# Another Reason my dogs are NEVER left outside.



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I never leave my dogs outside if I'm not home. I don't agree with the concept of it, I think too much can happen to them in the way of them getting out, or poisoned by a jerk neighbor, or barking and getting animal control called on me. But, when I'm home, I almost always have the back door wide open so the dogs can run out and play if they want to. It has worked out well for us. Plus, I like to keep their water bucket out there if I can to cut down on the flood that seems to surround it having 5 Danes and a Boxer.

Today, I was in my kitchen making rice pudding to take to my grandparent's tonight. From where I was standing, my kitchen looks right out the back door, plus a big window out there so I can see the back yard, but not the side yard. I can see both parts of the yard from the living room, though. Anyway, Braxton and Kola were playing, and kept running in and out the back door playing chase. I have a really big open living room, and keep furniture to a minimum so they have space. Anyway, I could hear them wrestling outside and then it stopped. After a couple minutes, I peeked out the window and they were both curled up on the bench swing. So, I went about making the pudding. 

About ten minutes had passed, and Braxton had come back inside, but not Kola. I didn't really think anything of it but peeked out to check on her. She was gone. She dug out under the fence- in ten minutes time. She is not some little 10 lbs dog that had to dig a little 6 inch hole to get out. She is a 40+ lb puppy. I immediately panicked, threw a robe on, and ran out front, where she was happily running around the front yard like a madwoman with a stick in her mouth. Thank DOG she didn't go far, or get hit by a car or anything... and thank goodness I was home. 


The whole thing just confirmed what I already did: my pack will NEVER be left outside when I'm not home. I was considering putting a doggy door in so they could take themselves out to potty... but that project is now cancelled.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

OMG...that would scare the shizz out of me!!! UGH!!

SOOO glad that she had her self happy with that stick in the front yard!!!


Yes I agree with you, one reason that we blocked off the doggie door that is here is because of never knowing what will happen-although now only Brody could fit out it anyways...but there is ALWAYS that chance that SOMETHING will happen!!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i so definitely agree with you...i never leave my dogs outside if i can't see them.

i do not mean to take you off topic, but i need a good rice pudding recipe and i think you should note that it was not braxton who dug under the fence....LOL


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

magicre said:


> i so definitely agree with you...i never leave my dogs outside if i can't see them.
> 
> i do not mean to take you off topic, but i need a good rice pudding recipe and i think you should note that it was not braxton who dug under the fence....LOL


The one I have is one my mom made when i was growing up. We would have it instead of cake for birthdays and whatnot. I love it, but a lot of people won't make it because it's made in the microwave... I don't make a ton of stuff in the microwave but I just HAVE to make this a couple times a year. 


3/4 C sugar (sometimes I use brown sugar just for fun)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c milk

Combine and microwave for 7 minutes, stir.

add 1 egg well beaten

Microwave 3 minutes, stir

Add
2 Tbsp butter (I use coconut oil)
1 tsp vanilla (I use mexican vanilla!)
2 c. cooked rice

Stir, and let sit for 5 minutes. 

I prefer to serve mine hot. my hubby is weird and likes his out of the fridge the next day. 
I also sprinkle with cinnamon in serving bowls.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

that sounds nummy. i also eat it either hot or cold out of the fridge....and i will add raisins to it and it will be lovely.

thank you...


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

What a little stink! I too do not like leaving my dogs outside unattended. Too much could go wrong, especially since my former neighbors actually poisoned & killed my chihuahua Sebastian......and I was even OUTSIDE at the time.....he was eating something (which I thought was grass) by my back gate, and earlier in the week I had threatened to call the cops on my neighbors little 11 year old for climbing my fence into my backyard.......it was decon he was eating but we didn't discover that's what it was until it was too late. Thank DOG they moved. We are almost positive it was the little neighbor boy who did it as he was really pissed off at me and we heard yelling about it through our walls the night as we had the cops investigate as well, so they went over there and talked to them.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

So glad to hear your baby was still at home and safe. And Heather, I'm so sorry to hear about your Chihuahua. I can't imagine.
I have 2 doggie doors but they can lock so my dogs are never allowed out when we're not home. After the many incidences we've had over the last few yrs with my neighbor's dogs getting out of their yard and coming to mine we don't let our guys have access to the one that goes out into the big fenced area unless we're out there grilling or doing yardwork and can watch them. We have a smaller fenced area outside my dog room and they can go out there because it's a fence inside the fence. Anal about the dogs?? Uhhh, YES!


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 9, 2010)

I normally don't agree with leaving dogs outside, but in Rebel's case it really is the safest place for him. For right now anyways, until we can figure something else out.

He was in a VERY secure crate (I'm talking heavy duty with zip ties and everything) in a room with the door locked. He somehow managed to bust through the crate (with breaking it - we have no clue how he got out) and unlock the door. He then was looking for something on the stovetop (nothing was there) and turned the nob on. It caught the kitchen on fire and had damage to the counter tops. If my brother had not left his wallet at home, he wouldn't have got back to his house until later that evening. By then, both the house and Rebel might would have been gone.

We have left him out of his crate and for a while he was great, but he knows how to unlock deadbolts and open doors. He would do that and go running through the woods and around the road. So for right now he is on a very secure zip line and it has worked out GREAT.

I don't want to start another debate on this, but I also don't want to feel like I'm a terrible owner and reading what some have said certainly makes me feel that way. We've looked into super heavy duty crates, but it is not something we can afford... especially with many being $700+, so I think that this is the safest thing for him.... next time we might not be so blessed to find it before the damage is done.

Edit - Glad Kola is safe and sound!!!! :biggrin: They sure know how to make our hearts race fast, LOL.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

Personally I feel it is irresponsible to leave your pet dogs outside unattended. I know some don't agree with that but that's how I see it.

Edit after reading post above mine: Considering most dogs do not know how to open crates, unlock doors, light the stove, pick a lock, start a car, fly a plane, solve the rubick's cube, etc like nikkisluv.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

nikkiluvsu15 said:


> *I don't want to start another debate on this, but I also don't want to feel like I'm a terrible owner and reading what some have said certainly makes me feel that way.* We've looked into super heavy duty crates, but it is not something we can afford... especially with many being $700+, so I think that this is the safest thing for him.... next time we might not be so blessed to find it before the damage is done.
> 
> Edit - Glad Kola is safe and sound!!!! :biggrin: They sure know how to make our hearts race fast, LOL.


That's just how I feel too! My dog is outside when we are not home, but I am 100% sure there is no way he can get out of our yard - the fences (over 2m high) all have limestone retaining walls underneath them, going deep in to the ground, so there is no way he can dig under, and the gate is over concrete, so again he cannot dig under. The gate is kept locked, so no one can open it and let him out or steal him, so I think I've done well to ensure he has a safe, enclosed area to play in (and its a very big area too, with absolutely nothing he can injure himself on, a very large patio area for shelter/shade, and his kennel under that too). And I hate being made to feel like a terrible person when I'm sure we have done a lot more than most. On the other side of our area, there is another housing estate that uses a different fencing system, and if I lived over there, I would NOT be so sure he wouldn't be able to dig his way under, but for our particular block, I am certain is it impossible, unless he learns to dig through huge concrete blocks lol.

While there would still be the risk someone might poison him, I have never heard of that happening to anyone where I live. A while back a lady thought someone must've poisoned her dogs after two of her 3 rotti's died suddenly, and then the third started showing the same signs - it actually ended up being ingredients in the commercial dog food "roll" that she had been feeding her dogs, and all three had had such a bad reaction to it that they died very suddenly. Duke doesn't bark (never does when we are home, and I've checked with the neighbours about when we are out) so there isn't really any reason for anyone to be mad enough at us or Duke to actually go to such drastic measures... I know some people are just plain sick, but the likelihood of it happening is, in my opinion, no different to someone deciding to break into my house and hurt or kill me while I'm sleeping - you can never rule it out 100%, but I can comfortably say it will never happen.

Anyway back to OP, I am so glad Kola is ok :biggrin: and what a cheeky sod, escaping so quickly! And I totally get why the water bucket is outside, Duke manages to flood the patio with his water and that's just one dog haha.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

cprcheetah said:


> What a little stink! I too do not like leaving my dogs outside unattended. Too much could go wrong, especially since my former neighbors actually poisoned & killed my chihuahua Sebastian......and I was even OUTSIDE at the time.....he was eating something (which I thought was grass) by my back gate, and earlier in the week I had threatened to call the cops on my neighbors little 11 year old for climbing my fence into my backyard.......it was decon he was eating but we didn't discover that's what it was until it was too late. Thank DOG they moved. We are almost positive it was the little neighbor boy who did it as he was really pissed off at me and we heard yelling about it through our walls the night as we had the cops investigate as well, so they went over there and talked to them.


This is why im in favor of charging kids as adults.. that kid knew exactly what he was doing..and should get the maximum penalty for his actions.
pp- very scary experience. i used to never like leaving shane alone outside...and i always fel ti was being overprotective..so i'd leave him alone for a few minutes at a time ahh...winston hasnt been out in the back much since we decided to go the no flea prevention route. we take him for walks instead...but in winter we will keep this in mind


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

i think most dogs should be given free run eventually. ive never had a problem. winston had free run the first day we got him lol(by free run i mean of the house not outdoors)


SerenityFL said:


> Personally I feel it is irresponsible to leave your pet dogs outside unattended. I know some don't agree with that but that's how I see it.
> 
> Edit after reading post above mine: Considering most dogs do not know how to open crates, unlock doors, light the stove, pick a lock, start a car, fly a plane, solve the rubick's cube, etc like nikkisluv.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

yikes!!! what a little monster!! what do you mean by zipline?


nikkiluvsu15 said:


> I normally don't agree with leaving dogs outside, but in Rebel's case it really is the safest place for him. For right now anyways, until we can figure something else out.
> 
> He was in a VERY secure crate (I'm talking heavy duty with zip ties and everything) in a room with the door locked. He somehow managed to bust through the crate (with breaking it - we have no clue how he got out) and unlock the door. He then was looking for something on the stovetop (nothing was there) and turned the nob on. It caught the kitchen on fire and had damage to the counter tops. If my brother had not left his wallet at home, he wouldn't have got back to his house until later that evening. By then, both the house and Rebel might would have been gone.
> 
> ...


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

SerenityFL said:


> Personally I feel it is irresponsible to leave your pet dogs outside unattended. I know some don't agree with that but that's how I see it.
> 
> Edit after reading post above mine: Considering most dogs do not know how to open crates, unlock doors, light the stove, pick a lock, start a car, fly a plane, solve the rubick's cube, etc like nikkisluv.


I love you.


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 9, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> yikes!!! what a little monster!! what do you mean by zipline?


Yes, he is- you would think by 4.5 years old he would be somewhat mature. Ah, I love him anyway <3 :biggrin:

By zipline I mean something along the lines of this... his is a lot longer (and between two huge Live Oak trees) and his leash/tie out is longer as well. My brother lives on our property, so most of the time he isn't even out there for very long because I'm usually home and can watch him (Tuesday/Thursdays are the exception for right now). 









We know its a temporary fix and we're going to try childproof door handle locks - we'll see how that works out, hopefully that'll go good. Other than that, we're still brainstorming for ways to keep him safe inside.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Scary... scary scary... Glad she's fine!! :biggrin:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

For dogs that open doors and locks... one thing I found that worked BEAUTIFULLY is putting two slide locks on each door that opens to the great outdoors. You know, the kind that they have on some public bathroom stalls, that you have to lift it, then slide it, and drop it back down?
Kinds like this. 









When Champ lived with us, we put two on each door, one at the top and one at the bottom, and he was never able to open them. We did two on each for added security, just in case he got lucky and got one. You can get them at any home improvement store, and they're about $5-$10 depending on the gauge you get.


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 9, 2010)

Awesome!!! I'll have to tell my brother about those, he has to go to Lowe's sometime soon anyways. :wink:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

So glad you were able to find her in the front yard so fast!! I had one girl chow that was an escape artist. She would just shove her way under the chain link fence, whether we were outside with her or not. All it took was seeing a squirrel or anything else on the wrong side of the fence. 

When we got our new fence the guy put in the heaviest dog proof wire they make that runs along the bottom of it. i didn't even know they make such a thing for chain link fences. He was a great fence guy and it was his idea once he saw I had dogs. There is no way for dogs to push out the bottom of the fence now. Luckily I don't have any diggers like you. just shovers! 

Even so, I NEVER leave dogs outside alone. Heck, I can't even get them to go outside while I'm in the house! They end up huddled up against the back door, pleading with me to let them back in or at least come out with them!! Rocky actually leaps against the back door until I let him back in.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

when we lived in one of our houses many years ago...i used to visit my next door neighbour....and one day, there was a scratching on her door, ever so lightly.
turned out it was two of my shih tzus...they couldn't have been more than a year old....maybe two....they had, of course, dug under the fence....

and wanted tea. or me. or they were stopping by before they went on their adventure.

you know we spent the next week, digging under that fence and putting concrete pavers and then covering it up, so their little nails would hit that next time they dug and it would stop them, which it did....

after that, i never let my dogs out alone again.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

SerenityFL said:


> Personally I feel it is irresponsible to leave your pet dogs outside unattended. I know some don't agree with that but that's how I see it.
> 
> Edit after reading post above mine: Considering most dogs do not know how to open crates, unlock doors, light the stove, pick a lock, start a car, fly a plane, solve the rubick's cube, etc like nikkisluv.


i agree....because the one thing not mentioned is how my bentley, (my beloved golden retriever got out) and it was because humans DO know how to open gates.

the human factor is a force to be reckoned with, too.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

That is such a scare when the dogs go missing from the back yard and they were right there, but what a blessing for you, she was right there playing with her beloved stick in the front yard! I agree ~have to be home~ when the dogs are out, Never should we leave them out without being there! We all have neighbors who we want to trust, but well, also you never know when someone may just leave the gate open also! This has happened to me and I will write that story soon! Glad all is well, and pups doing good! She needs an extra hug for sure! You do too!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Glad everything turned out ok! I would never leave dogs unnatended in the yard, but so many people do and then they are suprised when something happens to their animals. I saw this post on CL the other day:


Somebody Stole MY Blue Pit Puppy

what kind of dumbaa$$ leaves a 10 week old puppy unnatended in the yard? maybe some of these animals are better off being stolen by someone a little more competent.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I know it's not likely, but we have hawks nesting nearby. I know Snorkels is too heavy for them to carry off, but they could attack her - I've seen them attacking squirrels and she's about the same size. The squirrels are not intimidated by the hawks, but I think they would do damage to my dog.


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> Glad everything turned out ok! I would never leave dogs unnatended in the yard, but so many people do and then they are suprised when something happens to their animals. I saw this post on CL the other day:
> 
> 
> Somebody Stole MY Blue Pit Puppy
> ...


I HATE seeing those adds....and always want to reply with....no your dog wasn't stolen it probably wandered off in search of proper care and attention you moron!


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

I don't ;eavr mine outside either when I'm not home. However, I do always make sure I turn off the dryer, dishwasher etc... because I also have these terrible thaughts of "what if the house catches fire by some freak chance?" The chances arn't great, but I do take those precautions when I leave. Maybe I worry too much, but better safe than sorry.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

whoa, that's scary, glad she was okay. Our yard is fenced in and both gates are padlocked. I do not leave them outside when we're gone but when I'm home, they'll be outside for awhile but I check on them every five minutes or so. One of mine is a barker so even if I wanted to leave him outside, I'd have the cops at my door with a noise summons!


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Im glad Kola is safe! However, my dogs do just fine outside unattended while I'm at work all day. I have a dog door that leads to my garage conversion so they can come in and go out as they please. They've never tried to jump/climb the fence and they aren't diggers. They only bark when people go by and I live on a pretty quiet street. The only time I had a problem was when the stupid neighbor kids threw a cooked chicken bone over but since I've talked to them about it and it hasn't been a problem yet since then. I also have them out there naked so there's no chance of them getting caught on something and strangling to death. I work all day so I can't just leave them crated or inside all day without a potty break!

I'd never just leave them chained up outside unattended though. Knowing them, they'd have themselves tangled up and strangled in a heartbeat


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

It works for some pople. 
I can't think of a situation in which it would work for me, I'm too worried. With having a couple somewhat vocal dogs (Zailey will bark if she even thinks she hears something) and neighbors in SUPER close proximity (their bedroom window is like 10 feet from the fence) and then having miss digger dane, I don't think it would ever work for my pack.... too dangerous for us.


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

If i tried to go out with Luigi outside, even if we didn't live in the city and lack a yard, I would probably end up in the hospital for the anxiety attack I would have. Pit bulls in particular get stolen frequently, poisened, etc. But, my 15 year old heart dog, soul mate, who we adopted when I was 14 and who still lives with my mom, stays outside if they are going out for a bit and he doesn't seem to want to come in. they have a huge, privacy fenced yard and live literally in the woods. he is 17 pounds, 15 years old and just loves to lay in the sun. i feel fine about that, my mom moved there from the suburbs when birdie was already quite senior, and he's clearly loving spending more time outside. he is out there probably about 5 hours a day, ussually with someone home, and if they go out and he's on the couch that's where he stays, if he wants to stay out that's fine too. I guess it depends on the location and especially the dog.


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