All three of our cats are indoor, but Georgia always tries to escape. She actually escaped 10 mins ago-I had to chase her with no shoes on in my hello kitty jammies with the drywall guy(who speaks no english) staring at me like I was crazy. My cat, Kricket, will get to the door then run back inside-she is a HUGE scaredy-cat. And Elliott doesnt really have any interest whatsoever in going out, but George will take every chance to run off. GuyRoomie would KILL us if his precious george got out!!!

Growing up on a cattle farm, we always had blue heeler dogs. They were strictly outside dogs. Once in a great blue moon, if it were cold enough, Dad would let them in the garage, but otherwise they slept out in the barn, they had plenty of food and water to drink and got all the exercise they needed working with the cattle, though we and all the guys (my dad, my uncles and the hired men) would play with them, too. They were good dogs, and I don't think they hated us because we made them stay outside.

My husband and I adopted a Rat Terrier mix puppy from the shelter in December. Because she is so small and has such a short coat, she is an inside dog. In fact, Mr ISUKappa and I wanted to find a smaller dog so we could have it in our house. She is allowed on the couch, but is gated in the bathroom during the day and kenneled at night.

To me, there is nothing cruel about keeping dogs outside, as long as they are provided for: they have shelter, they have ample food and water and they get enough exercise and family love. Dogs are animals and were originally meant to live outside. They have fur coat for a reason, and many of them grow a thicker undercoat to help them through the cold seasons. Though, obviously, there are some dogs with shorter coats who can't stay outside in places where it gets obscenely cold during the winter.

edited to clarify a point.

I believe pets should be indoor. Working animals are up to the owners. I have indoor pets. I bathe and take care of them. My house does not smell. My dog does shed though, so we vacumm every other day. Our carpet is off white and the only markings on it is from my dads wheelchair.

(My boyfriend and) I have 2 cats and a dog - all males. The cats are 7 yrs old (Tigger) and 9 months old (Nikko) and are both indoor cats mainly because I live in an apartment. My little one probably needs to be an outdoor cat because he's just a hell raiser in the house. My dog (puppy) is 12 weeks old and he's an American Staffordshire Terrior (it's a larger version of a pit bull - most people think he's small when they hear the name but he's going to be a BIG boy!) and is at about 20 pounds now and will get to 70 pounds in the 18 months. He's, of course, an indoor dog but has LOTS of outdoor park time. I fell bad having them in a one bedroom apartment but we take the time to take them all outside - they all have leases. The puppy goes to the park just about every other day for an hour or two to run around.

Dogs are pack animals. They need to be with their pack. Once you adopt a dog YOU and your family become its pack. That means keeping the dog where you are, not ouside tied to a house. If you're planning to keep a dog outside all the time and never let it in the house, don't get a dog. Our shelters here (which are no-kill) will not let you adopt if you plan to keep the dog outside because it is even worse for them than being stuck in the shelter.

The only exception I can see is on a farm if the dog sleeps in the stable and is around other animals.

Cosign. Farms have different dynamtic than an urban setting. All farms family I know have outdoor cats/dogs - but they all have free range of the land, a warm barn and plenty of other animals to socialize with.

My dog would be extremely lonely if he was forced to stay outside all the time. He's an extremely social dog and while he likes his going out in the backyard, he needs to come in to give us all some love.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for people to get a dog and then leave it outside all the time, neglected. I'm just saying people shouldn't be made to feel guilty if they make the decision to keep their dog outside, especially when they have more than one, they are larger in size, and for all other intents and purposes, they are being well taken care of.

I also think it's "cruel" to have an extremely large, active dog cooped up inside a house or apartment all the time. (ztabchbum that's not directed at you, it sounds like you understand your dog's breed and you're getting him ample exercise) Before anyone decides to get any sort of animal, one should research it first--learn it's feeding, grooming and exercise needs, temperment and habits and then make the decision to buy or adopt. Then still be prepared for anything to happen and when it does, make sure you know how to work with it. We did a lot of research before we got our dog and she still surprises us with some of her personality traits. She has a problem with separation anxiety and biting, so we are taking her to puppy kindergarten to socialize her and teach her how to play better with others along with learning basic commands and training tips for us.

My boyfriend and I have a Persian cat named Cole (Coleman) and a Chihuahua-ShihTzu named Lily.

The cat is an indoor cat, as any cat I will ever have will be. The city I live in borders Akron, Ohio, which has an animal ordinance strictly focused on cats. So I would never let my cat be an outdoor cat because of the ordinance. http://www.ci.akron.oh.us/Temporary_Pages/cats.htm

The dog is an indoor dog. She is to small to be an outdoor dog, but even if I had a larger dog it would never be an outdoor dog because of the winter weather in Ohio. To dangerous to leave a pet outdoors in the cold, sometimes subzero, weather!! I would make sure it gets ample amounts of excercise though!!

I am a strong believer that all animals should be indoor and outdoor depending on situation. We have 3 dogs at our house (1 is mine and 2 are my brothers) and they are all indoor/outdoor dogs. They have a doog door and can come and go as they please. We have a completely fenced yard that is 3+ acres and they love it. They go out and come in when they are ready. We have a cat that does the same.

Growing up we had 7 dogs at one time and they were all out door dogs but only because they were all adopted and they are all outdoor dogs before we took them in. If we tried to let him inside they would just get anxious and not sit still. My parents had a back porch area that was large enough for them all to sleep in the winter but they usually weren't interested. BUT they all had dog houses too!!

Indoor cats don't bother me near as much as indoor dogs. And I don't believe in keeping an animal outside no matter the weather conditions. I'm not stupid. But I do like my house to be clean.

I think its an acquired thing. If you're used to indoor pets, you don't smell it. I'm not, and can always tell when there are indoor pets.

Sometimes, I think its meaner to keep a dog indoors than outdoors. I had a friend growing up who had a TINY house and an ENORMOUS boxer. They had a huge fenced back yard, but the dog stayed in the house where he barely had any room to move around. I never got why they didn't let her out sometimes. Not to mention both parents smoked, so the dog (and all the kids) inhaled smoke all the time!

Our animals are always indoor pets. For dogs we believe they shoudl be walked, exercised, and potty trained outside (on a leash or in a fenced in yard), but primarily should stay indoors. I mean why go through the trouble of having pets and what not if you dont want them inside and around you all the time? They are human companions. If humans stay inside so should the pets. In fact the humane society here will not adopt out cats or dogs if your intentions are to keep them outside.

This is an example of an irresponsible pet owner. Not all dog breeds are for everyone, and people who live in small spaces do not need a large breed of dog for exactly that reason.

Breeds need to be matched with the owner's lifestyle and living arrangements. The trailer park that my aunt lives in this one owner lives in a single wide trailer with two german shepards and one lab. That is cruel. It is also cruel of the owner to let the dogs run loose in the park which is on a very dangerous and busy highway. I hope the owner rots in hell.

all 8 of my cats are indoor cats and have no desire to go outside. we nipped that right in the bud when we got them

Growing up we always had a dag and he stayed outside. he wasn't tied up, but he did have a doghouse and plenty of yard space. The only time I remember him coming inside was during bad weather (storms, heatwaves, snow, etc.) or holidays :D

I have a cat and she is strickly as indoor cat.

We had two dogs that stay inside all the time, and then a few days ago we got a new one so now there's three of them, a chow mix, a Westie, and a pug. They're all inside dogs...the wusses can't stand to be outside for prolonged periods of time. ;)

However, the cats have never been inside...we have five on our back porch, and that's where they kinda hang out except when they're hunting or out courting. I feel kinda bad about them being out there since it's been freezing cold lately, but my stepdad hates cats and won't let us put them in the garage. I guess they're used to it...I still feel kinda guilty, though. By the way, would anyone like a cat? They're free! And cute!