A friend of mine has recently told of someone they know who owns a crossbreed dog (about 4 or 5 months old), which lives outside in a kennel in the garden. I was wondering if someone could tell me if this is considered cruel as it's freezing outside now , especially at night, and the dog appears to be out there constantly.

Depends on the type of coat.

Our Imported Elkhound pup came into Quarantine in January at 9 1/2 weeks and I had to ask the kennels to not put heating on, as all the pup did was lie on the floor away from it's bed where the heat was directed, and this was in a concrete kennel with door open to an outside run.

A draughtproof kennel that is cosy and dry is perfectly OK for a pup with a coat.

I have had mostly winter litters and pups have spent time outside in sub zero temperatures, in a cosy dry kennel with littermates, but certainly would be OK alone by 4 months.

I don't know what type of dog it is but i've been told it's coat is similar to a labs.

depends on the kennel id think.it would not be my choice of how id like my dogs to live...but.....lots of caring good owners do keep them out.

Is the kennel cosy?
are the owners bothered about the dog,is it walked?trained? interacted with?or just left out there?

It depends on the kennel. A well-insulated one with a draught-proof bed will be fine, although not what most people do. After all a labrador comes from Canada, where the winters are much harder than ours, and if this dog has the same good double coat it will possibly be more comfortable there than in an overheated house.

I guess it also depends on the circumstances of the "living out" too. Only round here in the depths of the country, as many dogs live "out" than do "in". All spend many happy hours accompanying their people about their business and seem to be in the peak of fitness. I've certainly got friends whose dogs tolerate a certain amount of time indoors but greatly prefer to sleep outside in their kennels.

We now have a culture that seems to expect all dogs to be kept inside suburban sitting rooms and assumes that the alternative is cruelty. Sadly, there are dogs whose living conditions are cruel but you need to know more about a particular dog's particular circumstances before you can assume that's the case.

If you had a husky or malamute or newfoundland or St Bernard it may be considered "cruel" by some to keep them indoors, after all, they sleep out in the snow quite often.

Many dogs carry around their own fur coats and are well insulated against the cold, and indeed suffer from environments that often are oxygen deprived (gas heaters/smokers) and overheated.

Mine for example have been sleeping in my car with the windows open this past week and they are very cosy and warm.

I am glad this subject has come up as just down the road from us their are a couple of small dogs I think German Spitz and they are left outside in a muddy field with a childs playhouse as a kennel and there is also a shetland pony who shares where they live.  Their coats are filthy and I feel soo sorry for them as they were kept indoors until recently.  I really want to ring the RSPCA but not sure if they will bother doing anything.  They dont get walked and I have not seen anyone with them.  I am assuming they now live outside as the person has a child now.  It breaks my heart everytime I see them as they stand at the fence looking sad.  I am sure they are fed but do you think they would do anything as the state of their coat is appalling.

As a postcript I would add that just because dogs "appear to be outside constantly" or "never seem to be walked" that does not make it necessarily so!

People rarely see my dogs being walked because they are generally not up/outside or looking out of their window when I am doing it! :D

It is very easy for people to put 2 + 2 and make 5 and jump to conclusions and even "assume" things, as we have often noted .................

I think two dogs outside is kinder than one on its own as they can share body heat if they get cold. 

I like most pet owners go by my own dogs when I see a dog that is left outside... I see it as cruel because if my dogs were left out they would freeze because they just aint used to it.  I can barely get them outside for a wee without them shivering and crying. 

But I posted about something similar not long ago and people said that some dogs dont like being inside as it is too hot or they have just grown up used to being outside.  It therefore would be cruel to keep them inside against their will. 

I would say go with your gut feeling about whether to call the rspca, I reported a local pub dog that didnt seem to get any stimulation or shelter and not long after the dog got toys and regular big bones. 

I myself always had my dogs inside with me and they loved it. They were all different breeds..... a Staffy mix, a Labrador Retriever and now a Chihuahua (well I can't imagine him being outside anyway ;) ). But as said before i'm sure there are certain breeds that just don't want to stay inside as in the winter it gets too warm and stuffy for them.
I was just wondering..... those of you who keep your dogs outside, how do you spend enough time with them every day? Okay, I know in the summer it's fine, because most of us are in the garden or keep our back door open, but how about in the winter? Do you actually spend 5 hours outside in the cold with them? Or do you go out to play and interact with them every hour or so? Just wondering not attacking or anything ;) .

My staffie goes out only when he needs to do what he needs to do and then runs straight back in and falls asleep in front of the fire.

Our rottie pup doesn't mind being outside, but I don't keep her out when we go to bed or if we are not in the house. In fact, she is in and out like a yoyo, she also likes being inside and sleeping. She has a kennel outside, but its not heated and she goes in there if it rains.

My mum keeps her 2 labs outside- they have 3 kennels between them, they can choose between-
A big half closed kennel
A small total open kennel
Or a big totally closed- with one tiny door, with double level sleeping area!!
Have to say they do choose the latter kennel in winter all the time,
in the summer they love the garden, if it gets too hot, they go in the half closed or totally open kennel.

They are given choices when it comes to their need for comfyness, now winter has really set in, they come in at 5pm and stay in till mum goes to work in morning. Mum works them, so is worried that if they stay out in cold and damp climate, even though their kennels are top quality, they will develop arthritis.

Oh and to be honest in the period between november and february- mum only spends about 1to2 hours with them. But if she brought them in all day everyday, i think they wouldnt cope,

in the past we used to keep our labs inside, compared to these, our current labs have the most gorgeous coats, and excellent spirits, bright eyed and bushy tails!!!

I think its neglectful to keep your dog outside without sufficient facilities and kennelling, they need to be able to sleep in draught free area, on a bed that is raised off ground.

Anyway- typed waayy too much...

I personally couldn't do it with my dogs,they sleep inside with me. But then i think i am a bit soft with them. But that is why i have dogs, the companionship. I don't see anything wrong with proper kennels, especially if the dogs are fit, healthy working dogs who are used to it. Our next door neighbour keeps his 3 dogs, 2 labs and a working cocker, in a small kennel and run. THey never appear to go inside, and spend all their time outside. This is fine for one of the labs and the spaniel, but the other lab is very old, he can barely walk and is coved in sores. By the owners own admission the kindest thing to do would be to have his pts, but he hasn't the heart to. But nevertheless this dogs is still outside in the kennel, and barks constantly. THe owner says it is out of frustration. It just seems so unfair that after so much loyal service from his dog he isn't allowed a bit of comfort in his old age. But then prehaps if he has never lived inside before it would be to stressful for him? WHat do other owners do when their outside dogs get old?

Poor boy I think dogs that have lived outside should be brought inside when they are about eight years of age.My dogs are in,I was chatting to a man yesterday he has three rotties,they are out in the day and in at night .

Sheila.

I think that old boy should have been brought indoors a long time ago, bringing him in now wont help him, only give him comfort in his last days. Once a dog gets arthritis, you cant rid of it by bringing it inside, the damage has been done really, i think that old boy should either be put inside or sadly pts.

One of our foxhounds when she retired was really stiff but really didnt enjoy lazing about every day all day, so she went to a retired foxhound home where once a week they went on a false fox scent trail, she lived her last 6 months like this, and peacefully died in her stable kennel- it just shows how different dogs strive on different lifestyles?

Mine only sleep in their kennel, so they and I are both asleep.  They spend the days with me in the house or on wlajks, but the back dodor is always open except when the weather is biter and then I have to play door boy.  I keep the kitchen absolitely freezing for theri benefit (don't do a huge amount of cooking) so that if they need to cool off they can go lay on their bellies on the concrete floor.

My dog is kept in more or less the same was as yours brainless, he is in when we are in he only goes out when we are out and at night, he has a lovely kennel, and we also have a car port over the yard so it is always dry. he also has a thick kennel coat for when it gets really cold.  He is only 14 month but I am already starting to think ahead about what we should do when he gets old. I have never had a kennel dog before. If we had got him when he was younger he would have been a house dog like my others.

I can totally see why it is not cruel to keep dogs outside considering the facilities and circumstances are right, but the dog which I originally posted about is by no means a working dog. It was bought for two children after they constantly pleaded it for it, and it is kept outside so that it doesn't make a mess or chew anything in the house (so I've been told - I don't have first hand knowledge of the situation). My friend has tried talking to the owner about it and I think now they are considering getting rid of the dog. I just hope it goes to a better home where people will take a bit more interest in it.

Well if what your friend says is true (I don't doubt it, by the way!!), the poor dog is now likely to have far greater problems than chewing or making a mess. I know it's been said a hundred million times but WHY do some people ever think of getting a dog in the first place if they aren't prepared to put the work in?

My dogs live outside for part of the time, they are a Nordic breed & seem much more alive when the weather's like today (Brrrr.....)! However, I wonder why some people bother getting a dog if all they are going to do is shove it outside. I'd never sell a puppy to someone who wanted a singleton dog living outside, dogs are social & the company they have(2 or 4 legged) is far more important to them than their living conditions.

Interestingly enough I have a themometer in my kennel, and even when it has been several degrees below freezing the temparature by the kennel window when it is shut is about 12'C.

Of course I do live in a town and the kennel faces the house and is only about 12 feet awaym abnd there are other houses close by so it is reasonably sheltered, and not in a field or on tope of a chilly hillside.

I brought my oldest girl back into sleeping in the house last year at 12, but more often than not I woudl find her in the morning not in one of the dog beds or the crate in the kitchen but sprawled out on the cold concrete floor, she did use the beds, but must have chosen to lay on the floor if too warm.