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I agree some dogs really just do not want to be in. The important thing is the dog has access to shade, cool water and shelter. Having human contact is important also. I personally have never had an outside only dog. But my friend had a huskey who refused to come in no matter the weather.
I disagree with those who are saying the owner is a bad one.
The OP said the dog was a Samoyed, or possibly some other Northern breed. If you've ever had experience with Northern breeds, most prefer being outside. Now that being said, if it's in the 90s there needs to be adequate food, plenty of water, and an abundant amount of shade. When I was growing up we tried to have our husky in the house. She wanted nothing to do with it. She was restless, howled, and scratched at the door to get out. She always had a large bowl of water in our garage, which had a cool concrete floor she enjoyed laying on, as well as having her food. But she was only in there when temperatures became in the upper 90s. Usually she'd seek the comfort of the shade from a tree in our yard.
While dogs are part of our families, sometimes we tend to forget that they are animals. I'm completely guilty of humanizing my dog, and I would never leave my Pom outside by himself. First, he's a toy breed, secondly, he'd hate it because he craves human attention. But some giant breeds, such as the Great Dane are like that too. I feel that the Northern breeds, like Huskies and Mals for example, love their human companions, but crave the outdoors. We tend to lose sight of what these dogs were originally bred to do. Even though our family pet may not serve its ancestors original purpose, it is still in their blood, their genetics. Our husky loved to run, adored it. We would race her on our bikes up and down the lane leading to my grandparents. She never got tired of it. (my sister and I never won those races on our bikes btw) If we kept her inside most of the time, I firmly believe she would have become depressed.
My point is, the OPs friend (the dog owner) knows his dog, clearly has some aversion to boarding (maybe a bad prior experience perhaps?), and would rather leave his dog in the care of a friend versus a stranger. Would I choose to leave my dog outside for a week alone? No, it's not my preference. However, the dog is being looked after, clearly cared for by not only the owner but the OP as well; not to mention the OP said that the owner's friends look after each other, as it appears to be a nice little neighborhood.
All I'm saying is don't call someone a bad dog owner simply because their way of doing something is different from yours. I board my dog, leave him with family, or have a friend watch him. I'd do that if I had a large breed dog as well. But again, that's just me. If the dog is healthy and loved, who am I to judge what someone else does.
All that said, you have some great suggestions on here. My dog loves ice after a long walk and I stick a cube or two in his dish. He inevitabley takes them out, places them on our carpet, and crunches on them there instead of the tiled kitchen. A kiddie pool and a fan are also good.
Since this is the owner's call and the owner isn't here to discuss it with us, I'll hold off on my opinion and just offer the best advice I can for your situation.
Here are a few suggestions that might make it more comfortable for him...
1. If the owner is willing, he can dig a shallow "bed" in the ground, put some shredded cedar on the bottom of it and you can hose that down when you go in the afternoon...this should be done under a tree, if possible, or wherever there's plenty of shade. The shredded cedar is soft, smells good, and repels many common pests in addition to keeping the ground cooler and moister.
2. Most big dogs I know love a good hose-down when they're out playing in the sun, so if your friend's dog enjoys it, that's a good option to cool him off mid-day.
3. Definitely lots of fresh water...I'd put out several just in case one gets knocked over.
4. Love the ice suggestions...I'd do that too.
5. Is is possible for your friend to install a misting system somewhere? Maybe in a shaded area, like a covered deck or porch? If not, he could even put up a small pop-up tent (if he has one or is willing to purchase one) and install an inexpensive mister that you could turn on a very low setting early afternoon and turn off when you get there in the evening. You could even hang misters from tree branches, I suppose...
I think it's really cool that you care about this dog enough to come here and ask these questions...you're clearly a great animal guardian AND a great friend !
My wolf/border collie stays inside during the hot daytime hours. I let him back outside sometimes WAY AFTER midnight when it is actually bearable. Before we started doing this, he went under the deck/under the house, basically having dug an underground tunnel to get away from the heat. I can tell he does not like staying outside as when we let him out to do his business & stretch, he does his business & heads right back in. At night when I let him out, he does not head back in if it is comfortable. I love him and do not want him to suffer in this miserable Texas 100+ degree heat. In the past before we begin bringing him in, we would make sure he had plenty of water with ice cubes, and he had plenty of shade and access to a dark and cooler garage floor. He chose to stay under the deck/house. Until I can keep my promise to him to move him to a cooler climate, I will continue to do this.
I am caring for a friend's dog while he's out of town - he'll be gone for almost 3 weeks. I go over twice a day to feed and play with the dog, and make sure he's got plenty of water. I've done this before, for 3 or 4 days at a time. The longest time up 'til now was one week, and that was in the fall.
I think his dog is a Samoyed - I've never asked the breed, but that's what he looks like. He wants me to leave the dog outside. There is some shade, and the owner leaves his back porch door open. It's a very small porch, just big enough for the doggie bed. He has a very large back yard, the dog is not tied up at all.
I double-checked about leaving the dog out for this many days, in the summer, and the owner said it would be fine. He didn't think there would be a problem with the dog getting into things, or chewing things if it was inside (it's about 5 years old); he thinks the dog will be happier outside than in.
The high will be 90 - 92 most of the days the owner's gone - is it OK to leave the dog out for this long? I feel so sorry for the poor thing! But I think the dog's out a lot, even if the owner is home.
The air quality dips down when it gets so hot here, and I always hear, "Bring your dogs in", and that makes me nervous about leaving this big guy out.
I'd like your thoughts and opinions, please! Thanks.
I'd bring the dog to my house, and when the jerk gets back, tell him to board it next time. This is one of the reasons I quit petsitting, careless owners.
Since this is the owner's call and the owner isn't here to discuss it with us, I'll hold off on my opinion and just offer the best advice I can for your situation.
Here are a few suggestions that might make it more comfortable for him...
1. If the owner is willing, he can dig a shallow "bed" in the ground, put some shredded cedar on the bottom of it and you can hose that down when you go in the afternoon...this should be done under a tree, if possible, or wherever there's plenty of shade. The shredded cedar is soft, smells good, and repels many common pests in addition to keeping the ground cooler and moister.
2. Most big dogs I know love a good hose-down when they're out playing in the sun, so if your friend's dog enjoys it, that's a good option to cool him off mid-day.
3. Definitely lots of fresh water...I'd put out several just in case one gets knocked over.
4. Love the ice suggestions...I'd do that too.
5. Is is possible for your friend to install a misting system somewhere? Maybe in a shaded area, like a covered deck or porch? If not, he could even put up a small pop-up tent (if he has one or is willing to purchase one) and install an inexpensive mister that you could turn on a very low setting early afternoon and turn off when you get there in the evening. You could even hang misters from tree branches, I suppose...
I think it's really cool that you care about this dog enough to come here and ask these questions...you're clearly a great animal guardian AND a great friend !
Thanks so much for the feedback. The owner's really not a jerk - like mrspink said, he's making different choices. The doggie's been fine so far, but I'm going back later this afternoon, and if he looks at all uncomfortable (thanks for your post gigmac!), I'll bring him home with me. It's going to be HOT here today, it's already 100 degrees.
There is one place in their yard that is *always* shaded, so that spot does stay nice and cool. It's so funny, the dog LOVES to play with the water from the water hose, he'll chase the spray around and bite it, so I've been doing that with him - his coat gets wet, and the ground gets wet, too, so he can lie there. I went and played for a good while this morning, so he got a nice soak. I'm heading over again soon, since it's so hot. I usually go over again in the evening, but I want to make sure he's handling the heat OK.
I think dogs are very adaptable - they just live what they're used to. My dog would be MISERABLE left alone at all. He's used to us being home a good bit, and he's inside with us. But this guy works, I think the dog is outside alone a lot, so he's fine.
Wanted to post an update - the dog has been really happy and playful, even on the hottest days last week (around 106!). He is handling things fine. I know he'll be happy when his owner's back home!
One other thought w/ the ice. If you have a stainless steel bowl put in some water and a couple of treats, freeze it, top it off with some more water (the treats float to the surface), freeze that and then leave this bowl of frozen water w/ treats!! out for him to lick.
Man, you guys have been setting and breaking heat records lately!!
Your neighbor doesn't know how lucky he is to have you caring for his dog.
Z
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