I have lived in places (rural Iowa) where it was considered at least odd to have a large hunting dog living inside. The looks we got, I also got lots of odd looks when I took Dex for daily walks (believe me, we NEVER met any other dogs on our walks).

The concept of not having your Golden inside was so foreign to me as I had grown up in Suburban Detroit where dogs regardless of size were house pets. The people in our neighborhood who kept their dogs outside were considered odd.

My brother-in-law, who my sister met after we moved to Iowa, came from rural Iowa and the idea of having dogs as house pets at all was not something he was used to. Now he lives in a house with a Berner and two Goldens and is happy about it.

I think the preference for inside/outside dogs is an odd class thing that is coming from two directions. The first is a rural hunting dog thing where keeping a large dog outside is a sign of having higher standards of cleanliness (we are so not "white trash" who have nasty dogs inside) but small companion dogs are O.K. inside. And then you have a more urban idea of seeing large dogs living in the homes of wealthy socially prominent people (as in the Lab in Downton Abby on BBC or the Queen and all her dogs). Don't forget that President Ford had a dog living IN the Whitehouse. Maybe this idea comes from a world where there are servants to clean up after the dogs.

In my world (Ann Arbor, MI), the people I hang out with all have indoor dogs and we run the social spectrum, but I must say that many would not fall under any sane person's definition of "Nasty" being renowned scientists, scholars, doctors, poets and civil servants.

__________________
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

This was someone whose very first post describes a wife who does not want a dog indoors and a child who is allergic to dog hair.
Why get a dog?

The AKC describes a breed standard, not living conditions.

I feel sad for this dog. In my opinion dogs belong with their humans. That is as strongly held an opinion as this person espouses for the opposite viewpoint.

This forum deals with the optimum lifestyle and well being of the dog, not to make someone feel good about his/her choices.

If the OP wants to leave, so be it.

So sad to deprive a golden of his humans' companionship. I'd take him in an instant, all hair and dirt, and keep him in my house on my floor on my couches and on my bed. That's where I feel dogs belong, sharing their humans' lives.

__________________

I totally agree with Lilliam


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

Hello!!!

I've experienced both side of this topic on a very personal level. Both my father and mother were raised that dogs were things and dirty things at that - to be left outside with the dirt and the fleas. Fast forward a few decades and my mothe and father had me and my brother. We rescued a golden puppy, Sunny, from a neighbor b/c he was "too much" and they were going to euthanize him. He was deathly afraid of water hoses and bathing him was an exercise in futility. My mother was of the opinion that dogs are pets - but pets that do best outside. My father, an avid hunter, views dogs as a hunting tool, merely for his own devices and nothing more.

I remember whenever it rained, my mom would bring Sunny into the kitchen and barricade him in so he didn't track mud all through the house. My bedroom at the time connected straight to the kitchen on one side, the hallway on another and the yard on a third side. I would sneak him in my bedroom soaking wet and we'd snuggle under the covers. Of course, when morning came, I got the beating of my life - but it was always worth it.

Now that we have a golden retriever, he stays inside 70% of the time - the other 30% of the time he's racing around our backyard, throwing dirt all over the place, eating grass, looking like a lunatic, or he's walking through the neighborhoods, visiting parks, visiting businesses, etc.

This lifestyle works best for us. I find when we crate him at night he gets lonely and its the absolute best thing when we reappear to get our morning rituals started. Eventually, once we're 100% potty trained and no longer chewing, I plan on snuggling with him in bed every so often. Again - this works for us.

Sunny loved our family and was very obedient (minus bath time) and I feel while I would never do that to my own animals, Sunny lived an amazing life full of love and laughter, smuggled meals and endless activity with his pack all outside (for the most part - I was a tenacious child.)

After writing all of this - I just realized - I forgot my point.

Oops. Well I hope you enjoy my ancedote.

__________________

This is exactly the lifestyle a golden - nah, ALL dogs - do best in.

Exceptions based on job description.....example, livestock guard dogs....Akbash, for example, are well suited and *meant* to be outside with the flock. Canaan dogs....same thing, until recently when the breed has become more socialised.

My border collie and my golden WANT to be with me. My golden to an extent greater than any dog I've ever owned. I cannot for the life of me imagine this dog, with this temperament, relegated to living outside without my companionship, which he craves and actively seeks.

My house is clean enough to be hygenic and dirty enough to allow for the sharing of it with the animals I love. And outside my front door, there is a welcome mat with paw prints on it. NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER who lives in it.

We're a family, my animals and me.

__________________

First of all I too think this is the work of a troll. Definitely got alot of people worked up for sure. I have to say that I get very upset with people that keep "outside" dogs. There used to be 2 beagles next door to my workplace that were kept in a "rabbit hutch" type of enclosure. I realize they were hunting dogs but I just felt so sorry for them not being able to interact with their people. My neighbor, when we first got married, had a black lab that he kept tied to a dog house at the far back edge of his lawn. Every night after he got home from work he would take Lulu her dinner and then go back in the house, that was her interaction with her owner. I currently own a LGD
(livestock guardian dog) an Anatolian Shepherd. Mollie was not trained to guard anything, she was purchased by her first owners to be a companion dog. I have had alot of exposure to another type of LGD, the Great Pyrenees, I love them, transport them for rescue and have yet to meet a "working" one. I realize certain dogs do have "jobs" where they live outside with a shelter of some sort but to me a golden retriever is not meant to be one of them.

__________________



It only takes one person to throw an animal away
but it takes a whole team to find it a new home!

I don't think the issue for most people was the dog being outside, I think it was the dog being so isolated. In my mind there is a huge difference between dogs kept outside while their owners are at work, and dogs that are NEVER allowed in the house. Especially for an only dog, that has got to be extremely lonely. I know my dog's don't mind spending several hours outdoors, but they do like having the companionship of each other while they are out there. It's just hard to imagine a golden being happy only seeing another living being when one occasionally makes it outside.

__________________
Jodie

AJ's Maiden By the Sea CDX RE (Annabel - retired)
Mud E Paws UDX OM2 RE OBHF (Conner - retired with 28 OTCH points)
Sunfire's Flying Head Over Heels UD BN RA (Flip)
And the odd one of the family - Colby Jack Teeter Smack CDX GO RA (Colby - Lhasa Apso)

From where i grew up, and to a good extent even now days, dogs kept outside are not un usual, i have always found that very sad, and not taking care of the dog, the summer is hot, winter can get cold, why any one wants a dog ,only to cage up ,or tie to a dog house,or tree ,i will never understand, I HATE IT,AND FEEL IT IS CRUEL.

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

This is very true! I myself had some hateful things said because my dog is outside all day while I work.

__________________

Since you're well versed with the GRCA website, you should try taking their Golden Retriever compatibility test. Answering the question about "where would the dog live" as you would, this is what the GRCA has to say:

Yes, a golden retriever can adapt to many living situations. This includes everything from a small apartment in NYC to a vast farm in the country. But the one thing they can not adapt to is being isolated from their family. No, dogs are not people... but most dog breeds, and especially golden retrievers, require the companionship of people.

The very fact that you refer to your dog as an "80 pound problem" tells me Bentley would be better off elsewhere. Your wife doesn't want him. Your child is allergic to him. And he is not cut out to live a life isolated in a 4 by 6 kennel. Give him to a rescue so that they can find a real family for him. You should look for a dog that is of appropriate size and coat for you and your family to feel comfortable sharing space with him or her... then perhaps you'll learn the true joys of dog ownership.

Julie, Jersey and Oz

__________________
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any family members or of Ambika Golden Retrievers.