Guess I’m setting myself up for all sorts of heated discussion with this, but I need advice fr

[devilishbelle]

Okay. So I have this old Beagle named Buddy, who was a stray and very likely always an outdoor and hunting dog. Anyone unfamiliar with Buddy can read my entries about him here if you so choose. Anyway, to make a long story short, it’s COLD outside, and that’s where Buddy stays. So far he seems to be doing well with his Dogloo filled with

Comments

[celestyna]

Do you have a foyer or extra bathroom?
I think it's kinds cruel to leave him out if he's superold, because the HSV weather is so irratic that he doesn't have a chance to build up a tolerance or coat for it. plus, the older they are the harder it is on them. just have known too many ppl to lose their dogs that way i guess.

Don't forget that the original "doggie diapers" were newspaper. no need to do all that fancy newfangled stuff, just go oldschool. can you block off a room for him? but yeah, if you want to save your house from pee/shredding/poo/allthat and don't have any of these options the best is to make him as comfie as possible outside.

if you have no choice but to leave him outside, GET HIM A SWEATER. i know that sounds crazy as hell, but trust me, these really really help them.

If the temperature goes to freezing or below, bring him inside or it will be downright inhumane. He can only radiate so much heat by himself unfortunately, and when temps go superlow they make everything cold, even the blankets surrounding him.

[devilishbelle]

Oh, I'm not leaving him out. He's been okay till now - seriously, he isn't even cool to the touch when he comes out of his Dogloo- but I know the temps are starting to get too cold for him. I was definitely asking for indoor suggestions. I just thought I'd put a doggie diaper on him so that when he raises his leg to mark his territory, he wont' get it on my walls and furniture or other dogs.

I thought about keeping him in the utility room, but the two indoor dogs and he will howl at one another until everyone is put away for the night. Maybe they won't even stop then. He can sleep in one of my boys' rooms. I just don't know if I can handle the spraying.

[celestyna]

d'oh sorry somehow i didn't see that last part.
yeah a heavy covering of newspapers on the floor in the room works really well for us, i totally hear you on the howling thing. we had a chihuaha and another dauschund mix and if you ever get them in a room together you were gonna be up ALL night. everytime one would shift in his sleep the other would bark.lol.

if you end up stashing him with one of the boys, maybe you can have the boys can build like a "doggie fort" for him and only diaper/newspaper the area that's inside the fort? keeps it kinda contained.

my dad just called me last night freaking out that he couldn't find the cat and it was cold and needed to bring him inside. this morning he calls back and says he had built a little cat-nest for himself behind the water heater. lol.

i swear pets can freak me out more than the thought of children.lol

[celestyna]

i keep forgetting to give you this gorgeous picture:

[devilishbelle]

OMG. Those were the days, huh? I looked scary....but wish I was that size again!

[ladymalen]

Honestly, he's probably fine, and I would not bring a male dog (you didn't mention if he was fixed or not) into a house with an intact female.

If you're really worried about Buddy, get some of those hand/foot warmer packs and slip them in his bedding and he should be fine.

Also look into getting the female fixed ASAP. That's just a mess waiting to happen.

[devilishbelle]

He's not fixed. He pretty much had to be nursed back to health when he wandered up here, and the vet estimates him to be 12+ years old. He has some other surgery we have to have done on him first, but I have no excuse for letting the females go unfixed....except that I never seem to have the extra money.

[devilishbelle]

I looked for those & didn't see any today :/

We do not have a garage, but I can try leaving him in the utility room. All my chemicals & tools are put up high, so the worst he could mark would be the walls, doors, and appliances.

[zombiegirl35]

Can you buy some baby gates and block off the kitchen? My doggies can be really naughty sometimes so we have to keep them in the kitchen sometimes. It is plenty roomy and if they have an accident, it's tiled so we can wipe it off. And put those newspapers down like your other pals suggested!

[devilishbelle]

My kitchen, living, and dining rooms are all one open area, or I would. I'm hoping we can just bring him into the utility room without too much noise.