Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For those that do, what are your reasons for not leaving your dog unattended in your yard, for any length of time?
- Assuming your yard is fenced or you have some e-collar.
1. I work up to 8 hours a day. I don't think its fair to leave a 75lb dog inside for that period of time. I certainly wouldnt want to hold my "business" for 8 hours straight.
2. He has a perfectly good enclosure in the back yard with a 6 foot fence, including an area that is covered (with bushes adding extra shade) and a concrete floor under the covering. He has fresh food and water put in his bowl out there every morning when I take him out. When I come home, he comes inside for the night. Then the cycle repeats.
3. I know for a fact he is NOT friendly to strangers when I am not home. Anyone entering that pen that he doesnt know will be bitten. There are signs on his pen warning to this.
He is very well behaved when leashed and out-and-about. However, he is very protective of our property.
3. I know for a fact he is NOT friendly to strangers when I am not home. Anyone entering that pen that he doesnt know will be bitten. There are signs on his pen warning to this.
He is very well behaved when leashed and out-and-about. However, he is very protective of our property.
Colddiamond, with all due respect intended - I hope that is a privacy or solid panel fence/run and that it is padlocked. Even with postings you have a liability issue for a child or adult who might stick their fingers through chain link if you do indeed know for a fact that the dog will bite a stranger. It's a litigious society. May I suggest a doggie door and a small privacy fenced area off the back complete with a lock? Best of both worlds!
My son is an attorney and is prosecuting a dog bite case almost identical to the scenario you've put before us...and it ain't looking good for the other side at this point. A homeless, mentally challenged individual went into a privacy fenced back yard where there was a dog run which WAS padlocked and had signs...she couldn't read. Although the pen was padlocked, the privacy fence was not. Win or lose, these owners are out a lot of money on trying to defend themselves in court. I'd also add that their insurance agent is quite interested in the outcome of this story; I suspect if they lose they will also be without insurance coverage.
It doesn't matter how we actually 'feel' about incidents of this type and whether 'we' think we did everything we could... a jury of 12 will decide this one. The owners are appropriately sorry, but sorry isn't helping right now.
I'm not blasting you, truly - I'm just giving you, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,802,151 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam I Am
Considering the fines in some cities for an at-large dog and the fact that most shelters are overworked, I'm not taking the chance of one of mine getting picked up and possibly euthanized because there was a breakdown in communication. Supervising them lets my mind rest easy that I'm doing everything I can to keep them all safe and happy.
Sam,
This reminds me of an experience a good friend of mine had. I've posted this before in the "Does your dog know the way home?" thread, so I apologize if anyone has already seen it.
My friend got a chocolate lab puppy when he was in college, with every intention of making him into a fine hunter although said intentions were never realized (he's an 80 lb. lap-dog). After college he moved back to Houston and shared a rent house with his brother. This dog was generally left to his own devices in a fenced backyard with access to a kiddie pool and plenty of shade, which would generally be accepted as adequate confinement and comfort. Not so. This dog was smart, strong, bored and really wanted to sew his oats. My friend would come home from time to time to find his dog sitting on the front porch when he had been left in the backyard. They became adept at mending chewed fences. To make a long story slightly shorter, one afternoon my friend returned from work to find the dog gone. Days passed. The dog had not been wearing a collar when he escaped, was not chipped or tatooed and had been picked up by animal control and taken to the SPCA. When my friend finally tracked him down, he was informed that the dog had been neutered and was already placed with an adoptive family. He tried diligently, but the SPCA does not disclose the identities of adoptive families. He was grief stricken and seized with fits of rage and frustration at the prospect of never seeing the dog again. Nearly a month after the escape, my friend received a call at work from his brother who had gone home for lunch.
"Hey man, your dog just showed up at the house. Do you want me to put him inside? Apparently his name is Mr. Pickles now."
I guess the fence-chewing skills served him well. Needless to say, he's crated during the day now.
Colddiamond, with all due respect intended - I hope that is a privacy or solid panel fence/run and that it is padlocked. Even with postings you have a liability issue for a child or adult who might stick their fingers through chain link if you do indeed know for a fact that the dog will bite a stranger. It's a litigious society. May I suggest a doggie door and a small privacy fenced area off the back complete with a lock? Best of both worlds!
My son is an attorney and is prosecuting a dog bite case almost identical to the scenario you've put before us...and it ain't looking good for the other side at this point. A homeless, mentally challenged individual went into a privacy fenced back yard where there was a dog run which WAS padlocked and had signs...she couldn't read. Although the pen was padlocked, the privacy fence was not. Win or lose, these owners are out a lot of money on trying to defend themselves in court. I'd also add that their insurance agent is quite interested in the outcome of this story; I suspect if they lose they will also be without insurance coverage.
It doesn't matter how we actually 'feel' about incidents of this type and whether 'we' think we did everything we could... a jury of 12 will decide this one. The owners are appropriately sorry, but sorry isn't helping right now.
I'm not blasting you, truly - I'm just giving you, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story.
Doggie door? There is nowhere to put one.
He is taken out from my house (the pen is not attached to our home, nor is our yard fenced besides the fence that is his enclosure)
As to liability, BOTH Animal Control and SCDEHC have told me that as long as there are clear warning signs on ALL sides of his pen then I am not liable if someone is bitten. Again, the "walls" ( made of chain link)of his pen are 6ft high.
I appreciate your "rest of the story", and I fully understand that people are-sue happy.. But bottom line to me is this: I absolutely do not believe in keeping a large animal in the house at all times when you are gone for 8+ hours in the day.I personally wouldnt want that treatment when I could not use the restroom until someone came home to let me out, nor will I do that to my dog.
Also, I might be wrong on this ( since I am not familiar with the ways of people with a mental illness) but, even if someone were mentally ill, wouldnt a loudly barking, teeth baring dog of a large size naturally scare someone like that off? That is his reaction from behind the pen when someone enters our backyard.
This reminds me of an experience a good friend of mine had. I've posted this before in the "Does your dog know the way home?" thread, so I apologize if anyone has already seen it.
My friend got a chocolate lab puppy when he was in college, with every intention of making him into a fine hunter although said intentions were never realized (he's an 80 lb. lap-dog). After college he moved back to Houston and shared a rent house with his brother. This dog was generally left to his own devices in a fenced backyard with access to a kiddie pool and plenty of shade, which would generally be accepted as adequate confinement and comfort. Not so. This dog was smart, strong, bored and really wanted to sew his oats. My friend would come home from time to time to find his dog sitting on the front porch when he had been left in the backyard. They became adept at mending chewed fences. To make a long story slightly shorter, one afternoon my friend returned from work to find the dog gone. Days passed. The dog had not been wearing a collar when he escaped, was not chipped or tatooed and had been picked up by animal control and taken to the SPCA. When my friend finally tracked him down, he was informed that the dog had been neutered and was already placed with an adoptive family. He tried diligently, but the SPCA does not disclose the identities of adoptive families. He was grief stricken and seized with fits of rage and frustration at the prospect of never seeing the dog again. Nearly a month after the escape, my friend received a call at work from his brother who had gone home for lunch.
"Hey man, your dog just showed up at the house. Do you want me to put him inside? Apparently his name is Mr. Pickles now."
I guess the fence-chewing skills served him well. Needless to say, he's crated during the day now.
Thats a wonderful story! Im glad it worked out all right and the dog found his way home! ^,^
There's also a lesson: Collars with tags and micro-chips are extremely important!
I don't want to be an alarmist, but it's not usually going to be a neighbor that steals your dog.
Did you read the part where I said we live in a ROW-house? Unless the thief is Spiderman & can climb over a house, I don't think anyone but a neighbor would be able to gain access. That's why I said my neighbors wouldn't do it, since you really don't have to worry about anyone else getting into the yards. There is literally 1mm of space between our homes, and I'm in the middle of a cluster of about 20 houses - so that would have to be one determined person! We also have a dog-door, as I mentioned, and Rudy would RUN back inside if a stranger jumped over. So no, I'm not concerned about him being dog-napped... he's usually inside anyway, unless it's a particularly beautiful day.
I absolutely do not believe in keeping a large animal in the house at all times when you are gone for 8+ hours in the day.I personally wouldnt want that treatment when I could not use the restroom until someone came home to let me out, nor will I do that to my dog.
I agree, especially on days like today when I'm gone from 8am-10pm! I do have roommates who come home earlier in the day, but I used to live alone - and I've always had a dog-door for that reason. Rudy is very well potty-trained, and would probably hold it longer than is safe.
P.S. I'm not sure what your set-up is at home, but they do make sliding-glass dog doors... I have one now, and they're really easy to install!
Oh, but for the record, riveree... I do realize animals get stolen, which is why I'm very careful with mine. Rudy wouldn't be in a yard that was easy to access, and I NEVER tie him outside a store - if he can't come in with me, we bring a friend/roommate to tag-team watching him outside. We used to live in a horrible neighborhood, and some crackhead tried to steal him outside 7-11 (I was watching from inside the store). Ever since then I've been super paranoid about leaving him unattended.
Have about half an acre fenced in for my dogs. They usually go do their business and want to come back inside. One of them will stay out to watch the squirrels sometimes. But I would never leave them in the yard if we went anywhere, then they are in the house with access to glassed in deck.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Great story!
I do have roommates who come home earlier in the day, but I used to live alone - and I've always had a dog-door for that reason. Rudy is very well potty-trained, and would probably hold it longer than is safe. 
