Makena A.

Dogs Should Be Indoors by Makena A.

It’s a quiet day at the Aiona house. No one is there; the mom is teaching, the brothers are at school, the baby is at the sitter's, and the father is fighting a brush fire. The only souls there are the pair of lazy doggies, basking in the sun. Just then, the sound of a glass door shattering filled the air. The lazy, black furred dog raised an ear as he peeked through his eyes, just enough to scan his turf, the backyard. No one in my territory, he thought. I'm good. Meanwhile, in the house, a thief ransacks the entire residence, without anyone noticing, not even the dogs. Soon, the thief leaves, just as fast and stealthily as he came. The house goes back to being a quiet, humble abode, except for the fact that the entire place is trashed.  

How could this possibly happen, even though those two tail-waggers are right there? Shouldn’t they scare away the intruder with barking and snarling? This is why dogs need to be kept inside! If their turf is the backyard, then they’ll protect the backyard with their life. If their territory is the house, then they’ll solely protect the house with their life. They also think of you as the owner of their pack. If they think of you as the owner of the pack, shouldn't you own up to that? You need to protect them and nurture them, as if your own. They also make baby's immune systems stronger. If dogs are inside, your baby will be healthier than others who are not exposed to dogs. These are all important reasons to keep in mind for why dogs should be kept inside.  

Yes, dogs will only protect their territory. That’s why they NEED to be inside. They will protect and scare away infiltrators. Yes, they will be a nuisance during parties, but it's WORTH it! If dogs are kept inside, they will protect the inside. How good is that??!!! This is because a dog is naturally protective of where he lives. This means that if is only kept in the backyard, then that will be all that he protects. “If he is never allowed in the house, then the house will not become a place to protect ("Backyard Dog, Outdoor Dog: Facts, Guidance, Solutions"). I have dogs that like to be under the outside stairs, and they only bark when someone is ON the stairs, not before the stairs or in the house. Therefore, I KNOW this is true from personal experience and facts.

You are the owner, the alpha. The dog is the member of the pack. Your dog looks up to you for guidance, strength, and courage. If you throw him in a kennel outside, then he will feel neglected. Why? Why do you do this to him? Your dog looks up to you, and then you throw him outside? ANIMAL ABUSE ALERT!!! He belongs inside, with you! You need to treat him as part of the pack, not like some stale fart in the bathtub! I mean, that's lower than an ant squashed under a stinky shoe! If you’re gonna get a dog, treat him with respect, not yucky, dirty, back-turning neglect!

Having a dog has it's health benefits. Isn't that cool?! If babies are exposed to dogs at an early age, they will develop a stronger immune system than others with no dogs. See, if cleaning commercials are to be believed, humanity is in a bloodshed against germs, and we won't stop until every single one of them is dead. But keeping a dog outside actually makes us more vulnerable to germs and getiing sick because our bodies cannot develop immunities to them! Fortunately, dogs carry germs like the ocean carries water. Having a dog in the house means that more bacteria enters the home and gets inside the people inside the home (one study found that “dog related biodiversity” is especially high on pillowcases). “In turn, people with dogs seem to get i'll less frequently and less severely than people with cats or no pets" (Benjamin).

While some say that dogs are too dirty and shed too much hair to be in the house, the benefits that they bring to our immune systems is important! Because people are going on “germ killing sprees,” we’re not able to develop immunities to germs, which causes us to catch illnesses more often. Well, because dogs are seething with germs, we can develop immunities to them, thanks to the dogs shedding fur and slobbering saliva. Okay I guess the saliva part is pretty gross...