Most Sunday mornings we have our routine
of going on 'family walk' to stop by our favorite bakery to pick up freshly-baked bread
to make grilled cheese and soup. With a weekly high of 18 degrees, the pooches have forgone our daily walk and are happy to go to the end of the block, do their business, then rush back home to warm up:
Even Mr. B, who absolutely loves being outside, can't stand being out in this weather. He tries to run back home, or if he has to wait for Miss M, he crunches himself into a tiny. little pathetic ball. While the pooches were inside warming up, we went out to a coffee shop to get some work done.We were sitting by the window that overlooks the deck where people sit during warmer weather. We saw this guy sitting outside on the deck who was waiting patiently for his owner who was inside, drinking coffee and chatting it up for over an hour.
Hanging out with the pooches should be its own experience and one should never combine errands if it requires leaving the dogs alone outside. If A or I ever plan on stopping by a store, we make sure that both of us go along so that one could stay with the pooches and keep them company, especially in this bitter cold. If it is only one of us, we make sure to take them for our daily walk before we continue onto our next task. There is so much that can happen with the pooches out by themselves, even if we think that we are keeping an eye on them, that it's not worth saving the few minutes by combining walking the pooches with another errand. Though we try not to intervene in the affairs of "responsible" owners, A had to go up to the owner and let her know that her dog looked cold.
28 comments:
I hate these cold winters! I am ready for spring to come! I don't blame the pooches for wanting to go back inside immediately!
Brr!!
Even though we have a fenced in backyard, I always keep checking on the guys when they're outside to make sure they are all right. Especially in cold weather, I don't like them to be out too long and will call them back in, even if they want to stay out longer.
I found out Saturday hound feet freeze. We have not walked much in this cold but thought we would brave Saturday. We didn't get far and Amiee was trying to walk on 3-legs. I hurried up and got them back home before I had to try to walk 2 hounds and carry one. We are ready for Spring. :) The HoundDogs
We had to do the same thing this weekend. We watched a couple pull up and leave their dog in the car while they ate lunch. It infuriates us...the weather was nice enough in SA they could've eaten at the outdoor tables.
On our way out, we very pleasantly reminded them how warm it gets inside the car (especially when parked in the sun). They were visibly upset that we approached them and gave us a "mind your own business" glare.
We waited in our car before we left and luckily they came out shortly after. We see this all too often...
That poor doggie:( I don't get why people insist on dragging their dogs places when the dog is just going to be locked in a car for a long period of time or tied up alone outside. Good for A for saying something. How did the owner take it?
I never leave the pups tied up anywhere. I did once cause I thought the store was pet friendly but it wasn't an a nice gentle asked if I wanted him to watch them and since I could see him the whole time I risked it for the 2 minutes I was inside. But NEVER again
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/
there's a line.. I agree that if the dog is truly in danger, it's appropriate to intervene.
But the notion that a dog can NEVER be left in a car, or tied outside, is going way too far.
we never leave the houndies outside of places. pocket absolutely HATES it and she looks like a crazy pit barking the whole time. cant feel good to her. plus i have this fear of them getting stolen or lost which is way less likely to happen if we dont leave them outside alone.
Brrr!
Wilbur hates the cold soooo much he's only outside long enough to do his business and then he's right back inside in front of the heater. I feel guilty for not walking him and we're really surprised at how mellow he is; no huge zoomy issues from being cooped up!
And I don't think Emily realizes that in your neighborhood dogs have even been taken from the balconies of their own homes, there are simply some areas it's not safe to leave your pet unattended.
I can't leave Shiva alone outside of a store. It just wouldn't feel right, not even if I was going to be less than five minutes. Not even if I could see her from inside. My imagination is too wild and I couldn't live with myself if something happened. Besides, she has enough abandonment issues as it is!
So, I generally leave her at home if I'm taking a walk to the store. She doesn't like that either but it feels better on my nerves!
I hope it warms up for you soon!
Good for you for letting the owner know that her dog looked cold. Maybe she lost track of time, but you never know.
oh I personally never leave my dog "unattended" outside of stores, etc.... to me that IS unsafe because of the theft issue. But there are places where it is NOT unsafe, so people shouldn't make blanket statements Inside cars is another matter.. it OFTEN is unsafe for dogs. But not always.
people can be so thoughtless! i hate seeing dogs left outside in the very hot or the very cold. we would never do that to our puppos, and i am always careful to give the venemous death stare to irresponsible dog owners who leave dogs tied up outside in bad weather.
miss m sure does look cute in her pink diva jacket though!
aleksandra
follow our foster: loveandaleash.wordpress.com
I could never leave my dog outside unattended like that either - even in the best of weather. There's someone who does it all.the.time at a coffee shop near me, and people always remark how well behaved the dog is (because the guy doesn't even tie him up, the dog is just loose). It kills me to hear people talk about how "great" it is that they do that. So many things could happen to the dog while his owner is getting coffee but people just don't acknowledge that (plus is by a busy road!).
I daily find myself in situations where I have to ask myself if I should say something to the owners of animals... It's so frustrating...
~Kellee
Your walk to the bakery sounds wonderful. Mom bites her tongue every time she notices a furry friend tied outside a store or left alone in a car. What is his owner thinking! So many things could happen to the kid. Thanks for intervening
Benny & Lily
Well done! What did the owner say?
Oh my, that pooch looks cold! Even with her coat on, Skye hates to be out in the cold for any longer than necessary. Maybe if I had a husky or some other northern breed I'd feel differently about keeping dogs out, but as it is I agree with you. That dog would have been much happier at home waiting for its owner to return.
http://friendsagaink9.blogspot.com/
Poor pooch!
My girls will go sit on the front porch to cool off, but when we had single digit temps, I had to hustle them back inside so they didn't get frostbite on their ears/noses. Even now, while it is warmer (in the 20s) I go check on them every few minutes (and they look at me like I'm crazy, but I worry about them getting cold..).
-Dr. Liz (the girls are - you guessed it - out on the porch! *grin*)
They were saying with the windchill it felt like single digits, and I know how much our dogs didn't want to be out, even in coats. It's hard to know when to interfere, and when to stay quiet. When one of the girls went to the bathroom and was looking out at her dog, I told her he seems cold, then she said she was leaving--I'm not sure if they decided to leave then, or were planning on it. I also thought it was odd they didn't pick seats near the window where they could keep an eye on their dog. When they did come out, the dog was so excited and ready to go home.
Hmm. I don't leave my pups outside unattended. Charlie would bark himself hoarse and Emma's reactive, so not a good idea. I also worry about them potentially getting stolen, as they're both of a discernible breed. I do, however, leave them in the car, weather permitting. I often take them with me when I see a client who lives by a really cool park, leave them in the car for an hour while I'm with my client, then let them have an awesome 2+ hour romp. It's a real treat, as the park's a bit out of the way for us usually.
Emma totally agrees with your pups about the weather though, and we're still in the 20s. She refuses to go more than 2 feet away from the front door. And that's with three coats on.
An hour out in that weather is really much, especially for a dog that's not moving around. I think you were right to say something.
Oh, I totally agree with this! I see this a lot, too, and I just couldn't imagine leaving my dog tied up outside as I sip coffee inside. Dogs are family, and we would never do that to family. It's more fun, anyway, to include them in warm coffee-sipping time.
Oh, I think my mom is gonna faint just at the thought of leaving either of us tied up outside alone in the cold. Sometimes I just don't think people use those big ol' brains of theirs. You should come to Collie-rado! It was 65 here today! How ker-azy is that?
Wiggles & Wags,
Mayzie
Good for A! Dingbat human leavin their doggy outside in freezin weather! Arg!
Thanks for takin up for him A,
Roo
That's one of the sadder stories I've read in a while. That poor guy doesn't have nearly enough fat or fur to help keep him warm without a jacket! Kudos to you for stepping up and saying something.
Our Momma calls grill cheese and soup(tomato) soul food!! Her loves it.. butt allergic.. :(
Anyways..
A few years ago.. 'da pawrents neighbors ('dey just moved in) left 'dere doggie out in 'da cold..
(german shepard) and Momma went and introduced herself by knocking on 'dere door and telling 'dem dere doggie was out in zero degree weather for like two hours...
Neighbor dude was like.. ooh really..
Now, dey never do 'dat and (we think dey are afraid of mommy) and him even pets doggie when Momma outside...
Dey are nice peoples... butt come on... really??
Don't do dat to doggie!!
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