Dog run rant.

CorvusCorax

CorvusCorax

Deary me...
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I have just had yet another person infer we are cruel because we keep our pups in runs.
They are not huge pens but they definitely have enough space and a kennel each and in time we will expand them (they are the sort that you can add on to).
They get walked twice a day, to my mind they are actually getting more than they need for their age (8mo).
We would love to have free-running dogs but we live on a stupidly fast road and in the middle of sheepsville and we offer accommodation so some people might be scared if we had roaming monsters :P.
My mother and I have had GSDs for about a gazillion years, pet, working and show, we have bred a small number of litters and I get really offended when people say that dog runs are cruel.
Yes, the pups jump about and bark when people come onto the property, but when there is no one about they just lie and snooze.
Just your thoughts really, am I over-reacting?! Is there anything more I can say to defend myself than "It's better than being run over or shot"?
 
Tell them to keep their noses out
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I have been told I'm cruel as we kept our lab pup out the back from the day and hour we bought her at 10 weeks. I have to point out she is a working dog, not a pet and is allowed in the house when she is supervised (she's nearly a year old now and a bit of a chewer
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If your dogs are happy then don't worry, my GSD would happily spend all his time outside, but we don't have a kennel / run for him. Point out to the people who are making these comments that if they can honestly say that their own dogs behave better, wouldn't chase anything etc then you will take the comments on board. People are often keen to criticise others and yet their own dogs are a nightmare. They are also keen to attribute human feelings to animals which makes me cross
 
My sis had the RSPCA called on her by a stupid neighbour coz her 2 dogs are kept in the garden in a kennel - with a massive run BTW
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When she called the rspca blokey he said she had nothing to worry about and he could see dogs were A - not barking all day B - have food and water C - both are in very good condition

Her kennel/run is from the place the police get theirs from so dont worry - some people are just ignorant!
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Some people
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We chained our dogs for a while, as we hadnt built a run yet, and they could roam the whole garden and get into kennel, and had people say it was cruel
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even though they could move around just as much as if they were loose, but without worrying sheep...
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Thanks for the comments, folks, will try and take it all on board, the problem is the person who said:

"you can't see their personalities" and acted like I am the dog owner from hell when she saw pictures of the pups "behind bars".....

from a person whose three dogs (one of whom is deaf, blind, lame and should really be PTS) bully her, eat whatever they want, whenever they want and walk all over the furniture whether someone is sitting on it or not.
She is coming to stay next week and is a very sweet person and a dear friend and I just want to be able to hold my tongue and not blow my top.....

None of our dogs have ever experienced any conformational or character flaws from being kept in this way, all very happy, sound dogs, but it's hard to explain that to people who, as Lordy says, give human attributes to dogs!

Our kennels are police issue too. They won't be house pets until they reach old age (if they manage to be less bonkers by then...)
 
I have kennel and runs. They sleep outside in the kennels all year round (heated in winter). They go for a walk after the school run. (30 mins running) Have breakfast, then are kennelled again mid morning for a few hours while I go to work (about 4 hours) or even if I don't. They come in mid afternoon and are generally in then until bedtime. OH takes them out again before tea. I think kennels are excellent, especially for pups. My pup (now 11 months old) was often put out there as he was very destructive if I turned my back for a second. Raid the bin, dig my plant pots, eat his bed, things like that. I have three dogs and a small house, so kennels are a god send. My dogs are well balanced, non agressive dogs in good physical condition, well loved and cared for. They get lots of cuddles and kisses and hugs, but know their place in the pack. I would hate for them to be a nuisence to anyone. Dont let anyone criticise how you keep your dogs. You are not cruel IMO, just a sensible, practical dog lover. At the end of the day as you said they are dogs not children. You will have to agree to differ on this subject.
 
Perhaps explain to them why you have them in a run?

Personally I would never keep a dog outside in a run (I know for a fact that my pup would be miserable in such a situation), but I wouldn't go out of my way to tell someone they are cruel for doing so if their dogs appear content. The one thing I don't understand, however, is how people can disagree with dogs being left alone during the day while the owners work but agree with dogs being left outdoors alone all day and night apart from when they are fed and walked? At the end of the day as long as there are people willing to protest against dogs left alone for their owners to work, there will be people willing to protest against people leaving their dogs outside without human company 24/7. It's just something you have to deal with if you wish them to remain outdoors, just as workers have to deal with critisism of leaving their dogs at home.

I'm not trying to cause an argument, JMO.
 
We are in the middle of nowhere so neighbours aren't an issue for us. The female is very noisy, however!

With reference to them being alone, there is always someone there during the day even if my Mum or I are at work.
Our dogs have always been outdoor dogs - in my experience, they prefer it - until they are about seven or eight and even then only at night and as I said in a previous post, have never suffered any structural or mental deficiencies.
 
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With reference to them being alone, there is always someone there during the day even if my Mum or I are at work.
Our dogs have always been outdoor dogs - in my experience, they prefer it - until they are about seven or eight and even then only at night and as I said in a previous post, have never suffered any structural or mental deficiencies.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm... you missed the point there though. Even if there are people at home, they aren't going to be in the garden with the dogs 24/7 are they? Dogs living outdoors spend at least as much time away from their owners as those dogs who have owners who work during the day, if not more. People continue to critisize people who leave dogs alone while they work, so people are obviously going to critisize those who leave their dogs alone in the garden, especially if shut in a small run.

Personally I don't have an issue with it providing it is a fairly independant breed who appear content. However, I don't understand the fact that the majority of people on here agree with GSDs being left outside where they will spend a LOT of the day alone, and yet a while ago when I said I was considering a GSD I was slated because I'm out of the house for 7 hours per day and they aren't a breed that can do without human company. Either way the dogs will be alone for several hours of the day (probably double or even triple that length of time if they live outdoors). Perhaps it's just me, but it makes no sense. Each to their own I guess...
 
OK, I wasn't aware of the previous thread.....it depends on the dog, I find - we have had dogs who were miserable in the house and couldn't wait to get back out again.
I wouldn't slag anyone for leaving a dog alone when at work, if the dog can cope.
Some of them can, very ably, GSDs included, I have seen it for myself.

Also, Shadowflame, are you suggesting spending 24/7, with a dog?
Wouldn't that encourage co-dependency? Excuse me if I misinterpreted that.

Gah, wish I could show you all a vid or something, so I could explain, I can't go into real specifics on our location and situation, but they have pretty much constant company, are happy and healthy, that can be seen from their condition, character and body language.

Oh, and Shadowflame, I do really like your footnote, I was thinking of something similar, I thought I was a "threadkiller"!
 
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OK, I wasn't aware of the previous thread.....it depends on the dog, I find - we have had dogs who were miserable in the house and couldn't wait to get back out again.
I wouldn't slag anyone for leaving a dog alone when at work, if the dog can cope.
Some of them can, very ably, GSDs included, I have seen it for myself.

Also, Shadowflame, are you suggesting spending 24/7, with a dog?
Wouldn't that encourage co-dependency? Excuse me if I misinterpreted that.

Gah, wish I could show you all a vid or something, so I could explain, I can't go into real specifics on our location and situation, but they have pretty much constant company, are happy and healthy, that can be seen from their condition, character and body language.

Oh, and Shadowflame, I do really like your footnote, I was thinking of something similar, I thought I was a "threadkiller"!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah yes, most threads seem to fade into the distance when I reply! LOL.

I myself am not suggesting spending 24/7 with a dog (I believe that some time alone is good for them), but most people seem to insist on it. As said before, my dog is left for 7hrs per day on her own, occasionally more, and that has been the situation since she was 7wks old (which again, I have been slated for). Not ideal, but she has grown up knowing that I do come back when I leave her and has learned to cope well alone. Had she ever been unhappy with the arrangement, then of course I would have sold her onto another home that could spend more time with her than I can. I did choose an independant breed because of the circumstances, but this means that she can't be let off lead which is a shame.

If your dogs are happy and healthy then good for you, people should be able to recognise that and respect the fact that the dogs are obviously happy with their way of life.
 
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