ncva: blog 
ncva's blog
a question for my fellow animal lovers
Published Oct. 2, 2009Views: 348
Okay, so here's the deal. We have a 10 month old Lab who has been an "inside" dog since I got him last Christmas. We have a large fenced in yard, so whenever one of us is home, he's outside running and playing. At night, and during the day when we're not here, he stays in. We also have a 6 year old cat who stays inside 100% of the time. The cat has been around the dog since he was a puppy, therefore they are used to each other and get along, etc., etc. We've been planning on getting another dog sometime soon, but we want it to be a puppy so it can be raised around the cat too, as opposed to bringing in a grown dog who might never adjust to the cat, and possibly even harm him.
Sooo....the point of my blog. My partner has a family member who has another Lab who spends his entire life in a pin in the back yard with not much attention. It's "cared for" as far as food, shelter and water, but other than that leads a pretty sad life in my opinion. He's somewhere around 5 years old and has always been an outside dog. I'm torn as to whether or not we should take him though. At 5 years old and having always been an outside dog, I don't think it would be wise to bring him into the house (and around the cat) and turn him into an "inside" dog. But I'd feel bad keeping one dog outside while the other one gets to stay in....that doesn't seem right to me and I know it'd bother me. On the other hand, he'd be able to run and play and not have to be cooped up all the time. Any thoughts or suggestions?? Many thanks!
Filed under: Personal
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October 2, 2009 6:44 p.m.
IMHO, the cat has first dibs on your loyalty. Maybe have the lab over for a weekend and see how he treats the cat. Some labs are very gentle with cats - some are NOT. If the lab seems aggressive toward the cat, then back to the pen he goes. If the lab ignores the cat, then maybe he would fit into the household. Leaving one dog in and one dog outside during the day is not that big a deal - I had one dog that loved the house and one dog that wanted to sleep outside even if it was snowing.
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