mary, since you work at an animal shelter, I'm going to designate you our board authority on all things pet! ;) Anyway, I have ten acres of land around my house and my front yard is VERY large, so I have to create an area somewhere to house a dog. I have searched this on the internet with no luck, so I'm going to ask you. :D

How much fenced in space does a dog need? I mean, if I needed to go to town and I left my dog outside for several hours...he/she'd need an area that had toys and enough room to run and play and have shade and a house and if it's summer, a child sized pool...so how much area would I need to fence in? Let's say for a medium sized dog.

The only information I can find is that for a small dog in the city limits the area has to be 8' x 10', which is obviously too small to house a dog house and some toys...maybe even a table and chairs for me. So, I'll figure out how much space all of my additions will take up, but I need to know how big the actual free space/running area (whatever!) the dog needs to not feel too confined, and perhaps to save room for a future roommate.

lol. thanks, what kind of dog is it? i don't think it is a good idea to leave a dog outside for several hours especially if your not home. people do mean and spiteful things. its possible for the dog to get out i have seen where they can dig under a fence break it or jump over it. also kids and adults alike may want to tease or dog in passing and throw things over the fence or push it through the holes in the fence. even sometimes poison. or steal the dog. i guess it depends on where you live also sometimes. and if the dog is left out too long sometimes people get the wrong idea especially if they are unable to see food and water dishes and may call animal control. six feet wide and six feet long maybe good enough for your dog to run around and play or bigger i guess depending on your dogs size. about the size of a public dog run maybe if you have one near by

mary, don't worry so much, k? LOL I don't even have a dog! I really want one though and I would have to keep it outside a lot, so that is a big deal to me. I live in Kansas...in between several wheat/milo fields, on ten acres of land, on a dirt road and my nearest neighbor is a mile away, so I don't fear that any outside pet I'd have would get teased or mistreated in anyway. The ten acres next door to our property could even be ours one day and that would give me twenty acres of just land. I have no idea what type of dog I'll end up with if I ever get one, but I'd like to prepare for one. I have plans to build a very nice dog house and I have wanted to build a park-like area on my property anyway, so combining the two concepts seemed like a nice idea to me. For now, I am still working on getting my husband to agree that I can have a dog, and I have a sick ferret to worry about, so a dog is not in my immediate future. I just like to plan things. And I'd like to include room for a dog in my park area, if you get my meaning...just in case. Sometimes I think I'd like to set up an area for agility training and offer 'classes' or 'play sessions' for dogs in my town. I love dogs.

oh. lol. i'm sorry its just that i live in NYC and i have seen those cases come in. you should get a breed that can live outdoors ok. if its going to be outside most of the time you should probably get two. collies,husky's malamutes,st bernards,newfoundlands those are good outside dogs because they have two layers of fur. but alas are very large breeds.

LOL! I was about to say that Melanie lives in a rural area and doesn't really need to worry about neighbors... and I was also going to ask when she was getting her dog! I guess it's just future planning...

Anyway, I know someone who has 2 dogs (they are big... german shephard/dobberman mix, but they are bigger than either of those species purebreed) that she keeps outside while she is at work. She lives in a kind of more rural area, but she has an electric fence that she puts up whenever she finds her dogs trying to dig out (after a couple days, she turns it off). She has like an acre of property fenced off, but that includes her house (she lives like on 2.5 acres).

we mostly kept our german shepherd in her run, even though our yard was fenced in with vinyl fencing, so people couldn't come in or see in. She had a dog house that sat outside the run, with the entrance into the dog house inside the run. and she actually preferred it out there! she would have much rather been outside in the fresh air than indoors. when we'd bring her in, she'd just sit at the sliding glass door wanting to be let back out. she'd play catch by herself with her tennis ball out there. it was cute.

I think any dog would LOVE to have 10+ acres of your land to run free in and enjoy the great outdoors. I hope you can get one!!!

they soooo would, with all that land you should open up a dog rescue ;)

Hi. I haven't been here for a long while, I don't know if you even remember me! I do have some advice for you regarding dogs.
First, choose a breed that suits your lifestyle. I would recommend my dog (Great Pyrenees) to someone in your situation. They are big, can handle outdoor weather (in fact they love snow) and are bred as a livestock guardian. This means they like to wander around large spaces "on patrol" but they also have slow metabolisms so they don't need to run as much as people think and they eat a lot less than you would imagine. I have a very small city yard (24'x 16') but it's enough for him, with regular walks and playtime with another dog. He is indoors whenever he wants to be. He is very calm and I love him so much.
If you want to fence in some space, I would just use your best judgement. You have probably seen some dog runs that look terribly small. I get the feeling you want more of a fenced in yard for you and you dog to enjoy. I think it's great that you would put a kiddie pool out there!
I hope your ferret feels better and I hope you get your dog soon. I feel much more secure with Axl sleeping in my room when my husband is working nights, that's for sure.

:wave Hi, Amy! Of course, we remember you! :D Thanks for the advice. You are right, I'd definitely want more of a yard area than a typical 'dog run'. And I love Mary's suggestion that I should open an animal rescue. I'd really love to do that, but I'm not sure I'm dedicated enough to attempt that on my own. It'd definitely be a one person operation, so that is a big step.

I've been giving this so much more thought and have decided that just building an outdoor area is not going to be sufficient for my desire to have a dog in my life. I'd actually have to build a small office with electricity and heat. Or use part of my existing garage/shed. The shed has the same square footage as my house and it is divided into four spaces already. It's just corrugated metal siding with concrete flooring, however, there is a section that houses a burn-barrel heater. And there is already electricity out there...so I'm playing with that idea right now.

Whatever I do and whenever I finally decide to get a dog, rest assured he/she will be a rescue though. ;)

I can't wait to hear for the day that I hear that you got your doggy!! :D

AND Purplestar! OF COURSE we remember you my dear! I am so happy to see you again! (I posted in the poll section when I first saw you there even! LOL)