Outside Dogs and the cold? (Fairbanks, Hope: to live in, move, beach)

[Meowen]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

I don't think the OP meant to open this can of worms, he was just trying to find out information about his dog. I have clearly stated numerous times I was talking about Dog Teams and my experience with them.

you're the one who changed the subject from the OP's specific situation with his dog, into some totally unrelated rant about dog sled team dogs.

also, i never said you've only been in Alaska for two days, I said you just moved there two days ago. there is a difference.

[Metlakatla]

Right, the other poster who was trying to say that you've only been in Alaska a few days isn't a former Alaska resident and doesn't seem to have much history of posting in this forum...

I have no particular axe to grind with you, but I think you've been kind of hard on people in this thread for no real reason.

Originally Posted by Dakster

I also find it interesting that nowhere else in the US is dangerous for pets..

I don't think anyone said that, did they?

I would have addressed the same type of post in another forum differently. Tying a dog out in certain urban environments will leave it vulnerable to what's probably the worst of all predators -- humans. Dogfighting is still big in some areas; domestic dogs are stolen as bait ... or stolen to sell to research labs...

but this conversation was specific to the particular dangers of tying dogs out in rural Alaska.

[Meowen]

Originally Posted by Dakster

I guess New Jersey has cleaned up its act if it is only a cesspool now...

How long does it take to be smart after moving to Alaska? Just checking, since if you don't live here or haven't lived/worked here you apparently you are not smart and apparently don't have common sense either.

I also find it interesting that nowhere else in the US is dangerous for pets. More than a few dogs have been eaten in the backyard or off a tether in my home state - mainly by gators. Now of course large snakes and lizards are causing issues. People have been attacked by gators, snakes and bears there too.

Weird that this is coming from a state where PETA means People Eating Tasty Animals, instead of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

For the humor impaired, this was called sarcasm.

I would say there is not a place on earth that it is smart and safe to leave your dog tied up and unprotected outside. Alaska just adds the cold and the excessive wildlife to the mix of variables that create additional danger.

[Dakster]

Unprotected is the key- but a dog kennel/house is not, necessarily, un-protected. One wonders how dogs survived before modern man was around. Somehow they adapted to their surroundings and did just fine. And yes, I realize they were not tied up back then. Not a big fan of tieing up dogs to a dog house kennel, but somehow their movements need to be restricted, as I don't like free roaming dogs either.

I like kennels like the place pictured above in Denali,if you happen to need a bunch of dogs., have no place indoors for them.

Like I said earlier in this thread. When I have had dogs, they have always been indoors and I don't see this changing for me. But I also have no plans on having more than at most 2 dogs.

And I haven't even taken classes from the Michael Vic school of dog care.

Calm down Met- I was being sarcastic...

[Metlakatla]

Again, Dakster, some of us have had first hand experience with encounters with Alaskan wildlife, and no amount of sarcasm or backhanded insults is going to change that.

[Dakster]

Wasn't trying to change your experience. Wasn't trying to say what you were saying was irrelevant either. And the comment wasn't directed to you...

You can be the expert and guru for all things Alaskan and yet you won't change anyone's mind here anyways...

[Metlakatla]

And all your attempts at sarcasm and putdowns won't change the fact that tying a dog out in an unprotected area leaves it vulnerable to wildlife attacks. As far as "changing anyone's mind," the posts and rep points in this thread would indicate that the majority of those involved with this thread agree with me about the advisability of doing so, so not sure where you're going with that. And some of us actually have changed people's minds here concerning animal care in the past and will probably do so again.

The OP is obviously going to do whatever works for him no matter what anyone here says; even the link he posted as "proof" that his particular breed can withstand the cold didn't back it up. His dog might be all right enough in the spring; hopefully he'll get a decent fence put up before calving season. Nonetheless, I hope that anyone who does a Google search on the subject and finds this thread thinks twice about tying dogs out after realizing the dangers involved.

[Dakster]

Yes the OP is going to do whatever they want - that was my point. I've gotten reps and DMs about this thread too.

Why you keep thinking I recommend tying a dog up outside here (Alaska) OR ANYWHERE is what I said is beyond me. I wouldn't do it here or even in a warm climate. Have I seen it, yes. Have I seen the consequences of not doing it correctly, yes. Have I seen it done correctly, yes. However, it isn't for me either way.

I do admit, I took a jab at my New Jersey friends - but even they got a kick out of it.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Dakster

Yes the OP is going to do whatever they want - that was my point. I've gotten reps and DMs about this thread too.

Why you keep thinking I recommend tying a dog up outside here (Alaska) OR ANYWHERE is what I said is beyond me. I wouldn't do it here or even in a warm climate. Have I seen it, yes. Have I seen the consequences of not doing it correctly, yes. Have I seen it done correctly, yes. However, it isn't for me either way.

I do admit, I took a jab at my New Jersey friends - but even they got a kick out of it.

I don't think that's what you're recommending. What I do think is that you're taking some pointless jabs here at more than your N.J. friends. It's also difficult to tell what you mean because your writing is unclear. There's a lot of sarcasm, which frequently doesn't translate well online and can be taken a number of ways. But yeah, when you make statements concerning how on Earth dogs managed to survive without modern man in the middle a discussion about tying dogs out, it can reasonably be thought that you're defending that particular practice even though you say that you're not.

As far as your statement about me being some sort of Alaskan "expert and guru," I get paid pretty well to write about it so you're probably onto something there.

By the way, those are your words, not mine. But if knowing better than to tie my dog out makes me a guru in your eyes, then so be it.

I'm not sure what's causing all the wailing and gnashing of teeth in this thread, but it's definitely an interesting read.

[6.7traveler]

^This thread is very interesting, entertaining and I can't help myself from checking it every time I see it highlighted again. I do think it is VERY easy to misread people on a forum like this and take people the wrong way and either glance over stuff they said or interpret something differently then the writer intended. I felt like that happened to me on this thread and I didn't even receive a single rep point for this thread!

Met, I took my vitamin D today so maybe I'll come across as less cranky now I am seriously 100% genuinely interested in your writing about Alaska, if you wouldn't mind sharing some or letting me know where I can read some, even if it's just in a direct message. If not, I totally understand and respect your desire to remain anonymous on a forum like this.

I think if we all sat down in person we'd all agree on more things than not. I don't believe myself or anyone on here were saying what the OP was doing is right or condoning his practices, just misinterpreted over the internet. Anyways, it makes for good reading!