# Leaving a dog outside **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293 "2005-05-10T22:39:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293/21 "2005-05-11T21:21:18Z")
> [@Long Time First Time](#): > > I think you’ve stumbled onto one of the things major that makes up the American world view. > > We can’t/won’t do something that most other countries have no problem doing because of all the “kooks” and “law suits waiting to happen” walking around out there. > > I fully expect this to get tons of responses along the “but there really **ARE** kooks and law suits waiting to happen” lines. What I wonder is, does America have more than the UK or other European countries? > > In my completely unscientific humble opinion, many Anerican have elevated stranger danger into one of the guiding principles of their lives. I agree. And it’s really sad. That said, one thing that can sometimes go wrong is that some dogs who are tied up/chained up feel more vulnerable and might bite or nip. It happened to my kid once. He wasn’t with me and learned the hard way (mild puncture wound, he was fine) that you don’t approach a strange dog that is tied up. Having said _that,_ I see dogs waiting outside stores here in Denver (people do walk here :)) all the time. There are water bowls and hitching posts for dogs in a nearby commercial neighborhood. You can tell that these dogs are okay with it. And some of them might be just fine being petted. I don’t do it with my dogs, they are very large, tend to attract attention, and one of them, the one year old, is still awfully rambunctious. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293/22 "2005-05-12T00:07:43Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > In my neighborhood in Baltimore there’s a block with a pub, a couple of cafes, a bank, and a medium-sized independent supermarket. There are frequently dogs tied up outside one or more of these establishments, usually tethered to the parking meters. The local Giant supermarket, a few blocks in the other direction from my house, also sometimes has a dog or two tied up outside. > > As a general principle, i don’t have a problem with it. I like dogs a lot, and it’s good to see them being taken out and walked. And in this area, i’ve never seen anyone mess with any of the dogs in an inappropriate way. > > Some of the dogs, however, look pretty intimidating, and i’ve seen a few people nervously putting coins in the parking meter while standing right next to a large dog. Now, the fact that people feel confident leaving these dogs tied up alone suggests that the dogs probably aren’t vicious, but the fact is that some people are frightened of large dogs, and probably shouldn’t have to negotiate their way right next to one just to feed a parking meter. Is this in Ellicot City or Mount Washington? I’ve seen dogs tied up in both places (moreso in Ellicot City). The dogs are all really quiet. I wouldn’t do it with my dogs. Without me around, the dogs will go into a sit/stay/quiet for 5 minutes max before they start barking their fool sheltie heads off! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293/23 "2005-05-12T00:17:23Z")
> [@MaddyStrut](#): > > Is this in Ellicot City or Mount Washington? I’ve seen dogs tied up in both places (moreso in Ellicot City). The dogs are all really quiet. Not sure that Ellicot City qualifies as a Baltimore neighborhood. 🙂 Actually, i’m talking about Charles Village, but i have seen the same thing in Mount Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Agonist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@Agonist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agonist)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293/24 "2005-05-12T00:29:30Z")
I’ve lived in both Washington and California (suburbs, both places), and I see dogs tied up outside stores all the time. I’ve also done the same occasionally. For me, there are only a couple of considerations: [ul]Will the dog remain friendly? As stated above, some friendly dogs can get nervous when tied up around strangers.[/ul] [ul]Is the dog a purebred (purebreed)? I am perfectly comfortable leaving my lab-mix pound puppy outside, but if the dog has a black-market value I would not take the risk.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293/25 "2005-05-12T00:52:42Z")
> [@Agonist](#): > > Is the dog a purebred (purebreed)? I am perfectly comfortable leaving my lab-mix pound puppy outside, but if the dog has a black-market value I would not take the risk. Eh, I don’t think animal-torturing sickos care about what breed it is. My other concern is whether the dog will feel that it has been abandoned in a strange place. When we took the late great Miss Emily Kimberly to Colorado along with us to visit friends for a week, she would not settle down to sleep unless we put her in our car – the one “place” that was familiar to her, and she knew we would not leave without the car. But I can see how tying the dog to a post and going into a store may make the dog wonder if you’re ever coming back. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293/26 "2005-05-12T02:27:18Z")
> [@stretch](#): > > First, I must ask if Molly is still Molly or did you rename her? (I’m sorry if you’ve already reported elsewhere on the board, but I must know!) She ended up being Zoe - a friend of mine thought she looked like a Zoe and it sort of stuck. I suppose it’s as unoriginal as Molly but I rather lik eit. Is there really a black market for purebred dogs? [Zoe](http://members16.clubphoto.com/ken756744/1639420/guest.phtml) is probably a Collie/Sheltie mix but I guess she could be mistaken for a purebred Collie. She is extremely friendly with strangers, which isn’t good for her own safety. All in all, it seems like something one should do only if other people in the area are doing it. I generally don’t worry too much about “kooks and law suits waiting to happen”, but if I’m the only one doing it, I would attract the attention of the few kooks out there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-dog-outside/303293.md?page=1)