Dogs out in the cold rain

On Feb 26, 8:36 am, "Robert M. Gary" <N70... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> I've taken my mother's two dogs (terrier and German shepard) since she

I should mention that when they sleep they do go under the overhang
and stay dry. However, during the day they just want to walk around in
the rain. I can't seem to make then go into their houses or even under
the overhang. I don't want to tie them up inside the houses because I
don't want them to see the houses as scary.
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 8:56 am, Handsome Jack Morrison
<handsomejackmorri....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:

> Think about the *dogs.*

To be honest the dogs seem happier than they've ever been. Sitting
around the house with a woman too sick to pay attention to them was
probably hard on these high energy dogs. Now they have lots of little
boys around to play with and I"ve actually seem them get too tired to
play catch, something I never thought could happen.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:00 am, montana wildhack <mont... RemoveThis @wildhack.com.invalid>
wrote:
> On 2007-02-26 11:36:26 -0500, "Robert M. Gary" <N70... RemoveThis @gmail.com> said:
>
> > What else can I do to make them want to use these houses? We've been
> > washing the bedding in there and its nice and warm.
>
> Make sure you're feeding the dogs inside their houses.
>
> This isn't going to be an easy adjustment for any of you and I don't
> have a lot more to add to some of the other suggestions...

Thanks! I'll try feeding them in their houses. The first real piece of
advice I've gotten so far.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:11 am, Handsome Jack Morrison
<handsomejackmorri....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 26 Feb 2007 09:04:11 -0800, "Robert M. Gary" <N70....RemoveThis@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >On Feb 26, 8:56 am, Handsome Jack Morrison
> ><handsomejackmorri....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> Think about the *dogs.*
>
> >To be honest the dogs seem happier than they've ever been. Sitting
> >around the house with a woman too sick to pay attention to them was
> >probably hard on these high energy dogs. Now they have lots of little
> >boys around to play with
>
> Do you know enough about:
>
> 1. the dogs
> 2. the boys
>
> ...to know whether that's really a good idea?

I"m not sure I follow but I know my boys love playing with the dogs
and I know the dogs loving playing catch for hours at a time.

> And then what happens when the boys aren't around?

When the boys are in school the dogs seem to play "king of the hill" a
lot in the back yard. I work from home and go out there every hour or
so. They love the big backyard, they were pretty confined where they
were before. I think that is why they have so much energy. Now if I
could just convince them that its better to go into their houses (or
at least under the overhang) when it rains, I'd be happy. My neigbhor
bought electric dog house heaters for his dogs, maybe I'll try that.

I take the dogs by the hospital my mom is at every other day. They see
her through the glass and they get a kick out of it. They have a
program where I could bring them into the hospital but the process
takes some time for them to get approved.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 11:36 am, "Robert M. Gary" <N70... DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> I've taken my mother's two dogs (terrier and German shepard) since she
> is too sick to take care of them. They had been house dogs. Because my
> wife and son are seriously alergic to dogs (they go weekly to the Dr
> for shots) we can't have them in the house. So I went out and spent
> $200 on very nice dog houses for them (medium for the terrier and
> large for the GS). So now I'm sitting here looking at the dogs
> standing in the rain at 40F outside. They don't seem to want to go
> into their houses. The terrier will go in there sometimes but the GS
> won't even go in there if I throw his favorite treat in there.
> Is there anything wrong with dogs standing out in a 40F rain? Maybe
> dogs don't care?
> What else can I do to make them want to use these houses? We've been
> washing the bedding in there and its nice and warm.
>
> -Robert

OH my God those poor dogs. Find them ANOTHER home right away. This is
cruel.
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:15 am, s... DeleteThis @panix.com (Melinda Shore) wrote:
> In article <1172509678.100110.103... DeleteThis @t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com>,
> Robert M. Gary <N70... DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Thanks! I'll try feeding them in their houses. The first real piece of
> >advice I've gotten so far.
>
> "Find the dogs a new home where they can be inside" is
> advice. You may not like it but I think it's very, very
> good advice.

I certainly wouldn't do that until my mom dies. It would kill her. I
love dogs but my mom's battle with cancer is more important. Besides,
when I was a kid my friends and I all had dogs. I don't remember any
of us ever keeping the dogs inside the house. The dogs always did
fine, we played with them all the time and took them on our bike
rides, and they loved it. These dogs are getting more exercise than
they have ever had and certainly seem happier.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:25 am, "Cyndie" <Gypsisoul1....DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 26, 11:36 am, "Robert M. Gary" <N70....DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:

> OH my God those poor dogs. Find them ANOTHER home right away. This is
> cruel.

What is cruel? The dogs houses? The majority of dogs in the U.S. live
outside. In fact dogs have lived outside for longer than people have
lived inside.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:31 am, Lynne <unmonitored.em....DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:23:46 GMT, "Robert M. Gary" <N70....DeleteThis@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I take the dogs by the hospital my mom is at every other day. They see
> > her through the glass and they get a kick out of it.
>
> What makes you so sure they get a kick out of this? My dog would be very
> frustrated and confused if she could only see me through glass. Your mom
> may enjoy it, but assuming the dogs do as well is a huge leap.

They seem happy and excited to see her. However, that is secondary.
The important thing is that it makes my mom happy and keeping her
spirits up is probably her only slim chance to bet cancer. The
hospital is working with me to get the dogs certified to go into the
hospital. The only real requirement is that they don't bite (they
don't) and they get groomed that morning (the groomer comes by the
house once a month already).

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:35 am, Handsome Jack Morrison
<handsomejackmorri....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> Two things. One, you didn't say the boys were yours. Two, if your
> wife and son are that allergic, your other sons(?) will be bringing
> dog hair, dander, etc. into the house simply by playing with the dogs.
> Is that smart?

We're working on that. The other day my wife went to the door to give
them some beef bones and one of the dogs licked her hand. She broke
out pretty quick. Now she wears gloves when she interacts with them.
The rest of us just have to wash our hands a lot. Its a bit of a
challenge but I think we'll get through it.

> My hunch, based on a lot of experience, is that these dogs stand a
> good chance of essentially being abandoned to a life of isolation
> outside, once the newness of the situation wears off.
>
> I could of course be wrong.

At this point my oldest gets home and runs outside to play with the
dogs. However, I agree that if at some point (after my mom dies) the
boys no longer interact with the dogs we'll certainly get rid of them.
When I was a kid we all had dogs and we incorporated the dogs into
most of our activities.

> Okay.
>
> You're apparently going to keep the dogs, no matter how many folks
> here caution against it. And there's no law against it.
>
> But the question is begged, if you're such a dog guy (and family), why
> didn't you already have dogs?

Aside from my wife and youngest son's alergies, we also travel a lot.
We bought a plane when the boys were small and fly all through Mexico,
Canada, etc whenever we get the chance. It seemed easier to not have
dogs than get a kennel. However, now that the situation is in front of
us, its not that much of a deal to take them to the kennel every once
in awhile.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:42 am, Lynne <unmonitored.em....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:31:48 GMT, "Robert M. Gary" <N70....RemoveThis@gmail.com>
> wrote:

> GOOD dog owners do NOT make their dogs live outside without their family.

I respect your opinion, just as I respect that some people choose to
not eat meat, go to a difference church, etc. However, I (and many
others) still choose to eat meet. I guess we'll just disagree.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 9:59 am, s... RemoveThis @panix.com (Melinda Shore) wrote:
> In article <1172512157.392008.238... RemoveThis @a75g2000cwd.googlegroups.com>,
> Robert M. Gary <N70... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >I respect your opinion, just as I respect that some people choose to
> >not eat meat, go to a difference church, etc. However, I (and many
> >others) still choose to eat meet. I guess we'll just disagree.
>
> So basically what you're looking for is affirmation rather
> than advice?

I'm looking for advice on how to convince the dogs to use the dog
houses (or at least the overhangs) to stay out of the rain.

-Robert
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

Robert M. Gary wrote:

> I've taken my mother's two dogs (terrier and German shepard) since she
> is too sick to take care of them. They had been house dogs. Because my
> wife and son are seriously alergic to dogs (they go weekly to the Dr
> for shots) we can't have them in the house. So I went out and spent
> $200 on very nice dog houses for them (medium for the terrier and
> large for the GS). So now I'm sitting here looking at the dogs
> standing in the rain at 40F outside. They don't seem to want to go
> into their houses. The terrier will go in there sometimes but the GS
> won't even go in there if I throw his favorite treat in there.
> Is there anything wrong with dogs standing out in a 40F rain? Maybe
> dogs don't care?
> What else can I do to make them want to use these houses? We've been
> washing the bedding in there and its nice and warm.

There is a *lot* wrong with a dog standing outside in a 40 F rain.
Especially a small terrier-type dog. Take them to a kennel to be
boarded where they can be indoors. Or better yet, find a
dogsitter/foster home where they can be cared for properly. They are
used to being inside with their favorite human. They don't understand
why they've been banished to a strange yard and the dog houses you've
provided are small comfort (as you've seen).

Kathleen
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain 

On Feb 26, 10:58 am, "Opinicus" <gez....TakeThisOut@spamcop.net> wrote:
> "Robert M. Gary" <N70....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> > On Feb 26, 9:00 am, montana wildhack <mont....TakeThisOut@wildhack.com.invalid>
> >> > What else can I do to make them want to use these houses? We've been
> >> > washing the bedding in there and its nice and warm.
> >> Make sure you're feeding the dogs inside their houses.
> > Thanks! I'll try feeding them in their houses.
>
> This is so patently obvious that I guess no one else thought of mentioning
> it. (Thanks montana.)
>
> Another thing comes to mind. Are the houses big enough to accommodate both
> dogs? Having been separated from their former owner, maybe they don't want
> to be separated from each other...

That's a good point. Physically they could both go into the GS's house
but I'm not sure who much space dogs want. The groomer mentioned to me
the other day that the dogs got pretty upset when they were separated.
Maybe that is an issue.
 >> Stay informed about: Dogs out in the cold rain