I wasn't sure which category this question fell under, so my apologies if this is the wrong one. Dixie is a year old, and whenever we leave the house we keep all 7 of our dogs inside. However, when it's just me gone, my bf has started leaving them outside, sometimes for hours on end, which I absolutely hate. Dixie is basically a vacuum, eating sticks and swallowing mouthfuls of grass the whole time she's outside, even under our supervision. My main concern is that she could get a blockage. She does throw up after eating from outside, and has had diarrhea ever since she started being left outside. None of our other dogs have this problem so it worries me. So my question is, will she be alright if she continues on like this? My family and I have never left our dogs outside unsupervised, especially not for 5-6 hours. I don't have any control on whether or not she stays inside, since my bf seems to believe that she would rather be outside.
I have no problem with dogs being outside on their own, when you're away, provided they are safe, warm, shade for cool, water available, can't run away, not bored and bark and annoy the neighbours and get shot or poisoned. Sounds like Dixie's situation fails on "safe." If she's eating stuff dangerous to her it's not safe.
What? What? Have I fallen through a time warp to the 1950s? Quite possibly.... Discuss this in a calm, rational way with your boyfriend and if after that you still feel that ‘you have no control’ bash him over the head until he sees sense. A hardback copy of anything by Germaine Greer would feel appropriate.
I guess the answer depends on what do mean by leaving outside ? My dogs are left outside for short periods in a specially build dog run with a kennel and a big lock. They are safe and comfortable in there and the risks around that are minimal. What you are describing sounds very different and not very safe at all. I know certain countries have dogs that are allowed to roam as the norm but that is not something I would be comfortable with for all the reasons described above. I think you know the answer to your question so it's up to you to address it with your BF...
He normally leaves them in a fenced off part of our pasture. It's about 1/4 of an acre. Of course he does give them food and water, and they join him for ranch duties, but once he goes inside then they are unsupervised. They aren't roaming though.
I would never leave a dog outside unsupervised, for those reasons above and also for fear of theft. And I live in a very safe place as far as that's concerned. Still, I'd be a constant bag of nerves at what I'd come home to. Nope, BF needs to learn that if it's not OK for you, it's not OK full stop (or "period", as I guess you'd say ).
I have to agree with you wholeheartedly that dogs shouldn't be left alone outside while you aren't at home and your boyfriend needs to get on board with that. You already have a sound reason for the "eating things they shouldn't" reason. My main reason for never leaving my dogs alone outside was theft. I'm originally from California and illegal dog fighting is a legitimate and horrifying concern. It sounds like you are in rural Texas, but dog fighting in Texas is also a huge problem. The breeds of dog I had were more targeted than Labs, but any dog can be targeted to use as a bait (or "practice") dog. I know it is horrible to think about, but it is unfortunately the reality of the worst scenario that can happen if you leave your dog outside where he can be taken. In rural California you also need to worry about rattlers, mountain lions and bears. I kind of doubt you have the mountain lions and bears, but snakes are a real concern in Texas, aren't they? Finally, if you have nearby neighbours, there's just the potential sound factor. My former neighbours had a lovely Aussie who they left in their fenced yard every day when they went to work. I worked from home, so I got to hear the poor dog bark from the moment they left the driveway until the moment they got back home in the evening. They didn't believe me as to how much he barked because he was a quiet if high energy boy when they were at home. I even suggested that he just come over to be with my two dogs when they weren't home, but they just couldn't believe he didn't just sleep quietly all day under the tree. Well, until he ended up eating their wooden hot tub, that is. All this to say, stick to your guns on this one. If you "absolutely hate" that your BF is leaving them outside without your permission, you and he need to have a "come to Jesus moment". I had a friend from Texas who used to use that expression all the time - couldn't resist using it here.
This is such a huge concern for us too. The city I live in has a huge dog fighting problems with gangs running it. It is a seriously problem. Love it. Use it all the time! It has descriptive power that few other phrases have
1/4 acre sounds lovely but isn't safe. My dogs are always supervised in the main part of my garden, which is similar in size. The foxes often leave 'presents' scrounged from bins, or even other dogs' toys from nearby gardens, so I can never be sure what they will find. You definitely need to talk it through and have that hardback copy of Germaine Greer handy!
Thanks for your response. I've seen dogs snatched up from their owner's ranches because the owners thought it was okay to let them have free reign of the whole pasture without supervision. I don't know where they ended up, but most folks out here have quality working or hunting dogs, which I'm sure horrible people would love to take. Snakes, coyotes, feral dogs, and even the occasional bobcat or mountain lion are predators to worry about. But it's not as huge of a concern to me since I have 7 large dogs, and most predators wouldn't target a pack like that unless it was desperate. I don't live very close to other people, although the town and my neighbor's houses are in sight. I'm not sure whether or not my dogs have a barking problem when they're alone outside since I'm not around to hear it, but if they did I don't think it would cause problems for any neighbors. I'll have to show him your post when he gets home from work since you make great points, but until then my dogs are inside with me
Our dogs have a dog door, and free access to our fenced back yard. They spend most of their time in the house, but they will spend quite a bit of time outside when they want too. They normally don't bark at other dogs so that is not an issue, and they don't eat things in the yard, other than chewing up the occasional stick. We also have a gate on the covered front porch, and in the summer they often spend time on the front porch watching the neighborhood. We don't leave the front door open for them if we aren't home though.
