by Ricky Fingerz

Created on: April 25, 2008   Last Updated: August 07, 2008

Should Dogs be Indoor or Outdoor Pets-

Should dogs be indoor or outdoor pets is a tough question to debate. There are a multitude of pro's and con's that come into play on this topic. I would think it depends on the size of the dog, the breed or the environment that it came from. It would also depend on the size of the home or apartment you live in and how many people reside in it. It would certainly depend if any allergies were involved or if there is a newborn in the home. It would depend on why you got your canine friend in the first place. Did you want your dog as an indoor pet or an outdoor guard dog or to be a guard dog at all? How about if the owner is lonely and needs some close companionship? It would depend if your pet was house trained or if the breed is a high maintenance pet or if you need it too round up a herd of cattle. Yes indeed this is a perplexing query.

If the animal is small and you want a cute little cuddly friend to keep you company then I would say indoors might be the choice. This also depends on whether your pet has long fur or not and or how much maintenance it requires. Have you ever tried getting the burrs out of your pet's fur? Not easy or fun. If you live alone in a small dwelling with little or no room to spare or share then of course the decision is easy as well. Little dogs are great indoor companions for the lonely and the elderly. Smaller dogs make a great little cuddly alarm system but that's about it. The long haired ones make great furniture dusters if you spray them with Endust and let them run around for a bit. I'm just kidding of course.

Size certainly makes the choice easier when you're talking about Great Danes, St Bernard's or Shepherds and the like as opposed to Pomeranians, Miniature Poodles or Asshole Lapsues or whatever they're called. You can see here that my choice of course would be a larger one and yes, it would live outside. Larger dogs certainly make better outside guard dogs. That's a given. Bigger dogs can also fend off intruders or at least they'll make you think twice on whether you should step foot on the property or not. The larger breeds can certainly withstand the colder temperatures more then the smaller ones can. Ponder this one if you will; Have you ever seen a pile of poo a St. Bernard can muster? Hmmmm, I think outside is the choice here.

When you're deciding to get a dog whether it be for outside or inside, make sure you think carefully if you need one or not and is it a sensible choice. Do you have enough room for it to run? Is it just a short lived fad to be fashionable or to get one for show or to breed and live in a cage(as some heartless people have them do), or just as an indoor pet friend. There are too many dogs and cats and other critters out there with no one to love or care for them and don't have homes because of bad decisions. They have feelings too and can be lonely or confused when they are shuffled from one home to another, from an outside to an indoor dwelling or visa versa. Just go to your local animal shelter and take a look at all the lonely and abused creatures in their little cages. I know my God didn't intend this to be. Please ponder this with a great deal of thought before getting a dog or any other pet and whether it will live indoors or outdoors. Do you even have the time or a place for them?

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