are fine, the people are fine, why shouldn't I just let them run around and have fun?

I "get" it totally. So why if all you are doing is fine ( which it is not as it is breaking the very few dog laws Ireland has) does this irk you so much?

What you are saying is that really you see little of the dogs as you have no idea where they are for a large portion of the time? "Beloved pets" do not roam the land unsupervised.

This is 2010; times have changed since thirty years ago. Even in the Leitrim boonies.

Read the threads re folk trying to get a rescue dog.

Whispered · 20-11-2010 6:56pm

Whatever about a dog living outside under correct conditions - roaming dogs are a huge problem all over this country. They worry livestock, cause accidents, frighten people, go to the toilet in public places and obviously it's not cleaned up which is a health issue, only 2 weeks ago a friends father who is already pretty ill was attacked coming out of his own garden by a roaming dog. The family live a good mile down the road and like you have had roaming dogs for years. He needed stitches, but refuses to even tell the owner so as to not cause problems.

Years ago, (I was 12) We had a dog who jumped a wall and got killed on the road. He had never even shown an interest in the wall, one day, whatever got into him he left my dads side, took a dash and lept the wall, straight under a lorry (lucky it was a lorry he was a big fella). We were devestated, I still get upset over it. The point I'm making is, he was - as far as we thought - sufficiently enclosed, he was out with 2 people and he still acted in a totally unexpected way and made us realise that the wall needed to be heightened.

Anybody who allows their dog roam should really rethink whats best for their "beloved" pet. No matter what justification given there is never an excuse.

storm2811 · 20-11-2010 7:58pm

Graces7 wrote: »

I "get" it totally. So why if all you are doing is fine ( which it is not as it is breaking the very few dog laws Ireland has) does this irk you so much?

What you are saying is that really you see little of the dogs as you have no idea where they are for a large portion of the time? "Beloved pets" do not roam the land unsupervised.

This is 2010; times have changed since thirty years ago. Even in the Leitrim boonies.

Read the threads re folk trying to get a rescue dog.

It's not as if they are gone the whole day, our eldest dog stays here for most of the day and they don't stray far, usually just up the road to my uncles house and sometimes through the fields, the point is that they are allowed to go wherever they want, even if they do not.

It irks me so much because you are deeply critisizing the way I care for my pets, you make out and presume that I'm unfit to keep them, or maybe that I don't even deserve them, in fact, it upsets me.

So what?Beloved pets should be tied to my side all day, sleep in my bed?

Also, I can't find the threads you're talking about, what do you mean?

Whispered · 20-11-2010 8:37pm

Another huge huge problem you might want to consider is the fact the dogs are stolen every day of the week. We wouldn't let our dog out of sight for a moment in case he was stolen. (and he's a mongrel, they go missing too, some breeds and x's are incredibly popular and it doesn't matter how far out you live).

If someone hits your wandering dog you are liable for any damage that is done. You say only 4 cars pass a day - that is a potential 28 accidents a WEEK. Most dogs would not have to deal with that in a life time.

Are they your fields the ones they are roaming through?

While you may think it's ok what you are doing, the vast majority of people would think it is either showing a lack of care for the dogs or a lack of understanding of just how quickly things can go wrong.

Nobody is trying to upset you, just asking that you take a look at the bigger picture.

storm2811 wrote: »

It's not as if they are gone the whole day, our eldest dog stays here for most of the day and they don't stray far, usually just up the road to my uncles house and sometimes through the fields, the point is that they are allowed to go wherever they want, even if they do not.

It irks me so much because you are deeply critisizing the way I care for my pets, you make out and presume that I'm unfit to keep them, or maybe that I don't even deserve them, in fact, it upsets me.

So what?Beloved pets should be tied to my side all day, sleep in my bed?

Also, I can't find the threads you're talking about, what do you mean?

storm2811 · 20-11-2010 8:50pm

Whispered wrote: »

Another huge huge problem you might want to consider is the fact the dogs are stolen every day of the week. We wouldn't let our dog out of sight for a moment in case he was stolen. (and he's a mongrel, they go missing too, some breeds and x's are incredibly popular and it doesn't matter how far out you live).

If someone hits your wandering dog you are liable for any damage that is done. You say only 4 cars pass a day - that is a potential 28 accidents a WEEK. Most dogs would not have to deal with that in a life time.

Are they your fields the ones they are roaming through?

While you may think it's ok what you are doing, the vast majority of people would think it is either showing a lack of care for the dogs or a lack of understanding of just how quickly things can go wrong.

Nobody is trying to upset you, just asking that you take a look at the bigger picture.

I know dogs are often stolen, fortunately it's never happened to us.
Yes but the cars drive quite slow as it's a very small country road, hopefully an accident will never happen but I'm aware that it's always possible.

Yes they are our fields, four fields surround our house, all ours and as they're quite big I've never seem stray too far from them, apart from the ones at our uncles house, which he didn't mind them being in either.

But how is it a lack of care if I obviously care for my dogs? Anyone could come down and look at them and see that clearly they are well looked after.

Whispered · 20-11-2010 8:59pm

storm2811 wrote: »

But how is it a lack of care if I obviously care for my dogs?

You probably do care for them, but if I happened to drive down your road and saw them wandering - I wouldn't be thinking that they might be cared for, to be honest I would think "what sort of owner allows their dog unrestricted access to a public road". You are putting their lives at risk every single day.

You say they don't stray "too far" from your own fields. Recently here in kilcullen a farmer has taken a zero tolerance approach to dogs on his land, I've seen him walk his field borders and there have been reports of dogs being shot just inside a border.

Same in meath, my friends dogs escaped from her garden, they were gone no longer than ten mins (she had let them out of the house). She was alerted to the being out by gunshots.

So there is another reason to not let your well loved dogs wander. You just never know. And it's unfair on the dog.

Sigma Force · 20-11-2010 9:02pm

Our lives revolve around our dogs because they are outside we make that extra effort to spend quality time with them, they probably get more one on one time than your average house dog.
There's a few of us here and we have a routine going and basically look after them in shifts.
All the dogs around us are outdoors and if any of them hear anyone coming eg postie or stranger walking or parking up they all start up from 10 houses away you can hear them and you can tell what bark means what. The only time mine bark is when someone comes or passes if I'm 5 minutes late with their breakfast they never bark out of boredom and none of our dogs or rellies dogs that visit want to be indoors our garden is a doggy wonderland and they love it, we're lucky to have different sections with diff. smells and things to do and agility set up etc.

We spend a lot of time, and money on our dogs, no cheap bedding or food here. So anyone that dares say mine aren't looked after would need to take a good look at the poor feker down the road with 3 legs that is still allowed to roam around on a lethal road, or the other poor feker down the road limping badly lying on cold concrete day in and day out.

What do you think of dogs being kept outside?

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