Thank you! That's like the nicest thing I've heard on here. I appreciate it. I will get that done.
I hope you have a good day and thank you for just a few kind words.

__________________
“I like dogs,Big dogs,Little dogs,Fat dogs,Doggy dogs,
Old dogs,Puppy dogs,I like dogs,A dog that is barking over the hill,A dog that is dreaming very still
A dog that is running wherever he will.
I like dogs.”
― Margaret Wise Brown,

----------

Have a nice day...

__________________



"My goal is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am" - Anonymous

Yes, you are. Keeping a golden retriever outside all the time is unnatural and cruel to them. They are just not the breed for this. Get a different dog and find a home for this one where he can be inside and cuddling on a warm couch with his family.

__________________
-Valerie

I knew I never said you were a bad owner and did not love your dog. I said to get a better kennel and it was not separation anxiety.

I personally would never make my dogs stay outside in a kennel or in the garage but that is me. Buddy my golden was deprived of being allowed outdoors before I rescued him- So he loves to be outside especially when it is cold outside because he has skin allergies and seems to be less itchy when it is cold. But if he wants to be let in I let him in immediately.

It seems like your dog is content in the garage but bored since continually escapes his kennel.

Buddy stopped escaping the house & running off once he realized he could go outside anytime he wanted.

So please don't put us all in the same category! You seem mislead in much of your information but do as you like it is a free country!

__________________
I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

Nasty Odd Person here!

__________________
Carolyn (A.K.A. Aunt Care) and

Creekwood Tanglefoot Selchie CD, RN, AX, AXJ, CGC, CCA, (A.K.A. Selli-Belle) Golden

Valentine Byrd McDuff (A.K.A. Duffy) Golden/Sheltie

Tanglefoot Autumn Dexter CGC (My Heart Dog at the Bridge) Golden

I think keeping your Golden outdoors and in the garage is just fine. That is, so long as you live outdoors and in the garage with him. It's not the outdoors (after all, humans are originally outdoor animals, too), it's the companionship. Goldens need lots of companionship, far more than just a couple hours a day. They are bred that way. It is a big trait that is simply part of who they are. To leave that need unmet is emotional abuse, and dogs lead rich emotional lives, perhaps even stronger than our own.

I think the issue most people have here is not that the dog is outside, per se. It's the isolation, the lack of companionship, the lack of stimulation and the lack of being with his "pack." That's equivalent to prison life for a dog. Not good.

Being other than human does not mean being less than human. It just means different, not less than. You seem like you really care. But I don't think you understand just how rich and deep the lives of Goldens really are, and how they actually need constant contact with their "pack," and how denying your boy that is a terrible disservice to him. I think if you understood that, you wouldn't be doing what you're doing with him.

And finally, if you think a Golden inside is an "80 lb. problem" you don't know Goldens very well. They are not destructive (if appropriately trained and loved). They are not "dirty." They are couch potatoes, who will lie gently and lovingly at your feet for hours on end, just for the privilege of being near you. I don't think you understand Goldens, at all. And if you think a Golden inside is an 80 lb. "problem," then you probably don't know as much about dog training as you think you do.

Sorry you're not willing to listen to some very good advice here. Some of it was unfortunately phrased badly and more condemnatory than helpful. But people here aren't just nasty or odd, there are folks here who know more about this breed than 99% of people in the world. They are worth listening to.

I can tell you really care for this dog. I wish you all the happiness and good times with him. You seem to want what is best for him and bless you for that. I see dogs where I live so uncared for and it breakes my heart.

Please do not do this to your dog,it will break it's heart, goldens are very much people dogs,they need to be with people.

__________________
WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE BECOMES A MEMORY,THE MEMORIES BECOME TREASURES,OF THE HEART.

WOW I'm glad I came into this thread after the OP decided to leave.

I would have gotten banned.

__________________