Every animal adopted from Homeward Bound must and shall reside indoors, in the adopter's home, and live as a family member and companion only. This does not mean that the dog can be kenneled outdoors and come in at night or that a cat can roam around outdoors - to us, that does not qualify as living indoors. Unless the director of Homeward Bound gives written consent, we will NOT place one of our dogs in a home that is planning on keeping their dog outside more than 25% of the time. The dog will not be kept outdoors during the adopter's working hours, or at any other time left alone outdoors while the adopter is not at home. Being a house-dog means just that - it does not mean garages, dog houses (heated or otherwise), barns, kennels, outbuildings, etc. An outside shelter such as a doghouse is not acceptable as residence but can be used only when needed in extreme heat, cold, or rain when the dog is let out into the yard for short periods of time and only when the adopter is at home. Dogs may not sleep outside. We will not adopt out a dog/cat to families/people that keep other dogs/cats outdoors as well, even if they promise to keep a Homeward Bound animal indoors.

If we find out that you are keeping a Homeward Bound dog, puppy, cat, or kitten outdoors, we have the legal right to repossess your pet and will do so.

We truly don't understand why people want to get a dog if they are going to stick them outdoors. What is the point of getting a dog if you rarely interact with it? Even if someone says they are going to interact with their outdoor dog, the attention they receive is statistically much less than indoor dogs receive.

Dogs are social animals and want to be part of the pack. Their pack is their human family. Being isolated from their pack goes again their most basic instinct so oftentimes they do whatever they can to get attention from their pack/family. More often than not, they receive this attention by bad behavior. We have rescued so many dogs who had been made to live outdoors, many of whom have been neglected, both physically and mentally. It is easy for us to spot the dogs who were previously lived outdoors because most are desperate for human contact, have terrible coats, are often really shy due to little social interaction with people, are scared of going into a house, etc. For many people, an outdoor dog translates into "out of sight, out of mind," and this mentality only hurts the dog. Owners of outdoor dogs sometimes claim to spend just as much time with their dog as owners of indoor dogs do, but from our experience this is highly unlikely. Often times, outdoor dogs are so starved for attention that when they do finally do get to interact with people their behavior is annoying because they are so excited to see someone that they become almost overbearing. Their people then get frustrated with the dog and don't want to spend much time with them - this in turn makes the dog even more desperate. If you still are not convinced that indoor dogs are happier than outdoor dogs, think of all the whining, barking, clawing dogs you have seen from dogs who are tied up or fenced alone outside. These dogs are trying desperately to get attention from their family and after being repeatedly ignored, they become hyperactive, listless, fearful, or vicious when the stress of enforced solitude becomes too much to cope with. The dogs are trying to tell their owners something with their bad behavior - mainly, "notice me!"

Some people decide to keep their dogs outdoors because of "inconveniences." Shedding is the number one issue with them, but dogs also get banished outdoors if they don't have good manners (which their owners failed to teach them). They also get sent outside for being too needy or wanting too much attention. Regarding the shedding issue - dumping a dog outdoors because s/he "sheds too much" is rather a silly argument since there are plenty of things people can do to decrease the amount a dog sheds. The most important things are feeding your dog a high quality diet, brushing him/her weekly with appropriate brushes, and keep the dog indoors. Outdoor dogs shed much, much more than indoor dogs. Outdoor dogs have to grow a heavy winter coat, which then sheds in the spring and summer. In the fall, the summer coat sheds to prepare for the winter coat. If you really hate dog hair, please don't get a dog.

Another reason we are against dogs living outdoors is the mentality of the owners that seems to go along with it. We've found that the owners of outdoor dogs oftentimes (though not always) do not bother to give their dogs proper medical treatment, even the obvious basics like spaying or neutering. A large percentage of outdoor dogs come into rescue heartworm positive. Very few outdoor dogs have ever received much needed dentals. They need these dentals because of the cheap food they've been given. Cheap food (Purina - especially Purina One or Beneful, Alpo, Ol' Roy, Pedigree, Mighty Dog, Kibbles-n-Bits, Gravy Train, Sprout, and Pro Plan) causes plague build-up at a much high rate than high quality food. For a list of the dog food brands we recommend as well as why it is so important to feed your dog well, go to our dog food page.

There are other reasons why it is not a good idea to keep your pets outdoors. Outdoor dogs have a much higher likelihood of getting a disease or sick (such as heartworm and heatstroke), getting poisoned, pet theft (yes, even in Minnesota!), the chance of a dog being shot if it is running loose (especially in rural areas), etc. Poisoning, either intentionally or accidentally, is an all too common problem - especially with neighbors poisoning dogs who they feel are barking too much.

• "Outdoor Dogs" www.paws.org/cas/resources/ fact_sheets_dogs/outdoordog2.php
• "It's A Chained Dog's Life, and It's Not a Good One" www.unchainyourdog.org/news/LifeSentence.htm
• "Chaining: Cruel, Unnecessary, and Too Often Overlooked" www.washhumane.org/info/chain.htm
• "The Facts About Chaining or Tethering Dogs" www.hsus.org/pets/ issues_affecting_our_pets/ animal_abuse_and_neglect/ the_facts_about_chaining_or_tethering_dogs.html
• "Do You Chain Your Dog" www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/ dog_care/do_you_chain_your_dog.html
• "Dogs Deserve Better" www.dogsdeservebetter.com/home.html
• "Dogs Need Time Off Chain To Learn Good Behavior" www.unchainyourdog.org/news/ 041010DogsNeedTimeOff.htm
• "Life at the End of a Chain" www.unchainyourdog.org/news/ 041010LifeEndChain.htm

• "What to Do About a Dog Who's Left Outside" www.hsus.org/pets/ issues_affecting_our_pets/ animal_abuse_and_neglect/ what_to_do_about_a_dog_whos_left_outside.html
• "21 Things You Can Do to Help" www.unchainyourdog.org/WaystoHelp.htm
• "Talking to Owners" www.unchainyourdog.org/Talking.htm
• "Castles for Canines to Remedy the Plight of Outdoor Dogs" www.unchainyourdog.org/news/ActiveActivist.htm

Why do we require physical fences for some of our dogs? If we tell you that a dog must have a physical fence, and you don't have one, please don't be insulted. We aren't implying that you wouldn't provide a good home for a dog, just that your home might not be the right one for a particular dog. We consider each dog's individual needs, and there may be many reasons why our dogs need physical containment.

1) Many Hounds (including most Beagles, Basset Hounds and Coonhounds) will never be reliable offlead and will follow their noses as far as they can. They are just too interested in smells! We do occasionally have Beagles or mixes that would do fine on a tie-out, but most of them must be confined for their own safety. Invisible fencing doesn't work for these dogs, either, since they will take a shock to chase a rabbit, squirrel or the occasional cat.

2) Some dogs, who come to us as adults, have a hard time learning to go potty on a tie out. For these dogs, the lack of a fenced yard can cause them to lose their housetraining, which often means that they will be returned to Homeward Bound. Please help us set them up for success by honoring our fencing requirements for these dogs.

3) Some dogs come to us with very sensitive temperaments. For these dogs, electric training collars and invisible fencing collars that use shock correction are the worst possible training methods, as they can cause the dog to become fear-aggressive. Dogs with sensitive temperaments grow into wonderful, confident family members, but only with the proper, positive training methods. Electric collars may work on some dogs, but shouldn't be used on all dogs.

With a foster-based program, and years of rescue experience, we are able to judge each dog on his own merits. We strive to place our dogs in the families that provide the best possible fit, both for their personalities and for the characteristics you are seeking in your new family member. Please honor our fencing requirements, as they are set with everyone's best interests in mind.