Is it acceptable...?

[reindeerlover]

To have your dog in the car whilst at work in this weather? I have a very hairy working type, extremely active jrt who comes with me to the yard for 2 hours in the morning, has a walk at lunchtime and another couple of hours at the yard in the evening. Never shows a sign of being cold whilst outside.

She is seen, cuddled, given water and gravy bones o) every 2 hours at least and has a crate with several fleece blankets in to snuggle into. I'm pretty sure that she is not cold.

The alternative is to leave her closed in the kitchen with only a short walk in the evening OR leave her in the draughty (def colder than car) tack room for 8 hours without toilet break or company while I'm at work.

So two questions really (feel free to be perfectly honest)-

Is it too cold for her in the car (never below freezing in the day- we're in Bucks)?

Is it preferable to the alternatives?

 

[Azmar]

All my terriers have been the same. I take mine with coat, but they will choose to stay home if they want to. Think of kennels they stay out.

 

[cm2581]

In this weather my terrier has a wee coat on (looks such a poof but he was cold and shivering without!!) and a woolen blanket over his cage and a polypad insider bed he can snuggle into. He often just lies on top of it tho! So as long as dog is happy it's not a problem! The exercise will warm her up too. Draughty tack room a def no no. Sure she'd be VERY bored at home when that is not her usual routine and would prob start wrecking stuff with that little exercise!

 

[Luci07]

Mine have to stay in the car when I am riding or just on the yard in the evenings - they are walked first, both have coats on, water in their crate and like you, plenty of bedding and they are fine and warm. I check up on them and let them out for leg stretches and wees between horses and a final run again before we go home. Mine are staffies so have completely naked tummies as well!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Rather a cold car than a hot one!
My fella overnighted in a van a few weeks ago (very stormy cold weather) and was fine.

 

[cobgirlie]

Personally I don't leave me dogs in the van at all. Mainly because I don't want to give anyone the excuse to break in to steal them (I have lurchers,staffies and working terriers...very very 'stealable' in this area) and also for their comfort, even though they have a huge cage with padded floor and sleeping bag bed I don't want them getting too cold through non movement or too hot if the weather turns. Doesn't matter if it's the coldest day in the back of a car when the sun comes out it can heat up in minutes and in a fur coat I wouldn't want to be in a tin can. If its not safe for them to run around they stay at home or if they are at the yard they are put in the stable while I ride.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

I do the same with my terriers. They're only in the car while I'm riding but they hate staying at home. The Border Terrier thrives in this weather, he doesn't do central heating, it makes him sick.
Its only in the summer that I don't leave them in the car, but winters' fine.

 

[littlemisslauren]

If I could trust B not to eat the interior of my car I would be doing this with her (If I could actually get to work that is!!).

 

[reindeerlover]

Thanks folks- all very good points. I think it's unlikely that anyone would steal Taz in the office car park (although stranger things have happened!) I'm quite sure that they would return her fairly quickly.....

She is in a crate in the car as I cannot trust her not to destroy things either, little brat. I could put a coat on her too although I don't fancy the chances of it staying in one piece for very long!

The "powers that be" at work have kicked off so I left her in the tack room yesterday and spent all day worrying about her (and my tack!) and left her at home today- cue constant pacing this evening while I try to watch "I'm a celeb" grrrrr....

 

[CorvusCorax]

Personally I don't leave me dogs in the van at all. Mainly because I don't want to give anyone the excuse to break in to steal them

Go ahead punk...make our day!

 

[Mbronze]

Oh CC they are both lovely, I wouldn't try and steal them though! They would be better security than a car alarm.. Still slightly afraid of GSD's ever since i was bit by a 'naughty' one when I was a child.

 

[PerdixPerdix]

One of our old beaters told me a story about one of his terriers once.

he said he had left Batt in the car, and gone to get some keys cut, came back and his car was surrounded by people and three policemen. it turned out someone had tried to break into his car and Batt had attacked him and taken a chunk out of his arm. Ha talk about divine retribution!