Please. It's a dog.
You should not be cruel to it but really people, get some perspective.
I believe this. All dogs need a job to be happy, imho.
” By keeping dogs as inside companions, are we asking them to lead less satisfying lives? “
Some dogs, like some people are better off indoors.
My dog is very happy with his job, keeping the couch from floating away.
The question is absurd: How can you tell is any dog is happier than Jay Carney?
We have Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, which in olden times were called comfort spaniels. They were bred to be companions, to follow their owners around, lounge on the sofa beside them, and sleep in their beds to provide warmth and flea control. (The theory was that fleas would prefer the dogs to the people and people would get bitten less frequently.) Reputable breeders will ask about the owner to be’s employment and family life. These dogs do not like to be alone and are happiest around people. Good breeders will steer new owners to a breed best suited for them.
“Grassy knoll” came into common usage after JFK’s assassination. Before then it was “verdant hummock.”
You could give her a stick and she would break it into pieces to prove
she could protect us. She was a family member.
Does that include CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and the Washington Post, to name a few?
And companionship to biped mammals isn’t a job?
All dogs should be taken for a walk at least once a day weather permitting, and let out into a fenced area or taken out as nature calls. But, some breeds need outdoor time much more than others. Working breeds need to be given a task or a job and taught to do it, they’re essentially compelled by breeding. If you don’t give them one they’ll invent one, and you may not like what they’ve decided to do. Prime example, Border Collies. Extremely bright, energetic animals with a need to herd, they were bred to do it and live for it. They’ll do it to you, to other animals, you name it. A bored Border Collie with no task or job and no entertainment can be very, very destructive.
My dogs stay in the big kitchen but run out to protect the back yard from squirrels (who are not scared off from the fruit trees at all). I’ll try to walk them more but they’re happy with biscuits, their blankets, petting, belly rubs. the sound of the can opener, and the squirrels.
My farm dogs do not have real jobs as I am not a real farmer - major league hobby operation. But they don’t know this and are kept quite busy keeping an eye on the remaining elderly horse, the goats, and the neighbors’ cattle. They take turns keeping watch, check up on the domestic animals, chase off the wild animals and keep a sharp eye for FedEx and UPS. They are not stupid enough to mess with the barn cats. When fences need to be mended or brush burned, they know that their job is to keep a close eye on the entire operation, at least until they catch a whiff of rabbit.
Personally, I can’t envision a purse puppy or a chihuahua bounding across a farmyard and enjoying the freedom......
My dog loved chasing cars. After 7 years it killed him but he loved it.
For a great article on pets, see:
http://www.dominicanablog.com/2012/04/16/st-thomas-and-the-keeping-of-pets/
I don`t like couch dogs any more than couch potatoes.
My dog has all the romping area she wants in the country. All she really wants to do is hang around people and heads for the house in a beeline if anyone moves in any kind of direction toward it. FWIW, she’s a purebred golden retriever.
Our farm dog is retired now. She got kicked in teh gut by one of the horses and almost died from internal injuries.
She got to stay inside as a house dog the past couple of winters and loved every minute of it.
Now after paying all the vet bill$ from her injuries she is strictly forbidden from any work with the horses or cows. She can ride along in the truck but can’t be out there with them.
As long as she can ride along and be with us, she’s happy.