by Cynthia Wall

Created on: November 18, 2008   Last Updated: January 12, 2009

The young, very large Border collie mix next door was shivering and she was wet. The owners didn't seem to care. Chained to a carport open at both ends, she was victim of the wind and rain. Gone were the warm summer days when they had bought the cute, wiggly puppy in a shopping mall for their three kids. Now that winter had arrived, her only attention was my petting in the morning and dinner in the evening from the owner. I suggested that they at least put her on a longer chain. He pointed to the shredded foam rubber from her flimsy mat and said, "She's too destructive." "She needs shelter," I said. "I'm going to build her a dog house," he said.

Weeks passed and there was no dog house. I offered to take the dog. "No," he said, in a very unfriendly tone. I called our humane society and they mailed me a copy of the County's minimum requirements of shelter, food, and water for dogs. They were clearly in violation. I left a copy on the neighbor's doorstep. The next day the dog was gone. I questioned one of their children and she said a friend of theirs had taken it. She said the new family had a fenced yard and that they would let the dog inside.

It always amazes me when I see a dog chained outside. Someone feeds the animal at night, but that's it. I wonder why on earth they got the dog in the first place. Surely, an alarm system would be cheaper. Our humane society uses billboards and news stories to educate the public about the need to bring animals inside. The cruelty investigation team follows reports from concerned citizens to help those animals who have been left out in the cold. Sometimes, it is just uncaring neglect, but often it's a case of ignorance. That's when the investigator can work with the person to provide warm shelter outside and to encourage inside shelter as well.

Certain thick-coated dogs do enjoy being outside some like Huskies and Samoyeds may find sleeping in the house too warm at night, but that doesn't mean they should be kept outside all the time. A dog needs to be where you are. If you're a sheep rancher and sleep on the range with your sheep, then your dog can logically sleep with you. But for most of us, when winter and night come, we head inside to sit by the fire and watch television. That's where your dog should be, too.

At the humane society in our city, there is a policy that discourages adopting outside only animals. I won't say it prohibits it because there are exceptions. I have seen herding dogs adopted out to farms when the

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