by Lorie Grant DeWorken

Created on: September 23, 2008

I am now a firm advocate of indoor dogs, but first, I grew up with a cat. A cat and a dad who believed that animals were meant for the outdoors. He grew up on a farm and had all sorts of pets during his childhood, but not a single one was kept indoors.

He'd never let us have a dog because he believed that it was unfair to the dog. They needed room to run and enjoy the outdoors, he'd say. He wasn't happy about the cat my mom sort of brought him home without asking! but at least a cat could roam and enjoy the outdoors, regardless of fences and the lack of wide open spaces. Perhaps our neighbors didn't agree, but our cat was the quintessential outdoor (neutered) cat. He enjoyed himself, doing whatever it was he did out in the big wide world, while always returning home for bedtime, limited indoor lap time and treats.

Did I ever think we were being mean to my cat? Never. Even on the coldest days when my father was willing to grant our cat an indoor retreat, the cat would often refuse it. He had grown accustomed to his freedom and liked less and less to be confined in the house. My cat was just as content as my father, probably more so, with the arrangement.

So when years later my soon-to-be husband begged to have a dog, I wasn't so sure. Although I'd had a pet for many years, I'd never really known what it was like to live with one. Would the dog prefer to have time away from us like our cat? I was pretty sure dogs didn't operate in quite the same way, but then again, most dogs seem to like being outside. I'd seen one too many dogs with their heads out of car windows to deny the obvious. Dogs and fresh air can be quite the match! Outside? Inside? What kind of dog would we end up with? Or more importantly - what kind of dog people would we end up being?

Once we brought our pup back to my husband's apartment, I feel like the answer became quite simple. This dog we'd barely met already loved us in a way that was very different from my cat. As much her choice as ours, this dog would be a constant companion. Where we went, she went. And when she couldn't? We'd have one seriously unhappy dog on our hands.

I do believe that every pet and every pet owner is different. There are some dogs and some cats that are very well suited to the outdoors. Others are better indoors or even require a good mix of each. But as a former cat owner, I saw cats (my own and others) as a more disconnected sort of pet who liked their independence. The outdoors fits very well for them in my mind.

Now

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