Outside Dogs and the cold? (Hope: best, out of state, conditions)

[Metlakatla]

My paid writing about Alaska is all commercial writing. My clients include a couple of the large cruise lines, one of the smaller ones, the seafood marketing institute, Alaska Airlines magazine, and assorted fishing publications. I don't do a blog or anything like that, although there are a couple of people here who have fascinating blogs. 1timestar comes to mind...

[6.7traveler]

Ok thanks, I love to read that's why I was asking. I had thought maybe you had a blog or something. I will try to see if I can find 1timestar's, always enjoy an interesting read on these cold nights. Glad you have figured out a way to get paid for your writing though!

[Metlakatla]

I'd love to blog full time and run my trap about whatever, but it generally doesn't pay. Here's a guy who's been able to make it work, though:

Stonekettle Station

[Dakster]

Unfortunately you can't read tone on a forum. And I was purposely trying to be unclear. If I offended you Met that wasn't my goal. Apparently I did, so for that I apologize.

When it comes to a lot of things here, especially business wise and in the fishing industry you are the guru, Met. I have always given you this too, I know where you stand in things, you don't mince words.

Maybe I need some of that Vit D, 6.7... Or write when I am not upset about something else going on in my life... Sometimes that spills over into my writing.

[Frostnip]

I've had both a bear and several moose go after my dog, who's a lab-sized mutt. Luckily she's pretty savvy and I don't leave her chained or unattended outdoors, so she's gotten off unscathed. But that's even with proper dog care. So yeah. Go ahead and chain your dog in your yard for hours unattended. You might wake to something less than pretty in the morning, but hey, at least you won't have to smell your pet? Alternatively, I suppose you could just bathe the thing, like someone who gives a s***, and keep it indoors where it belongs.

[Novila]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

...This thread takes the cake for the most uniformed out of state posters. This is not California or New York City or wherever you came from. If you don't like dogs being outside, stay in L.A. where no one actually has working dogs or sled dogs, but they do have a "rescue" that can only sleep inside on a specially made pillow top fluffy doggie mattress and eat only specially prepared expensive organic dog food and go to the vet every month for special complicated expensive surgeries. Give me a break. If you want to keep your dog inside, that's great, you have every right too, but don't give other people that you don't understand their way of life a hard time. It's really that simple folks. There are a lot of good mushers and dog owners who love and take great care of their dogs, yet their dogs remain outside.
...

As one of those clueless, idiotic and horrible out of staters you Alaskans despise so deeply, I came to this thread actually looking for better ways to care for my own labrador mix during the deep winter. I have a lab-shepherd mix who, yes, IS suffering from our by comparison warmer Maine weather of -6F (today), and am looking for ways to treat her ice-burned and cracked paws which I notice have started to bleed from the chapped conditions. I probably would not have noticed this if my dog were one of those posturing "outdoor dogs".

If you don't give a crap if your dog has chapped paws and is suffering in subzero temps, and you don't think the Humane Society cares, then folks MOVE RIGHT TO ALASKA where folks really "rough it" and use that as an excuse to treat everyone around them of all species like crap. But again I'm one of those idiots without a clue in the "lower 48". Such nonsense I have never, ever heard!

God bless the 48.

[6.7traveler]

^Ok, my post came off somewhat abrasive and I apologize for that. No one hates out of staters and myself and almost everyone here is an out of stater at one point or another in their lives. Obviously, being from Maine (a beautiful state btw) you have something to both add or learn from this thread as opposed to someone from Southern California where it never gets below 65 degrees and just saying you would call the humane society on any dog or dog team you saw outside, no matter what the conditions. I shouldn't be as hard on people from SoCal from now on and possibly was slightly cranky when I wrote that

Anyways, if you read all of my posts I never condoned what the OP was doing and was strictly talking about sled dogs as an example for dogs where it is OK to be "outside" in cold temps but still in kennels. That was obviously not conveyed well on my part and I seem to be arguing one point while everyone else thought I was arguing the OP's point. I never said tying a dog up to a tree unattended by itself was a good idea. I have tried to make that very clear in numerous posts now. A properly cared for sled dog team in a kennel or other enclosed area will not suffer from chapped feet, and yes the humane society WON'T care if you have a properly cared for dog team, otherwise the Iditarod would not exist. Yes the humane society WILL care if you neglect your dog that isn't bred for the cold and just tie him to a tree all day and it gets chapped feet, waiting to be bear bait. And I am sorry that your dog got chapped feet, but again a properly cared for sled dog that is outside in a kennel should not get chapped feet. If it does, a properly caring musher would attend to it.

If I would of known it would of turned into this, I probably would of never posted on this thread and if I could delete that one comment, I probably would. I really can't make myself anymore clear that I was talking about sled dogs in kennels and if people continue to only read bits and pieces of this thread, I am sure I'll offend a few more, which was never my intention. I wish the best to you and didn't mean to offend.

[Metlakatla]

Dakster, I'm out of patience with whatever little game you're trying to play. The insults seem intentional enough to me, and I have no idea what game you were playing by being purposely unclear. I guess you're trying to "be someone" online at my expense, and I'm really tired of it.

The long term Alaskans here seem to be in agreement with the Southern Californians about this, so whatever. You newcomers will figure out soon enough that Alaska isn't Disneyland.

Another thing to be concerned about is that leaving pet food outdoors will draw bears. If you're going to feed your dog outside, only give it enough for one feeding at a time. You don't want food left in the bowl. I do know that some communities have laws against leaving anything outdoors (garbage, meat scraps, whatever)that may attract wildlife into the area. Also, dogs tied outdoors overnight tend to bark frequently, so please be considerate of any neighbors who may value their sleep.

And I am sorry that your dog got chapped feet, but again a properly cared for sled dog that is outside in a kennel should not get chapped feet. If it does, a properly caring musher would attend to it.

I think this is a great example of an analogy that just doesn't work. I don't get bringing sled dogs into what the person was asking. By the way, get back to me in the spring about your idealization of mushers after you visit the animal shelter in Fairbanks. You'll see more than chapped feet on the unwanted dogs the mushers dump there every spring.

I get that you're impressed by mushing, and it sounds like you've met some decent ones, but...there's another side.

To the poster whose dog is getting chapped feet, get it some booties. There are also creams that can be used to help heal them. Also, watch where you walk. I'm not sure how they deal with ice on the roads in Maine, but in some areas, they use gravel, and this can get between the pads and cut the feet. Also, some places use de-icing chemicals that can be harmful, so be careful when walking on the sides of the road.

[6.7traveler]

I never said Alaska is Disneyland? Nor did anyone else? Alaska isn't a perfect utopia and either is any place for that matter. I do love Alaska at this point in my life and think it's what's best for me and my family at this time. Do I think it offers certain freedoms that don't exist or aren't as strong as in other states? Yes. Maybe my view on Alaska someday will sour, time will tell. I'll try to contact you on here if it ever does so you can say "I told you so."

I also admitted that it was slightly off topic bringing sled dogs into this compared to what the OP was talking about. I was just trying to give an example of where it is OK to have dogs outside in the cold weather because after all the thread is named "Outside dogs and the cold."

I don't idealize all dog mushers. Are sled dogs abused and mistreated and end up in the fairbanks shelter? Of course. Does that change the fact that there are good mushers out there who take great care of their dogs that I have personal experience with? No. Should all people who take good care of their sled dog team be punished because of the actions of other owners? No. I have personally had positive experiences with dog mushers, that's all I was trying to say.

This thread obviously strikes a lot of nerves. I really don't know how to make myself anymore clear or apologize anymore than I already have. I love dogs, would never want any dog to be abused, would never tie a dog to a tree anywhere and wouldn't want any animal to suffer in any way. Regardless of your negative views on mushing, there are good mushers out there, there are also plenty of bad ones. How is that idealizing anything? Dog mushing is a big part of Alaska and part of what makes it what it is. People abuse dogs and drop off unwanted dogs at shelters in all 50 states. It is not an alaskan or musher specific problem, but one that affects all of us.

You have proved all your points well, I agree with most of what you say and I don't think anyone is trying to argue with you. At least not me.

[Metlakatla]

LOL. I never said there weren't good mushers out there. But whatever. I have work to do, and after that, a sunny beach is waiting. I really don't get what your decision to live in Alaska has to do with the issue at hand, but I'm glad that it's working for you. Here's a newsflash --not everyone who leaves it "hates" it or is "sour" on it. Personally, I do hope to never see it again because doing so would be a waste of my time; there are places on the planet that I haven't yet seen that I'd rather spend my resources on. That's all.

OP, you obviously care enough about your dog to ask your question about dogs and the cold on this forum. Too bad you didn't bother to read your own link that you used for "proof" that your particular breed can withstand the cold. But, you're bringing her in when it get 10 degrees or below, so at least you're doing something right.

As everyone has pointed out, wild animal attacks against dogs are common in Alaska, and tying one out is an unwise practice. You seem okay with that, so whatever. Hopefully, people who actually give more than a marginal damn about the safety of their animals will reconsider tying them out. I do encourage you to put up a large outdoor kennel when possible as well as fence your yard.