DennasMom
Well-Known Member
No. 1 - it is obvious JLeighL loves her dog and that the dog is well taken care of. I have no fear that this pup is being abused by spending time outside, he's obviously not neglected. 
No. 2 - many dogs would prefer to be outside - doing their job: guarding the flock, walking the perimeter to check for strangers, chasing off the 'undesirables' (including squirrels, coons, and little birds, according to Denna). I fear that Denna, being inside all day, gets BORED silly... and I work from home, so she's not inside alone... just inside napping or staring out the window. I'd love to have property for her to patrol... but that's not where we live. She does choose to spend hot summer days outside, often... and even some sunny winter days, too, when we have those around here (Seattle).
No. 3 - what I don't like about the initial post, is that when the dog is outside unsupervised, I got the impression he's in a small concrete pen. Sitting/laying on concrete can cause a lot of skin and joint issues. But, if the rest of the yard isn't fenced, he can't really be out of the pen when outside, either (unsupervised)... or he might start "patrolling" beyond the actual property boundary. So, until the OP loses the boyfriend, or he can be convinced it's in his interest to let the dog patrol the inside of the house, I guess the pen is a good option.
Personally, one reason we HAVE a dog, is for the alert/protection of the stuff INSIDE of the house. Burglars looking for an easy house to strike go elsewhere when they see a big mastiff staring them down with a forceful bark from the front window.... heck, the Amazon delivery guy dropped our last package 20ft from the front door on the walkway... I guess he didn't want to get any closer to the sweet dog in the window. HA!
Other reasons for not leaving a dog outside unsupervised - even in a fenced area: strangers can tease, poke, and/or teach bad behaviors to the dog, potentially creating a dog that becomes aggressive to strangers. Or, anti-dog people may feed nasty things to the dog, Or the dog can bark at the wind (or other random things) and annoy the neighbors... just things to consider, depending on the neighborhood.
I hope the eye surgery goes well and your pup enjoys a swift recovery!
(and that being inside during recovery convinces the BF that he's a good dog that can stay inside sometimes, too...)
No. 2 - many dogs would prefer to be outside - doing their job: guarding the flock, walking the perimeter to check for strangers, chasing off the 'undesirables' (including squirrels, coons, and little birds, according to Denna). I fear that Denna, being inside all day, gets BORED silly... and I work from home, so she's not inside alone... just inside napping or staring out the window. I'd love to have property for her to patrol... but that's not where we live. She does choose to spend hot summer days outside, often... and even some sunny winter days, too, when we have those around here (Seattle).
No. 3 - what I don't like about the initial post, is that when the dog is outside unsupervised, I got the impression he's in a small concrete pen. Sitting/laying on concrete can cause a lot of skin and joint issues. But, if the rest of the yard isn't fenced, he can't really be out of the pen when outside, either (unsupervised)... or he might start "patrolling" beyond the actual property boundary.
So, until the OP loses the boyfriend, or he can be convinced it's in his interest to let the dog patrol the inside of the house, I guess the pen is a good option. Personally, one reason we HAVE a dog, is for the alert/protection of the stuff INSIDE of the house. Burglars looking for an easy house to strike go elsewhere when they see a big mastiff staring them down with a forceful bark from the front window.... heck, the Amazon delivery guy dropped our last package 20ft from the front door on the walkway... I guess he didn't want to get any closer to the sweet dog in the window. HA!
Other reasons for not leaving a dog outside unsupervised - even in a fenced area: strangers can tease, poke, and/or teach bad behaviors to the dog, potentially creating a dog that becomes aggressive to strangers. Or, anti-dog people may feed nasty things to the dog, Or the dog can bark at the wind (or other random things) and annoy the neighbors... just things to consider, depending on the neighborhood.
I hope the eye surgery goes well and your pup enjoys a swift recovery!
(and that being inside during recovery convinces the BF that he's a good dog that can stay inside sometimes, too...)
