do your dogs have access to on a daily basis for roaming and just living the good life?

While I believe diet and genetics play a good part, I believe another huge part is living free of smog, living out away from the hussle and bussle of city life.

That said, how many members here are lucky enough to own acreage where your dogs can run freely at any given time?

We currently live 15 miles outside of a little bit bigger then a small town on an acre where the dogs have access to flat area as well as a hill that my big guy just loves....in the next month, however, we are moving even further, over 50 miles outside of this same town, absolutely no smog, no other noises either, except cattle in the distance, and we'll still have access to an acre.

But it wasn't always this way for us; up until 5yrs ago, we always lived in the heart of a standard sized town with smog, traffic, lots of noise and neighbors, etc.

I noticed a huge difference in the dogs since moving to our current house; not just in overall health, but happiness as well.

This makes me want to cry =(

We moved to Houston (spring) to finish my husbands school, and have not had a yard for almost a year. It will be another year before we get to go back.

So, on the flipside of what you said- I can see a difference in happiness and well being too. Mine are not as happy as they used to be....=(

Sorry for bringing it up....but you'll get back.

FWIW...I've been in your same shoes. Had an alaskan malamute for over 16yrs that loved to run freely here in Colorado, we moved to Vegas for about 5yrs into a much much smaller yard, and it was also REALLY hot for her.....it was hard for the first year especially.

However, I did find several open fields nearby and made it a point to take her over their early in the mornings before the sun would come up....it began to make a huge difference for her....even if she couldn't run over there all day long.

No, I don't have a large yard for the mutts. :( I do have a pool, but only one of mine really enjoys that and it's just not the same.

When I was taking them to the desert for running time, they were much happier than they are now. I just am not comfortable taking them anymore with all the snakes and stuff out there. :(

I hear ya, I ran into a LOT of snakes in Vegas too; scorpions were the thing as well. My big dog would LOVE the pool....I don't have one.

i dont live in that kind of area and i'm not sure roaming would make me too happy. i'd be afraid of wild creatures and stuff.

Sorry for bringing it up....but you'll get back.

FWIW...I've been in your same shoes. Had an alaskan malamute for over 16yrs that loved to run freely here in Colorado, we moved to Vegas for about 5yrs into a much much smaller yard, and it was also REALLY hot for her.....it was hard for the first year especially.

However, I did find several open fields nearby and made it a point to take her over their early in the mornings before the sun would come up....it began to make a huge difference for her....even if she couldn't run over there all day long.

Heh, no I have just been thinking about it a LOT lately. My Maxie is in the prime of her life so I am substituting for a few walks and a flossie every day. Poor substitute I know ="(

She can do it. Maxie came from a shelter, she was the most pitiful thing, had been there 8 months in a cage- I think she will survive with little run space a little while longer! Shes our queen =) I want so many good things for her, its stupid, but it breaks my heart to not be able to give her the best of everything!

Maxies Shelter picture. I lost a puppy we adopted from the HS to distemper so I went in search of the biggest, blackest, stinkiest thing she had. Ok, she wasn't the worst, but labs are my soft spot! She weighed 31lbs- not sure why the shelter couldnt get weight on her in 8 months.
http://www.petsaversshreveport.org/ps/images/72947400_1156007796.jpg

You can't just send you dog outside outside in the yard and expect them to get enough exercise....To me having a dog is making sure each day they run, and stretch out their muscles and lungs..send oxygen rushing through their veins...Having the acres makes it a whole lot easier to do this...but you still can't let them roam..they may never come back...

As far as pollution I believe the number of autos on the roads grow each year...we have tried to cut down on smog..but the stuff from exhaust you can't see kills too...over time....The amount of air travel increases every year...Jet engines are huge polluters..They burn a high grade kerosene and this exhaust is thrown into the atmosphere and finds its way to earth....Feeding the growing population means more cows and farm animals making methane gas...cutting down the rain forest... on and on...as mans population grows the risk of a major event to destroy itself grows....it is only a matter of time until an epidemic hits that kills millions...

So does your post mean dogs can't live in the city...? Or will just have poorer health...The problem arose when society went from agricultural to industrial and the resulting growth of population ....It will go back to that again , and then we will see if the same mistakes are made....or our great great grandchildren I should say...

Dr. Wysong is a man you should read...he believes in the importance of dogs getting earth under their paws daily...that they need the smells to stimulate good mental health and the exercise from running on grass...

If and when I am able to retire it will be to an area where the air smells fresh...One reason for enjoying hiking is the air smells great in NH..away from large cites...The air just fills your lungs with so much more oxygen...each breath is noticed....

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. When we got Cassie as a puppy we lived in the Dallas area, she suffered from eye allergies and ear problems until we found our piece of heaven and moved out here full time. We have 6 acres with a pond and trees. None of the girls get to roam at will, but we walk around the property a couple times a day and Cassie is the only one that can be trusted off leash. She no longer has to have the eye and ear drops for her allergies and Lacy became more calm when we moved here. They get to see deer, squirrels, etc every day and they watch the neighbor's horse with glee.

We have slightly less than an acre and most of it is fenced backyard.

The dogs will play together outside but that's mostly just wrestling and running under bushes unless we're out there throwing things for them to chase. Which we do at least once a day for both dogs.

We also have access to a great park and each pooch gets a 4-mile walk in the morning.....different walks for different walking styles so far. Eventually, I hope that that'll be just a single walk for me to be taking. In the evening, another walk for Danny.....usually 1.5 miles, sometimes another 4-miler.....and Sunnie gets alone-time with Dad and a ball in the yard.

Our air is pretty good....we're a bit removed from the major highways and still have a good bit of green surrounding us.

Barb

We're one of the lucky ones too...we own 3.5 acres of land, both fields and wooded, quite a few miles away from the city out in the "middle of nowhere" as my 15 year old son likes to say. Our 3.5 acres abuts conservation land both front and back, we have no neighbors visible to us, no streetlights, etc. There are 3 beautiful state parks less than a mile from us with trails, ponds, rivers...it's wonderful!!! There is quite a bit of wildlife here though (have to be careful at night when it's dark or early morning...something is always lurking around!!). we regularly have deer walking through our property..Java just looks at them with a puzzled face. She did meet up with a moose in our driveway last week, early morning. Gave a couple of big girl barks and it moseyed back into the woods (after pooping in our driveway..lol) We also find bear tracks in the mud and snow.
Java is allowed to roam freely on the property and she loves it!! She is on a long lead, but never leashed or tied.... she has it pretty good. We take her swimming every day and hiking through the woods. She loves having so much room to roam, wander and exlore. We waited a long time to get a dog and make sure we had the room for it....we bought this house because of the land, having a dog in mind. We used to live in an apartment with a small yard and I never considered getting a dog while living there. I always felt that dogs need space, fresh air and freedom!!!

Do I think it makes a difference in the dog's overall health? Yes, I think having a big area for Java to run, explore and roam makes a big difference for her. For some dogs, no I don't think it would be a big deal, but for Labs I really feel that they need freedom to run, jump and play. Java loves to run, streaking around the property, she explores and uses every inch of it. She satisfies her natural curiosity. Yes, there are creatures and wild animals, but she's never outside alone, without one of us there with her. I always felt that all dogs should have the chance to run free!!

I'm a city dweller, but Pippa and I walk, swim and run* through a large woodland dog park for an hour or two each morning. I also have a cottage where we spend two or three days a week from April to November.

Pippa certainly benefits from time to wander off leash and in the wild.

We moved about 1.5 years ago. We had 1.5 acres out in the woods. We had neighbors w/horses, chickens etc. We had access to miles and miles of trails for walking in the summer and x-country skiing in the winter. My dog was happy. But having all that didn't mean we didn't take her for daily walks -in the woods or on the beach. She also went to dog class (aka obediance) once a week.

We moved about 1000 miles south and now live in much bigger community and live on a small city lot. We recently fenced our back yard. Prior to buying our house we had a rental w/a big fenced yard -on a busy street and shared walls w/2 other units. Our dog was constantly agitated....things that go bump in the night make her anxious as did the constant foot traffic out side the fence. Moving to a single family home was what made the difference to her. Yukon has always been in this house.

But we don't live in a big city. Our daily walks are not on the side walk of a busy city street. Our daily walks are off leash out in the refuge on the flats, out in the woods, out by the lakes or on the beach. My dogs log about 3-5 miles a day most days off leash racing thru the woods or open fields or splashing in a lake or sea. I don't think that large active dogs can get what they need to be happy and healthy at the end of the leash.

Sure they have days when they don't get much more than a quick walk around the block and some time out in the back yard. But they're pretty good at showing us that more than a day or 2 of that isn't going to work.

:laugh:
my boyfriend has a good amount of land, and combined with the land each of his brothers own, my dogs have hundreds of acres to run on, which i do take them to do, but Brady would much rather go to the local park and walk on a leash :noidea: :crazy:

Uplander - I never said that my dogs were completely turned loose to roam where ever....I only have 1 acre of land, it's not like their turned loose on 100 acres or so.

They have plenty of grass; and yes, aside from their roaming on our 1 acre, they get plenty of exercise otherwise...I don't just turn them loose outside and expect they stay in perfect health, no...but I do have one dog that absolutely adores the property and runs till his heart is content.

I too never said that dogs couldn't survive in the city; I lived in the city with several dogs for years....I'm simply saying, that health extends beyond just diet....so it was a question I threw out....that's all.

Woofie...I happen to agree with what you are saying. Although we have 3 + acres, we still take Java for hikes, walks and swims. Having land does not replace exercise....but I think it makes for a hppier, healthier dog when they have land to roam and explore. I know Java loves it. Dogs can live in apartments, but I feel most would be happier with a little freedom and fresh air.

Absolutely, I agree health extends beyond a dogs diet, however, I live in the heart of the city (love it) with all the hustle and bustle going on and work downtown. I have a house we bought when we moved here which only sits on a .25 lot so our back yard is small (prior to our dogs). We also have a cabin up in the heart of the mountains that sits on over an acre. In connection with living in the city, we head out to where the field trials/hunt tests are done at least once a week which sits on over 100 acres, we hike in the mountains, swim, long trail walks, have many fields to play ball in, etc..

The next house we buy will have land but regardless if it has 1 acre or 10 acres I don’t feel as though this replaces a dog’s exercise and/or several other things. In regards to the smog, air we breathe, well, Utah is much healthier then the big city I originally lived in.:D

I feel lucky in many ways but I certainly don’t feel less living in the city. I know my dogs live the good life. :p:

Bailey...my aunt's lot is .27 acres, not much bigger then what you describe....but it's very decent sized for her 2 huge goldens.

No, acreage does not replace exercise, that really wasn't what I meant. I don't have squat for acreage either in comparison to others here. I am a firm believer in other forms of exercise, just saying that when one is out working all day, it's nice for the animal - on a nice day anyways - to have access to run at will within boundries of course.

Sounds like you all definitely get more time with your companions throughout the day; mine do get to see me quite a bit, but I'm also gone for 10hrs a day. If the sun is down, which it generally is in the winter time before I get home, we still run and play out back, but I can't take them for walks after sundown....too much BIG wildlife here.

My gang also gets plenty of time up in the mountains, playing in the rivers, etc. they are very much indoor/outdoor dogs, though my 2 little ones hate the winters here.

My family has 100 acres of property up in the country, and we take our dogs there when we can on the weekends. There is a large area that we fenced in for them, not sure of the measurements though. I like to walk Tux down the country roads so he can see cows. He tends to bark at them and then they stampede....

We are on 5 acres of property, most of it is woods. We do have an invisible fence but I usually only put the fence collar on one of my dogs. They all know the fence boundary and stay within it, they have lots of space available to them. They are happy having freedom but usually are always laying on the back patio. But I like my guys having some freedom to roam around a little when they want to.

We have acres fenced in for the horses & dogs. Free access to the barn with very comfortable accomodations for everyone. My "barn labs" wouldn't trade with my "house labs" for anything in the world. They come in occasionally, but want to go right back out.

I do believe my "barn dogs" are more hardy. They have the opportunity to lick their wounds & walk off a sour stomach. Mostly their exercise is chasing rabbits, running up/down the hills to see what the horses are doing. Not to mention, playing with their humans and practicing obedience.

Sadly, we lost a beloved "barn dog" to a pack of coyote last year. It is true that living outside subjects them to more dangers than being in a crate during the day. However, that yellow lab had a life most labradors will only dream about.

We're only on an acre.....but coming from NYC that is an awful lot! LOL They have more than enough room to run and play ball or frisbee, or "hunt" the squirrels....LOL We have a little "forest" in the back, but my two are not encouraged to roam. In fact, we were sticklers for teaching them acceptable boundaries. We have plenty of fields and forests here where they can roam and run free (under the supervision of one of us) :D

Bailey...my aunt's lot is .27 acres, not much bigger then what you describe....but it's very decent sized for her 2 huge goldens.

No, acreage does not replace exercise, that really wasn't what I meant. I don't have squat for acreage either in comparison to others here. I am a firm believer in other forms of exercise, just saying that when one is out working all day, it's nice for the animal - on a nice day anyways - to have access to run at will within boundries of course.

Sounds like you all definitely get more time with your companions throughout the day; mine do get to see me quite a bit, but I'm also gone for 10hrs a day. If the sun is down, which it generally is in the winter time before I get home, we still run and play out back, but I can't take them for walks after sundown....too much BIG wildlife here.

My gang also gets plenty of time up in the mountains, playing in the rivers, etc. they are very much indoor/outdoor dogs, though my 2 little ones hate the winters here.



Nope, I would say we don’t get more time in during the day. I work full time Monday through Friday with a good 50 hours per week. I am lucky in the sense DH works from home so the dogs don’t need to be crated 90% of the time. However, DH may get in a few days of the month to take the dogs out during the day but we are weekend warriors and we spend a lot of time getting out early in the morning and late in the evenings. Of course, I too dread winter coming with getting dark so early so things will slow down in that aspect which is why I would love more acreage when it’s pouring down snow but hey, it’s the dogs favorite time of the year. :)

how many acres do your dogs have access to on a daily basis for roaming and just living the good life?

I think it takes a lot more than just acreage to roam. I know my lab never just "roams" without me. We've always lived in small cities/towns, not so much by choice, but gotta make a living some how. Nonetheless, outdoor activities are our passion and I certainly would not say that my dog is less healthy because we live in a suburban neighborhood with a 1/3 acre lot. She's trekked through the mountains of Washington, Oregon, No. California, and now Vermont and New Hampshire, while we hike, snowshoe and ski. It's not on a daily basis, but we try to get out at least every weekend, and I sometimes get a quick something in before or after work.

I could, however, never, ever live in a big city where it took more than 20 minutes to access outdoor recreation.

We do not have a lot of land but what i consider a HUGE yard... she goes out there but typically sits at the door waiting for us to go with her... when we lived in an apt we walked her WAY MORE.... we are slacking lately because of life getting crazy but trying to get back into walking her more... she doesnt want to be outside if we are not there with her, she would be happier in a small room with me rather than a yard to roam alone.... so I think rather than land to roam i think companionship is more important