# Owning Pets.



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

Ok, I'm sorry if this starts a huge debate, as I just finished one with a friend of mine. But I have to know. What are the Humane Society laws of owning a dog in Ohio? 

In my personal opinion, if you have a pet, you shouldn't keep it chained outside or in a pen/fenced in area all the time. IMO I feel that pet should be a part of your family. It should frequent the vet like we frequent the doctor's office. It should get the same treatment our kids would get. (Ok, maybe not sitting up at the table to eat LOL). But why would you bother having a dog just to keep it outside at all times, with no family interaction? No time to run and gallop around the yard? No bathtime to splash around in? No friends to play with and pets behind the ears???? 

I would like to know the HS Ohio laws for owning dogs because I know a lot of people who I feel are neglecting their pets and I'm nausea's with it.


----------



## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I agree with all you said. I don't know why people want a dog for a yard decoration. However, there are very few requirements for keeping a dog. You must provide water and shelter and feed him enough to look healthy. Many places have a leash law which means you can't just let your dog run loose. Other than that, there are no legal requirements for keeping a dog. I'm not happy about that either but thats the facts.


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

One of my friend stuck her dog out on a chain because he kept "getting into stuff". IMO it's as difficult to train a dog just like training a child. Your kid keeps crapping in his pants after you've potty trained him, you're not gonna stick him outside are you!? I really hate it and I wish there was something I could do about it.


----------



## TippysMom (Oct 3, 2008)

I agree. Dogs should not be outside only - yard ornaments. It gets too hot here in the summer (Arizona), and too cold in most other places in the country in the winter! They are living beings and deserve better!

As part of the rescue organization that I volunteer with, we have to do a home visit & check to be sure there are no signs of chain marks on trees or posts for that purpose!


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

TippysMom said:


> As part of the rescue organization that I volunteer with, we have to do a home visit & check to be sure there are no signs of chain marks on trees or posts for that purpose!


That's the thing here though. If your dog is a yard ornament here, as long as they have dog dishes that are full and a dog house to lay in, blankets or not, then you are "fine". I don't understand why people bother owning animals in the first place if that's how they're going to treat them. It truly disgusts me.


----------



## PeanutsMommy (Dec 7, 2008)

i have to agree why get a dog if you have no time to spend with them. dogs are pack animals and do enjoy the company of other animals or humans. if a dog is going to be outside all the time chained (or crated) up no attention at all then why have it. on the other token if you have to go out for work or to the store you have to place your dog some place that is safe for the dog so it doesnt get into something that will harm him. 

for me Peanut is with me all the time hes not crated or chained. if i need to go somewhere i have some one watch him, take him with me or if hes not allowed to go and no one can watch him i put him in the hallway locked out of the rooms so there is nothing he can get into. Peanut is my family I love him and my husband got him for me so that i wouldnt be lonely when he was overseas or working long hours. Peanut is my companion and we spend almost 24/7 together and IMO he wouldnt have it any other way based on the fact he never leaves my side i walk some where he follows me like hes on an invisible leash. we bonded. i think dogs that are in the situation you have described in the OP dont get that and may never bond with people and IMO may not make good "people dogs". i think if you go into a pitbull forum though you will find most of them chain or crate their dogs and see not see a problem with it but i dont think they have their dogs for pets/companions. i think because of the way Peanut was raised with the freedom and being around people he is one of the most people friendly dogs i have ever had since i was growing up. when i take Peanut out or a new person meets Peanut they ask me does he bite and i tell them no you will hurt his feelings if you dont pet him and he will force you to pet him. such a scarry APBT.

IMO what you describe in the OP is animal neglect most of the time and why bother getting a pet if you are just going to ban it to the yard with a chain..no attention.

i know there are special circumstances and not every outdoor dog is neglected (we have one apbt that is indoor/outdoor) but she comes in every night and if the weather is bad she stays in and she gets to play all night with my dog. However, she is not chained the backyard is hers and we have done saftey measures so she cant get hurt back there.


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

Precisely. I think a lot of people that get APBT or other large breed "scary" dogs, get them for show. They get stuck in the yard or chained up and that way it "alerts" neighbors or intruders, "Don't mess with me cuz my big bad dog will hurt you". I think it's awful and yes, if the dog is neglected in that way for so long then he may hurt you. 

China stays outside when we go to my in laws. Now, with the colder weather we leave her inside (as we did with Mako as well) because even though it's fenced in with a dog house, I still felt bad that she'd be out there in the cold for at least 3 hours. I don't work so I'm home all the time with my pups. If I did work, I would probably leave China outside all day while I worked just because I would be afraid that she couldn't hold her bathroom tendencies in that long. But to leave a dog of any breed, outside all the time, chained with no interaction, or penned with one visit a day for food/water refills....Just doesn't seem right to me.


----------



## PeanutsMommy (Dec 7, 2008)

i currently dont have a job either so i am with Peanut all the time when i do get a job i am going to have to rearrange my furniture so he cant climb to the shelf and knock everything off. hes still going to have his freedom that he has now but in a situation where he wont harm himself. he will still get interaction even if i find a job. for me my dog is part of my family not just a pet or a "status symbol" i dont have a pitbull for the look of having a "scary dog" i have a pitbull because they are loyal loving eagar to please intelligent goofy dogs.


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

Absolutely. A pitbull is the best dog I've ever owned. I wouldn't trade he/she for the world!! I agree with feeling like a pet is a family member. I love China and Duckie as well as all 3 of my cats. I can't exactly say my Iguana is a family member as I can't even put my hand in his cage lol.


----------



## PeanutsMommy (Dec 7, 2008)

hehehe about the iguana! i have a 2 foot long savannah monitor and hes been pretty good temperment but with my husband away i dont take him out because if he does bite me i need someone to take him off me. i say i have one pitbull and 1 living furniture. i love him too but he scares me when i am alone


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

LOL Tony scares me too!!! He stares at me across the room and if I get close he puffs out his neck beard or whatever it's called. He was free because someone was going to stick him outside in 30* weather. I'm sure he'll come around. He wasn't treated very well before we got him.


----------



## PeanutsMommy (Dec 7, 2008)

I used to take Daktyl out all the time he was friendly you could kiss his nose and he would just close his eyes. then we got Peanut and one day when i had his cage open the puppy popped into the cage and startled the lizard if i didnt move just fast enough i was about 2 seconds from finding out if a monitor can take off part of a finger! since that day i been a little weary about having him out alone with no one around. he would probably be fine until Peanut scared him i dont want any of us getting hurt. he also seems much happier staying in his 102 degree cage then coming out into my 60 degree house


----------



## domari (Jun 17, 2008)

My dogs have always been part of the family. When we're inside, they're inside. We bring them outside to pee, play and run around. I feed them outside when the weather is nice because they have more room to eat out there than in the kitchen. When we're outside working in the garden or hanging out in the yard, they go out with us, but when we go in, they go back inside. 

We like having them around the house, it's just comfortable to have them hang out with us. I wouldn't have dogs if they had to live outside, unless they were working LGD's lived in a barn with the other animals. 

It really irks me to see dogs tied up outside and kept in a doghouse. Why bother getting a dog if it's going to be tied to a doghouse or tree all day. I know people who keep rotties or pit bulls tied up outside as "guard dogs". Well a lot of good the dog's going to do if someone tries to break in, the dog will bark but the bad guys know the dog can't get them. My dogs stay in the house, all six of them. They aren't guard dogs, but I dare anyone to walk in with bad intentions!

Yeah so dogs do bad things when they are puppies, they poop on the floor and chew things. So what, train them and they eventually outgrow it. People buy pups because they're cute, but never deal with the behaviour. Then the dog goes out to the yard for doing the things that dogs usually do. 

Some people say their dogs are "outside dogs", how do they know that? I don't own a doghouse, we have a huge yard, around an acre all fenced in with woods in the back. The dogs love to go outside, run and play. They chase each other, wrestle, roll in the grass, mud, snow, etc. But I really don't think they prefer to be "outside dogs", they all come running back in when we call them to come inside. 

I don't think we own dogs any more than we own each other. We all just live together. We adopted them in because they needed a place to live and we thought they'd fit in well. All of them are mixed breeds of combination of breeds with traits that are suitable to our family lifestyle. We didn't choose breeds to impress anyone because we couldn't care less about that.


----------



## PeanutsMommy (Dec 7, 2008)

^^^good post!

the thing people dont realize about pitbulls is they dont make good guard dogs...they are people friendly...now if they feel their people are going to be harmed that may be a different story. my boy forces strangers to pet him by walking straight up to them body wagging. American Pit Bull Terriers are not from a history of guarding like rottweilers....but alot of people dont realize it and just because they are known in the media as "aggressive dogs" or rappers make them look tough some people do just tie them up in the yard as a guard dog or a status symbol. 

Peanut is always with me and i must say they do make great snugglers!:biggrin:


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

I love the "body wag" that's so true. I love when China's so happy her whole butt wags not just her tail. She's so totally friendly. Example on how China (typical Pitbull Terrier) is not a guard dog. She was sleeping in the dining room, no view to the front door. A friend pulled in the drive way and instead of hearing China bark her head off while my friend came up the stairs, I quietly waved my friend in the house. Once inside, China *spooked* ran barking up to him, face inches from his crotch. I just sat there on the couch. My friend looked like he was going to have a heart attack but as soon as she made it to him, she just stood there wagging her whole body at him. LOL


----------



## zomo (Nov 24, 2008)

rockymtsweetie82 said:


> Ok, I'm sorry if this starts a huge debate, as I just finished one with a friend of mine. But I have to know. What are the Humane Society laws of owning a dog in Ohio?
> 
> In my personal opinion, if you have a pet, you shouldn't keep it chained outside or in a pen/fenced in area all the time. IMO I feel that pet should be a part of your family. It should frequent the vet like we frequent the doctor's office. It should get the same treatment our kids would get. (Ok, maybe not sitting up at the table to eat LOL). But why would you bother having a dog just to keep it outside at all times, with no family interaction? No time to run and gallop around the yard? No bathtime to splash around in? No friends to play with and pets behind the ears????
> 
> I would like to know the HS Ohio laws for owning dogs because I know a lot of people who I feel are neglecting their pets and I'm nausea's with it.


:biggrin:I think you are preaching to the choir :biggrin:We all agree with you :biggrin:


----------



## Rexandbaby (Aug 4, 2008)

I hate to see dogs tied outside too! Mine sleep with me, well, not our GSD, too big for the queen sized bed!:biggrin: But, he sleeps next to the bed. That is what life is all about!


----------



## lorih1770 (Jun 17, 2008)

I don't think anyone here is going to argue with you!  

The only laws are that you must provide shelter, food and water and medical attention if needed. I volunteer for 2 different rescues and neither would EVER consider adopting a dog to anyone wanting to adopt an "outside" dog. I agree, what's the point of even having a dog if he's not a part of the family.


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

I wish they'd change the laws for them. I know i wouldn't want to be chained to a tree my whole life.


----------



## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I have a friend who JUST turned 21 and got married last year and is now pregnant. She keeps saying she wants to get a dog, but it has to be an outside dog because she doesn't want to deal with the hair and the dirt around her house. And she wants to get cats but they'd be outside cats. "We grew up with outside cats. The best part is, within a year or so they'd just disappear like they were eaten by a coyote or hit by a car. And we'd just notice kitty hadn't been around for a while so we could go out and get a new one!"

I looked at her in horror and told her she should never own animals. What's the freaking point if you're going to treat them like that?! She tried to argue that she had loved each of these kitties growing up, but I just wanted to smack her at that point so I had to change the subject before I got arrested for battering a pregnant woman.


----------



## TippysMom (Oct 3, 2008)

I hate outside cats. I don't have any - but the neighbors do. I have tried everything to keep them from pooping in my roses, digging up my veggie garden, and spraying on my fence. Disgusting! If you want a pet - it should be inside. I don't want my own cats - I certainly don't want someone elses! If I can trap them humanely, I will take them to the cat rescue that's a no-kill. Maybe they'll just go get another kittie though... I wish I knew who's cat it was.

One of my dogs sleeps in the bed with us, and the other has a bed beside our bed that she likes to sleep in most of the time - sometimes she sleeps with us too. I can't imagine them not being there.


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

TippysMom said:


> I hate outside cats.


My Flame is indoor outdoor but he only goes outside at night because he peeeeees all over EVERYTHING. I've tried that apple stuff animals are supposed to hate, cayenne pepper, etc etc etc. Nothing's working. But he's a strong and healthy cat. So I think he likes going outside lol


----------



## TippysMom (Oct 3, 2008)

Okay - let me correct myself - I hate outside cats that trespass. If you have a large property or if they stay around your house, they're fine. I just don't think I should have to deal with other peoples cat poop and spray. Yuck.


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

TippysMom said:


> Okay - let me correct myself - I hate outside cats that trespass. If you have a large property or if they stay around your house, they're fine. I just don't think I should have to deal with other peoples cat poop and spray. Yuck.



LOL I know I totally hear you there. I can't exactly say that I know everywhere Flame goes at night but I can't imagine it's far. We have a small goat barn and a garage with a nice big couch in there so I can only assume he goes in there where all the mice are. But we have large tom cats and unspayed female cats coming around all the time, getting in our trash, spraying around for Flame, it's annoying and disgusting. Tom cat spray stinks so bad.


----------



## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

I rescued my Yellow Lab, Gunther, in September 2006. Gunther is my best buddy and goes where I go, shares my home and my bed with me.

Gunther spent the majority of his life before I got him chained outside to a dog house and starved. He was one of 70 hunting dogs on a large rural property in Tennessee. Many of the dogs were not fed regularly and all of them were chained outside. Most of them (including my Gunther) did not even have regular access to water.

When Gunther was rescued, he was so skinny, he weighed just 51 pounds (the normal weight for his bone frame is 75 pounds). Fortunately he was pretty healthy except for the lack of food. He was neutered and placed in foster care for 3 weeks before I adopted him, during which time he became accustomed to living in a home.

I'm totally against having dogs left chained outside, especially with no food and water. That's a death sentence. My Gunther could have died if he was not rescued. 

Criminal charges were pressed against the hunter who owned the large pack of dogs and all of them are gone from his property.

My Gunther is a great dog. He's perfect in the house --- a gentleman! He had some socialization issues, which was to be expected because he was not properly socialized, and still today I'm working with him on that.

Now Gunther weighs 82 pounds and looks trim and fit. He has good muscle tone, is active and happy. I find it hard to believe that he once weighed only 51 pounds.

But, I'm lucky to have such a great Lab in my life. Would not have it any other way.


----------



## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

That is an amazing story and I'm so glad that Gunther has you in his life. ♥


----------

