Shutting your door on the dog is anti-social of dog owners and research shows that it can make a dog anti-social too.

By promoting the use of dog houses, the Nelson SPCA is promoting the cruelty of isolation and the creation of dangerous dogs in its community - the President of the BC SPCA, Mary Lou Troman's community.

One has to be extremely uninformed to think it is acceptable to leave a dog outside for longer than it wants which in the experience of every dog lover and expert we know, is about 5 - 10 minutes. Just long enough to patrol the perimeter and take a leak. Then they want back onto the couch or to lie at your feet.

AAS has rescued dogs that spent their whole lives outside and everyone of them is afraid at first to go out the door in case the door is shut and they are locked out again. It breaks our hearts, so we go out with the dog, with the door left wide open, until the dog realizes that it can go back into the house when it wants.

Outside dogs adopt very anti-social behaviours, dig, cry, bark, howl, escape, irritate the neighbours, and get poisoned. They also get neglected.

And they often get chained to stop them escaping. Perhaps the Nelson SPCA can make the prize a package deal? A 100lb chain to go with that dog house?