Who said anything about being un-American?

Explain to me how the wife and daughter will not be allergic because the dog is outside?

Wife and kids are allergic. So I am guessing that Matt and the daughter that REALLY wants the dog aren't allergic.

Matt is already 'too busy' with other projects to worry about proper fencing that would comply with his HOA. So his time is already limited.

That leaves care, feeding and exercising of the dog with the daughter that isn't allergic. The dog will stay in the 40x80 backyard and will be a working or sporting breed (Lab or Retriever) that needs a purpose. It gets bored, wants to interact with the family and develops behavior issues, barking, digging, etc.

Beyond that dog hair gets on clothing, jackets, blankets, and in cars when you need to take them to the vet. The wife presumably handles the clothes etc. How allergic is she? Will this hair and dander bother her? If so, what's the point of the dog being outside?

This is more than an outside versus inside dog argument, I've seen well cared for farm dogs that lead a great life, but spend it outside and in a barn. Having a dog doesn't fit with their family situation due to the allergy issues.

Sammy you are 100% correct on that. A dog kept in the back yard is cruel to the dog & the neighbors. If outside only is the only option, just don't get a dog, a fish pond is a better choice.

neighbor of mine used to have an outside dog..
bought it because his son SOOOOOOOOOOOO wanted a dog..
novelty wore off after the first week..
nobody wanted to walk or interact with him..
so food & water and lots of shut up,be quiet...
I offered to dogsit as they were leaving on a trip..
he came by 3 days after returning from same trip...
gave him 200 and closed the door...
Jack is closer to me than my shadow..

get some fish..

Rika

I'm jumping back into the philosophical pissing match to clarify one thing - level of allergy. For those of you that keep a big dog inside, look around. My guess is you'll see lots of hair, as well as notice that you're always in close proximity to a large dog with little air circulation. Now go look in your yard......see any hair? Notice how the dog can be away from you. This is why our dog will be outside.

My daughter can play with my parent's Golden all day long OUTSIDE with nary a sniffle. Same thing goes for the wife. When it's not concentrated, it's not a problem. So while I appreciate a bunch of strangers trying to explain my family to me, there is a method to my madness.

Dean, my initial question was simply to determine if an invisible fence would be a feasible option, as a wrought iron fence is a sizable investment. I now know that it is not, therefore no dog without a fence. While I'm sure many of you think that I'm a heartless SOB, I refuse to keep a dog chained up.

Editing based on the above. Dogs hair outside, yep anytime ours get brushed. Dog hair on clothes, yup all the time. Hair in the car, even after vacuuming, yup. Big dogs at our house - yep Husky and Saint Bernard. Dog hair is a fact of life we live with when we elect to have dogs in our life.

Pics of Jack or ban.

I got my 1st mastiff in a similar situation cept I just went over one day and took the dog.

Previous "owners" took us to court several times over it.

Last judge dismissed it with prejudice.

They were not bad people, just should not have had a dog and really had no interest in getting him back, they just wanted the money they had paid for him. I could have paid them off but IMO they deserved to pay a "stupid" tax for the suffering they put the dog thru.

In case none of you noticed, my question wasn't "should I get a dog". Not that most of you haven't proceeded to answer it anyway, typically accompanied by a number of gross assumptions about both me and my family. But you know me, right? Or let me guess, maybe you know "my type"? I had dogs in the house for the first 18 years of my life, and actively participated in training several of them by taking them to classes. But I'm just a selfish moron who knows nothing of dogs or the responsibility that they represent, right?

There's a lot of you that should re-read your responses on this thread. Bleeding heart ignorance run rampant, and some respect lost in my book.

Goes two ways Matt. Goes two ways.... owning and caring for dogs and having them be an accepted and integrated part of a family does not make one a 'bleeding heart' or 'ignorant'.

please understand and give us a bit of leash Matt..
folks either love their dogs or don't care..
you had concern about allergies and 'fence'..
many just felt ..
the dog would pine away in the yard..
and puppies / young dogs would not heed the fence..
I think you evaluated & came to the right choice..

Jack surfin the couch

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1300112173.jpg

If you are getting a dog to keep in the backyard, yep you are a shellfish moron.

Dogs deserve better treatment than that. Sorry but that is how I feel.

Dogs NEED more social contact than that. At the very least do the dog one major favor, get a second dog so he has some company. Get one from the local pound or animal rescue.

You missed one minor detail - I didn't ask for your opinion, nor do I care. I totally disagree, and believe that you're making this far more of a black/white issue than it really is. Opinions are like a-holes, both relevant to this conversation.

I know you did not ask about opinions on where to keep your dog. No one likes unsolicited opinions.

I feel strongly it is wrong to keep a dog just in the back yard, especially by itself. That is my opinion. I hope you get the dog spayed or neutered. That is another opinion you did not ask about.

I will speak out whenever I see something I feel is wrong. It does not matter if the opinion is unsolicited. If I see a wrong I will not remain silent and be polite and quite.

It is your back yard and your dog. Please try to keep the dog happy healthy and safe, and please get it a companion. :cool:

Bingo

The conditions described simply do not seem good for a dog. Despite your long history re training, maybe you can explain how you will "do right" by any social breed?

matt doesnt sound like you have the time or temperment to deal with propper training for a dog for an electric fence. either pony up for a proper fence for the dog or dont bother. unless your child is a expert dog trainer i wouldnt leave it up to them to be solely responsible for the dogs care.

around dog for the first 18 yrs? how long were you the primary care giver for said dog? think this over when you are slamming people for their opinions.

Feel free to ignore every one of us if you like. But, please re-read the simple and elegant response you got from Drdogface earlier in this thread. He is a retired veterinarian who has more knowledge and experience about raising dogs than the rest of us combined.

A moment recently captured about an hour past his bed-time. A child and his/her dog should have these moments:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1300323710.jpg

Good advice here!!

I've never had one of those invisible fences but a buddy of mine did and when the dog figured out he could get a running start and run through the thing with just a mild shock, a chain-link was put up in short order.

Looks like the decision on the fence is made but I wanted to offer this insight since nobody had mentioned it: One issue with the buried fence is that it will keep your dog in but not other dogs out. It only takes one stray, leave alone a pack to swing by to royally mess up your dog. This is the biggest reason to get a real fence.

G

Or a Raccoon on the prowl. A startled coon can do some real damage to most dogs.