Outdoor sleeping temperatures for Golden Retrievers?

[Flaxbee]

My idiot neighbors who are IGNORING their dog, said dog (Gus) who comes over here with half-dead baby possums he gives to us, said dog who sleeps on our back porch because the neighbors just let him run loose ...

For Gus' bed (because he will not leave, and insists on sleeping on the porch) I have an old double-seat from our long-dead minivan folded over, with blankets on it for him to sleep on. So he's raised up off the ground, but I have nothing to shelter him with (aside from that fact that he's inside a covered porch, but the porch is simply screened in by flimsy screenwire - nothing to keep wind off).

He's not my dog. I don't want a dog, can't handle a dog right now. I'm trying to find him a good home, though this area really sucks when it comes to animal care (rural western NC). The wife half of the couple who adopted him wants me to find him a home (she just had a baby and really does not want to deal with a 9-month-old dog), the husband half seems to want to keep Gus, keeps promising to build a better fence, keep Gus in, etc. etc. etc.

Anyway. I'm concerned about keeping Gus warm until I find him a good home. Should I go to the thrift store and get a few old big blankets for him to cuddle into? The blankets on his bed now are not big enough for him to really snuggle into. Please help; I don't have much extra cash and need a few simple, cheap ideas to keep this fella warm.

I have seven indoor cats, and having him come into the garage is a non-starter. I just need to make sure he's OK on the back porch somehow.

Alternative thought: the minivan mentioned above, which has yet to be hauled away (I've used it over the months as the place for the feral cats I've trapped to have neutered/spayed to recuperate before I release them again) -- could that be transformed into a bed/shelter?



we have a minivan that needs to be hauled away someday soon

[Shell Beau]

1. It is better to use hay instead blankets.

How cold is it?

[Flaxbee]

5. right now, in the 40s. Soon will be much colder - I'm in the

Blue Ridge Mtns.

[Muttocracy]

11. I've read that too - blankets can get wet and freeze more than straw. nt

[Jamastiene]

2. Sleeping bags can be bought for as little as $10, but the $20 ones would be better

for braving the cold. They will give him something better than just blankets to help hold his body temperature up until he can find a home. You can leave them halfway zipped up and bunch up the top half so the opening is propped up a little bit. That way can go inside if he needs to.

[Muttocracy]

3. what about Golden Retriever rescue? several in N.C.

http://www.absolutelygolden.com/rescue.htm

I have a friend up here in NY that just adopted a Golden mix from a southern rescue group.

[Flaxbee]

4. I'm so far away from any of those places -- I've made a few

calls already and not really gotten anywhere, but I'll try again... he's a really good dog, the neighbors are assholes.

[Muttocracy]

10. maybe email these folks for advice?

http://www.grrcc.com/contact_grrcc.htm

or hunt around on Petfinder for a shelter or all-breed rescue group that might help?

http://www.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?location=asheville%2C+nc&keyword=golden

don't go by distance - I've transported dogs for hours for rescue groups.

[siligut]

6. Goodwill has blankets.

Also old sleeping bags, as mentioned above they can provide more protection.

[bicentennial_baby]

7. Um, let him in the house until you find him a home?

:shrug:

That's would I would do. I'm from a colder winter climate, but yeah, I'd bring the dog inside at night. YMMV.

[Flaxbee]

9. bi-baby, I have 7 indoor cats, none of whom have ever

met a dog face-to-face. If I want carnage, yes. If I need to keep the house and cats intact, no.

[dawgmom]

8. Bless you for caring about this dog

You have the right idea, by having something that allow him to get up off the ground. Just about anything in the way of old blankets, etc. will work as bedding. The suggestion about inexpensive sleeping bags is a good one. I might also suggest something as simple and inexpensive as large cardboard boxes placed around his bed, to keep the wind off him. He might even prefer going inside one of them and using it as a bed -- dogs really love to have a "cave" they can curl up in.

But may I suggest something else, with regard to your quest to find him a home? PLEASE consider contacting a Golden Retriever Rescue organization. This link will take you to a state listing:
http://www.absolutelygolden.com/rescue.htm
You're not limited to just North Carolina; you might consider also contacting a rescue group from a neighboring state. Breed rescue people are extraordinarily dedicated to saving these dogs, and if they have people available who can foster the dogs until a forever home is found, they'll oftentimes also travel a distance to pick up a dog, if you're unable to deliver it. They will NOT surrender a dog to the humane society, so there's no worry of a dog being euthenized. If they accept a dog, they will foster it until a forever home is found that fits just right for Gus. Most even operate "Underground Railroads" where different state rescue groups talk to one another, and volunteers will drive a dog 100 miles, hand it off to another volunteer who drives it another 100 miles, etc. -- until the dog is delivered to its forever home. That's one of the volunteer activities I do. I've transported dogs that started out in Delaware and ended up in Illinois.

Seriously -- please consider contacting them, and telling them about Gus. And let me know what happens. Neglected dogs really pull at my heartstrings, and I would love to know that he finds a good home. Let your neighbors know that they're doing the right thing, to surrender him.

Good luck.

[Flaxbee]

12. I might have a place for him here - a woman who lost her

golden a year or so ago to old age. But the woman who is the intermediary hasn't called me back.

But I'll contact the groups in NC and Georgia (I'm actually closer to Atlanta than almost any other big city in NC) tomorrow. This has gone on long enough. I've taught Gus to sit, and give him some affection and food and water ... I just don't have time/money/energy to keep him. If I had my own house and a yard, it would be a no-brainer. But we rent, and travel about 1/4 of each year for work.

Will go to some thrifts tomorrow to get more bedding. The neighbors are not bad people, just sort of vague and ignorant.

[flvegan]

13. 7 bales of hay/straw

Makes the best doghouse if he has to stay outside. No better doggie insulation in the world. He'll be warm, dry and happy in his new den. Toss an old blanket in there or some straw bedding in there for him to lay on.

Paradise for the time being.

[wartrace]

14. Cardboard box with hay?

If its just temporary and under the roof of your porch a cardboard box would work to keep the heat in. Go down to the farmers co-op & you can get a bale of straw to line the inside. If it gets REALLY cold & you have the spare cash you could buy him a heated dog mat (as long as he isn't a chewer).

You are a sweetheart for helping this dog. The problem is that if you do find him a home I am willing to bet the "genius" next door will acquire another one.