Hi Bob,

On Fri 2038-Dec-24 06:44, Bob Ackley (1:300/3) wrote to Fred Burgess:



BA> Hmmm.  If the dog is kep outside the important thing is to keep it
BA> out of the wind.
BA> If the dog has a shelter - even if it doesn't have a door - it
BA> should be OK.  I have 
BA> five dogs that live outside in a fenced yard.  They have a building
BA> they can get into
BA> through an open 'doog door;' the building is only partly insulated
BA> but it IS windproof
BA> (concrete block).  Their water bucket is frozen solid - but I make
BA> sure they have 
BA> water when I feed them every evening.

I'd agree with Bob here.  INsulated is good, but shelter
from the wind, and insulated from the ground are the
important parts.

Another story about Buddy, my Marmaduke lookalike from the
'80's ...

IN 1989 I moved from Des MOines back to my boyhood home town in southeastern
Iowa.  I rented the apartment in the house I grew up in from my dad, (the
small upstairs one of course)
and one of mom's insistent points was that Buddy live
outside.
Dad and I built a good sturdy kennel for him, 6 ft. fencing
all round, had a guy who builds dog houses do me one,
insulated, built so as its floor was off the ground.  Usual
m.o. was to acquire bales of straw for extra insulation, and place one to its
east.

BAcking up here a bit, dog house door faced east.  Bail of
straw was situated east of doghouse to permit him access,
but still provide a wind break.  There was some old clothing of mine to
provide some bedding inside, and a blanket I'd
used as well.  Buddy had lived in my home until about 3
months before I moved to Burlington, as I was staying with a friend and Buddy
living with another friend of mine who kept him in outdoor kennel with
doghouse along with a Doberman
he'd rescued.

since I sometimes would travel a few days (up to 2 weeks) at a time I had one
of those livestock style feeders mounted to the back of the doghouse which
would provide him a few days' food.  dUring cold weather I'd at least bust the
ice out of
his water bowl at morning feeding and provide fresh water.

Back in maybe '90 or '91, can't recall which, we had a very
extreme cold snap for quite an extended period, after some
heavy snows just after Christmas.

Temps got down in double digits minus for days at a time,
and one night temp was going to get quite cold, with wind
chills of around -50 or so.  BUddy stayed holed up in his
house, and hadn't been able to get much water during morning feedings last
couple of days.  I fought my way inside secon
day of this, and surmised that bedding in the doghouse was
wet/possibly soiled.  so after hearing weather
forecast that night instead of watching Johny CArson's
monologue I went outside and got BUddy, provided him bowls
of food and water inside and allowed him to sleep in the
house that night.

Next morning before heading off to work my mother stops by
to talk to grandmother downstairs a minute, hears Buddy bark at something out
the window.  That evening I was at local
watering hole downtown after band practice, mom stops by
after some sort of meeting to have one, and see if son needs ride home as I
often stopped by there for a couple beers
after rehearsal .  She says something to me about dog in
house in violation on informal agreement.  I explained to
her that he was going to get an opportunity to actually
hydrate himself, he'd busted his wind break bale of straw
for some reason earlier, (hence wet/soiled beddding) and until I could put
clean bedding down in the doghouse he was going to spend nights inside
until the extreme temps spell was finished.  I then
explained that "I was looking for a place to live when I
found this one."

Another comment I made was that if she wanted to trade him
places and sleep in that doghouse with inadequate protection she could, but if
she wouldn't do it she shouldn't ask my
dog to.

wHen temps moderated I did build snow windbreak with a
shovel, got the bedding from dog house, washed and dried it. Until that
problem was solved Buddy spent quite a bit of
time indoors!!!

Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin:  (1:116/901)