Why "Outdoor Dogs" Are Miserable

What compels people get a dog only to keep it isolated outside, away from the family?

I have often wondered this as I walk my dogs down streets lined with fences behind which lonely outdoor dogs bark as we go by.

I don't know what they look like and can only guess their size by the deepness of their voices.

But I know what the lives of these dogs are too often like. They are animals born to be part of a social structure, a pack or a family, yet this is denied them. They spend their lives on the outside, looking in.

The experts say many of these dogs will never really bond with owners who interact with them so little.When the puppy is no longer cute and the children grow tired of the care they promised to provide, when the destructiveness escalates or the neighbors complain about the noise, it's often just easier to dump the dog than solve the problem.

I have always had difficulty understanding why people want to keep dogs outside. If keeping a beautiful house and yard are of the utmost importance to you, then don't get a dog. If you know someone in your family can't abide a dog in the house, for whatever reason, then don't get a dog. If you can't let a dog be part of your family, then don't get a dog.  ...Read More...