Whenever I hear people say, “I have an outdoor dog” or “I have an outdoor cat” it confuses me.
Why would you get a pet if you are just going to leave it outside? (Obviously I am not referring to barn animals)
According to Dr. Dennis Fetko of DrDog.com , “Unless you’re medically intolerant of the dog (and therefore can’t take care of him in a medical emergency, so you shouldn’t have the dog anyway), making a dog stay outside is a costly waste”
In his article “Outside Dogs: Why Protection is No Excuse” he goes on to explain that the more a dog is left outside, the less control you will have over it’s behavior.
And that makes sense, after all how can you control a dog if you never spend time with it?
Reasons NOT to make your dog an “outdoor dog”
-When dogs are left outside they have a hard time learning to interact with humans.
-When dogs are left alone, they fill their time by participating in destructive behaviors such as barking at every noise, digging holes, and jumping over fences.
– Dogs who manage to escape from the yard are likely to get lost, or even worse, hit by a car.
You don’t have to spend every moment you are home playing with your dog, but you should at least let your dog in the house while you are home.
What about Cats?
I must admit that the concept of “outdoor cats” sounds very strange to me. I’d say it’s the second most controversial topic following declawing.
I’d say the same rules apply. Cats left outdoors are subject to possible vehicle injury, getting lost, or even more ironic, injury by an “outdoor dog”.
The question all pet owners should ask is, “Why do I have this pet if I am not going to spend time with it?”
Jenn Lynn