He is a gorgeous (when he's clean) German shepherd with a matted, muddy coat of long fur. Good thing he's got that very long fur coat because this dog is
outside 24/7. He has a big stall-like
roofed enclosure and a separate small dog house. However, when he is out on his run the cable is so
short he can’t reach his dog house and the enclosure is too big and airy to
provide any real protection from the cold.
His family rarely plays with him and they haven’t taken him for a walk
in over a year.
When the mercury dips below 10 degrees and my dog, Benny, is
curled up on the futon next to the pellet stove, I wonder if he feels lucky to
be a member of our family. Benny is a
mixed breed that we adopted from the pound.
He was found roaming the streets of Holyoke, fending for himself.
Now he lives a life of luxury. We play with him and take him for walks—sometimes
two a day. He sits on our laps, well,
most of him anyway. He has such a long
body we call him a “lap-and-a-half-dog”! There is certainly a huge disparity between Benny’s life and
that of the dog next door. Benny is part
of our family and we’re his pack. We wouldn’t
have it any other way.
What do you think?
Should dogs stay outside 24/7 when the weather is bad? Do you treat your dog like a member of your
family? Leave me a comment. I’d love to
hear from you!
