People have many ideas about dogs. The one idea that causes the most trouble for both us and dogs is the idea of the outside dog. Thousands of years ago, we were all outside animals - both us and the dogs. There was a cave or den for shelter, but almost all activities necessarily had to take place outside. Times, and the way we live, have changed. But basically we and the dogs haven't changed. Both we and dogs are pack animals. We do not tend to be solitary or alone. Pandas, on the other hand, are good examples of solitary animals. Attractive as they are, they are perfectly content to be alone except at mating time. But, to get back to us and dogs.

Domesticated dogs no longer have packs of other dogs to live with - so dogs are den animals. This is the reason dogs can be housebroken. Dogs want shelter in a secure den - your house they now regard as the den for their pack - and they want their den to be clean. Obviously, dogs can be forced to live outside, continually alone, and away from their families. But to force this kind of life on a dog is one of the worst things you can do to it. Such a life goes against the dog's two most basic instincts. If you have any doubts about these ideas, think about all the whining, barking, clawing dogs you have seen trying, desperately at first, to get to their human families, and then just giving up to become over-active, or listless or fearful, or vicious when no one hears their perfectly reasonable requests.

Unless you can accept a dog as a member of your family, joining in your activities and sitting in your living room - do not get a dog - both you and the dog you don't get will be much happier. The dog you keep continually outside will be miserable, and you have the annoyance of dealing with a miserable animal on your property. Large dogs are just as much in need of attentive human companionship as small dogs. Here's just one example of a dog's need for human company.

There was a boxer owned by a man whose wife did not want a dog in their living quarters. The boxer was confined continually to the basement, where it howled, and scratched and banged and made a general nuisance of itself. The wife then decided to allow the dog into the main part of the house, thinking the dog would continue to be a nuisance, and her husband would then get rid of it. However, as soon as the boxer was allowed to where it's instincts told it it had a perfect right to be, it became a quiet well-mannered family member. One of the great gifts that a dog can offer a human is its joyful devotion. No living creature will give you more steadfast, abiding love.

Fairly treated, dogs are among the world's most joyful creatures - and their joy can bring pleasure to anyone who sees them. A sad, lonely, bewildered dog, tied outside its owner's house, wondering why it cannot be with its family, brings only sadness and unhappiness to the world. A dog wants to be your happy, devoted, accepted companion. Unless you can accept a dog's offer of this great gift, please do not get a dog.

THE WASHINGTON HUMANE SOCIETY