FarmerDenise
Out to pasture
I love all the stories about everyone's "abused" dogs and cats. 
I think the point we are making, is that we take good care of our animals, protect them, provide for them, love and spoil them.
What we do may appear to the uneducated (about animal husbandry) and some extremists as abuse or neglect.
I think none of us are willing to jump to the conclusion that this farmer did anything wrong, without knowing more about the circumstances.
Lets see,
Abused and neglected animal one
My dog is outside all day, every day. Except when it is too hot, too cold or raining. She is outside at night, except in the winter, because it is too cold and it rains too much. She doesn't come inside to sleep in the summer due to heat, because it is usually cooler outside and we often go outside to sleep, So technically we join her outside on hot nights.
We do not take her to dog parks, because she gets intimidated by other dogs. We take her to DD's house for playdates with her dogs. (DD's dogs chase the chickens, so they don't get to come over) We don't walk her. She gets to run all she wants in our 1 acre lot. She loves chasing crows off the property and any other cats, that try to explore our yard. She watches for hawks and sleeps with the chickens and eats their food with them, and lets them eat her food.
Abused and neglected animals two and three
The cats. We have 2. Our older cat insists on using the potty outside. He refuses to use a litter box. No matter how badly he hurts, he insists on going outside to potty. He is more than 10 years old, is fixed and still gets into fights. He spends most of his time sleeping on what he deems the best location in the house at the moment.
When he wants to go out, he tracks us down and lets us know in no uncertain terms, that it is our job to open the door and wait until he slowly mosies out the door. He also likes his food dish freshened up every few hours.
The kitty goes out for a few hours every day. When he is ready, he jumps on the counter to where his collar lays. Or onto the kitchen table and looks out the window. We put his collar on and carry him into the back yard, where he spends his day chasing lizard birds and watching rat holes. Occasionally the dog and kitty chase each other. In the late afternoon he comes back in. Sometimes he asks to come in around 2-3 pm, because he wants to eat and use his litter box in the house.
Gosh we are so horrible. We let our cats outside, exposed to the elements and what not!!!
Abused and neglected animals: chickens.
We do lock our chickens up at night. They are also in a fenced yard in the summer, in the winter they free range in the field and we fence in the winter garden. We limit storebought mixes and don't medicate unless absolutely neccessary. We bring them in the house, if something is wrong. As a matter of fact I have one in the house right now. Susie has been loosing her feathers again and I bring her inside, because it is warmer in the house.
The worst case of abuse and neglect: the rabbit
We have a large (fixed) male rabbit. He lives outside in a very large pen. Concrete floor and chainlink fencing is nice and secure to protect him from escaping and thus getting caught by some other critter or escaping from our yard. The top is partially covered by a tarp to protect him from rain and too much sun. He has full view of everything that goes on in the yard. He interacts with the dog, kitty and the chickens. His pen is big enough to put a king sized bed in and furniture. Each of us spends time with him every day. It is easy for us to join him in his pen and he comes up for pets. He also has a nice cave like shelter and various interesting and fun places to jump up on and sit in. He loves his metal chair.
Yet the Humane Society won't let us get a companion for him, because he is housed outside!!!
I think the point we are making, is that we take good care of our animals, protect them, provide for them, love and spoil them.
What we do may appear to the uneducated (about animal husbandry) and some extremists as abuse or neglect.
I think none of us are willing to jump to the conclusion that this farmer did anything wrong, without knowing more about the circumstances.
Lets see,
Abused and neglected animal one
My dog is outside all day, every day. Except when it is too hot, too cold or raining. She is outside at night, except in the winter, because it is too cold and it rains too much. She doesn't come inside to sleep in the summer due to heat, because it is usually cooler outside and we often go outside to sleep, So technically we join her outside on hot nights.
We do not take her to dog parks, because she gets intimidated by other dogs. We take her to DD's house for playdates with her dogs. (DD's dogs chase the chickens, so they don't get to come over) We don't walk her. She gets to run all she wants in our 1 acre lot. She loves chasing crows off the property and any other cats, that try to explore our yard. She watches for hawks and sleeps with the chickens and eats their food with them, and lets them eat her food.
Abused and neglected animals two and three
The cats. We have 2. Our older cat insists on using the potty outside. He refuses to use a litter box. No matter how badly he hurts, he insists on going outside to potty. He is more than 10 years old, is fixed and still gets into fights. He spends most of his time sleeping on what he deems the best location in the house at the moment.
When he wants to go out, he tracks us down and lets us know in no uncertain terms, that it is our job to open the door and wait until he slowly mosies out the door. He also likes his food dish freshened up every few hours.
The kitty goes out for a few hours every day. When he is ready, he jumps on the counter to where his collar lays. Or onto the kitchen table and looks out the window. We put his collar on and carry him into the back yard, where he spends his day chasing lizard birds and watching rat holes. Occasionally the dog and kitty chase each other. In the late afternoon he comes back in. Sometimes he asks to come in around 2-3 pm, because he wants to eat and use his litter box in the house.
Gosh we are so horrible. We let our cats outside, exposed to the elements and what not!!!
Abused and neglected animals: chickens.
We do lock our chickens up at night. They are also in a fenced yard in the summer, in the winter they free range in the field and we fence in the winter garden. We limit storebought mixes and don't medicate unless absolutely neccessary. We bring them in the house, if something is wrong. As a matter of fact I have one in the house right now. Susie has been loosing her feathers again and I bring her inside, because it is warmer in the house.
The worst case of abuse and neglect: the rabbit
We have a large (fixed) male rabbit. He lives outside in a very large pen. Concrete floor and chainlink fencing is nice and secure to protect him from escaping and thus getting caught by some other critter or escaping from our yard. The top is partially covered by a tarp to protect him from rain and too much sun. He has full view of everything that goes on in the yard. He interacts with the dog, kitty and the chickens. His pen is big enough to put a king sized bed in and furniture. Each of us spends time with him every day. It is easy for us to join him in his pen and he comes up for pets. He also has a nice cave like shelter and various interesting and fun places to jump up on and sit in. He loves his metal chair.
Yet the Humane Society won't let us get a companion for him, because he is housed outside!!!
