Outdoor Dogs

Today I saw a dog. I think it was a pitbull. I don't really like pits, but this one was adorable. It was chained up, a chain about 3 feet long, to a tree. It had a tiny plastic dog igloo, and that was it for shelter. It was sitting outside, on it's tiny chain, alone, in the cold rain. <br><br>I really, really can't stand it when people leave their dogs outside. My dogs are free to go in and out whenever they please. When it's nice out, they stay out most of the day and we put their water and food right out there. When it's not nice, they cuddle up indoors and only go out to go potty. My dogs love us, and we love them. They need attention. They would probably die of broken hearts if we left them outside all day and night, chained up. <br><br>If you need to keep your dog outside, for one reason or another, go ahead. But I don't see how anyone could do that without providing a good shelter, a large area, and visiting the dog multiple times a day. When your dog is inside they can hear your voice, rub up against you, lay at your feet, etc. When your dog is outside, even if you feed it and play with it a few times a day, it's still alone for the majority of the time. A dog needs attention, excercise, and emotional stimulation. Seriously, you do not keep your dog on a little tiny chain. This dog barely had room to walk. It was so sad. <br><br>No offense to people that keep their dogs outside, but to be honest I'm not sure why you would even get a dog if you were just going to chain it up and toss it food and water twice a day. The only way I would even consider keeping a dog outside is if it had another dog to play with, a huge kennel with indoor and outdoor space, and I was able to visit it a lot. <br><br>It just breaks my heart to see a helpless dog sitting at the end of a chain.