Hissing...?

[jenandkids]

There's always someone outside with him. And yeah the country is a pretty good description. The cats are all outside except mine, Ice, cause she's pregnant. I know the risks out here and am very careful.

[joan]

I grew up on the edge of a small town and, yeah, the cats and dogs were all free roam. Very few of them lived more than a few years and most never even made it through their first year. I had an ironclad rule when I was selling Basenji pups...no fenced yard, no puppy.

[Deleted]

I'll say in the country dogs are indeed free roam, unless they are hounds. These dogs are penned for safety (and some aren't treated well, so its necessary). We had two dogs. They were only free roam when supervised and knew the rules of the road. (so well, in fact, our old beagle would travel the creek to go visit our grandparents because she knew she'd get in trouble on the road). Our family used to chain, as did our grandparents, until we started seeing the outdoor kennels. Our grandfather built one for his dogs and so did he. Our dogs have always been outdoor dogs, healthy and happy. We use a lot of straw, big two roomed dog houses packed with straw for insulation, and the dogs were always out when people were home. Water was checked twice daily in the winter and summer (sometimes three). Jody had a method of keeping the water from freezing over (dropped a toy in and then pulled it out when she wanted a drink. She put it back when done). Then Jody passed on (the beagle) and the second dog became depressed in the way of our ferrets. He would dig out and pull on the kennel to the point we thought he would break his teeth. We brought him into the garage with the cats. After that, he bonded to the cats (that he always liked anyway) and was content. Up to that point, our dogs had been outside. In the country, indoor dogs are not a standard--its almost considered unhealthy to not give them fresh air (except in extreme heat and cold) or access to scavenging (gross but true). I guess maybe that comes from all the hunting and shepherding in the country. Jody lived to near 18 years, with epilepsy and having come down with heartworms as a pup. Freckles lived not nearly as long (he was always delicate for a mutt), but a life of 10+ with a genetic heart condition that came about at the end. The heart condition got him in the end nothing else. The cats, as you can imagine, were brought into the garage because of the coyote business Sherry described. They were barn mousers when we had horses. That's just another country perspective. I don't judge my neighbors (almost all farmers) unless they have a wandering dog that's destructive or territorial.