DH wants to leave the dog in the garden during the day, is this right?

[WinlessChunder]

My DH wants to get a dog. I don't think we should as he works full-time and I work part-time and am busy with 2 DCs. I told him I believed he would exercise it properly but I was concerned about it being alone in the house while we were both at work/out. He replied 'but I would lock it outside in the (fairly small) garden with a doghouse to go in if it was raining'. I was - do people do this?

The only experience I have was of my own childhood when we had 3 dogs. My dad worked from home in a workshop at the end of our garden so they were just allowed to go in and out as they pleased.

DH is Australian and he says that us Brits pander to our animals too much and keeping pets outside is the done thing in Aus.

What is the done thing in the UK?

My most of my dogs live outside in the garden in the warmer weather BUT they can come inside and go out as they please in the day as there is almost always someone at home and at night they have a purpose built run. The garden is very big and all boundaries are properly fenced. Most of my dogs are big dogs and the 'oldies' stay in at night.

As in everything you need the right environment, a single dog confined in the house or outside for any length of time, on it's own is cruel!

I agee with what others have said - no problem with dogs sleeping outside on principle, assuming a hardy breed and appropriate shelter for the conditions, and plenty of stimulation and company the rest of the time. That however is not the same as keeping the poor dog locked in a garden alone all day and all night, they'll be bored and lonely, might try to escape or annoy the neigbours with barking, and generally just be unhappy. It's not right or fair. Dogs being stolen from gardens does sadly happen as well.

Very good point someone made about wanting a 'part-time' dog - it doesn't work that way, you can't just put a dog away 'out of sight out of mind' when you don't have time or don't feel like interacting with them. Not any more than you can do that with your children (though some men seem to want to: leaving all the dull and difficult parts of parenting to their wife and just dipping into family life when they feel like it!)