Yup, you can bet her horseless carriage on that one . I was born, raised & still live in TX trust be I know .

Okay, like I said it's not meant as disrespect, and also the culture is different, so some things to my eyes are odd or strange.

North Carolina- I was surprised how many dogs are "yard dogs", live outside a lot, I lived in a really nice area, but lots of dogs seemed to be tethered to lines. I didn't see that many prongs on dogs, dogs also seemed to wander more, I often had my neighbours dogs pay visits as they were out, also dog breeds different from the UK. Lots of hounds, fell in love with Blood Hounds there, and Coon Dogs. Also, realised GSD's aren't seen really so much as pets, whereas in the UK they are. Also, the lack of fences in some places, so people would use invisible fencing, we had to rent short term, and sadly the only house that we could find, which would let us have the pets, had no fencing, so I used long lines, which I think made me an oddity, as I won't use electric fencing.
Had my first experience of seeing prongs etc in shops, and other weird electrical devices,collars,fences, scat mats etc. Also puppies in shopping malls, and people buying them even though they look so ill I met my first debarked dog, never seen that before


Texas- There are dogs who live outside all the time, like my neighbours, but there also seem less of them, in this area anyway. In my street I can think of several houses with electric fences, and in one case it doesn't work, he goes through the fence worked up, but once he is all calm, can't back in. I don't get it, keep your dog in your back garden, and then you don't have to shock them.
I do seem to see more prong collars when I walk the dogs, I have seen a few shock collars, but more prongs. My OH commented on it recently to a neighbour, about him using a prong, and the man thought we are mad that we don't use one. I do see people CMing their dogs , but he is a lot more popular over here I suppose so that explains why.

I miss the freedom my dogs had in the UK, it was a lot easier to find places to safely let them run, but wildlife is much more abundant here, has bigger teeth and claws too, so can understand why a lot of places have strict lead laws.


I do have positive dog friends, and I know there are lots of great things being done here, to improve things, and maybe I find somethings odd because I see them through European eyes.

I have no idea what a horseless carriage is

I've been to 20 states, before and since I moved here , and some are very similar, and then some are very different.

This is one thing that's in many places in the USA and it's one thing I think really sucks. I think across the board we tend to be a fairly litigious society so politicians try to stave that off with ridiculous laws.

My partner used to live in NC and he found the experience there much like you said. He lived on a mountain and his dog had free reign to run off. She used to make the rounds visiting the other houses, getting treats and stuff. The south is known for a lot of yard dogs, but more places are starting to institute anti-tethering laws. I think the tie-outs are more common here because fenced in back yards are not that common, really.

I live in New York state and things are pretty different here. I don't know of any yard dogs. I know some dogs that are tied out for periods of time, but they're not unhappy about it. My parents put their dog on a tie-out because she just wants to hang out outside in the sun. She's not a yard dog though! She's probably the most pampered pooch ever.

I knew one person with an invisible fence, but once her dog blew through it once, she tossed the collar and decided to try better methods of working with her dog.

I do come across the occasional CM type but meet far more people who use positive reinforcement. There are a lot of pro-positive training places around here.

There aren't many places left that sell puppies in pet stores. Most have closed down and places like Petsmart give space to rescues to come in with their dogs and cats. Petsmart and Petco both offer training classes and both use positive reinforcement. These are are two biggest pet store chains in the USA.

Yeah, dogs definitely wandered more in NC, we lived near the foothills of the mountains, how lucky your OH was to live in the mountains, I loved them. Mack and I hiked part of the Appalachian Trail by ourselves in 2009,it was an amazing experience, and one I am thinking about doing again, though bit of a drive from Texas

It was much easier for me to find safe offlead places in the UK, but I've managed to find some.

I wish things like Prongs, E collars etc, were harder to buy ,and some pet shops didn't have puppies in them etc, but it's how things are They just seem wrong to me, as this isn't normal in the UK. I'm sure my neighbours probably think, I'm the odd one

Yeah there are a good number of ppl who have outside dogs, nothing wrong with that. Mine are 1/2 outside dogs as they only come in at night.

I'm looking at my dog, currently stretched out next to me on the bed, snoring, her head on my pillow, and thinking, this is the dog that you can't see. Of course it seems like most dogs are tied out of left to roam. The spoiled pets are tucked safe inside. I think the recent in flux of dog parks and dog day care centers as well as positive training classes speaks volume. Again, you aren't going to see these dogs.

Leash laws are the bane of my existence. I loved the freedom Moxie and I had in Mexico to wander the mountainside and explore off lead and un fettered. But this is the reality here, we have to deal with it.

I by no means mean to minimize the problem of dogs being neglected, mistreated or abandoned in my state because I know the problem is huge. But I also know (personally) the thousands of Texans and Americans working tirelessly with no compensation and little thanks to save as many dogs as possible. My FB news feed is flooded daily with the pleas to save, to foster, to transport or chip in for one death row dog after another. The movement towards compassion cannot be ignored.

Unfortunately, as economies start going down the tubes, as the US one seems to be doing, rather like our own, then often dogs and other domestic pets suffer first. It may be that the movement towards compassion may stutter a bit, Muttzrule, and that's just basic compassion, never mind the niceties of training, unfortunately, as dogs get shoved out on the streets. Like you say, there are many, many wonderful people working to save dogs, but I think there will eventually be a breakpoint, where the volunteer system gets completely overwhelmed.

I should of said the positives too, I probably bore my UK friends stupid with my FB posts about dogs needing help there are lots of people working really hard to make things better. I foster, and help pull and transport dogs from local county kill shelters when I can, and what I do is nothing compared to some people who literally dedicate their lives to helping these dogs.
I feel bad, for not mentioning that , there is a huge network of volunteers, who help get these dogs and cats out of kill shelters, and many end up in their own homes, till a foster or rescue place is found.

The ASPCA is backing a proposal to make all dog breeders who breed more than 50 dogs a year licensed and inspected, whether they sell direct or though the internet, or stores, that will really make it hard for puppy farms/mills to churn out the amount of dogs that they do.

I know there is some shocking cruelty and neglect going on, and I also should of said there are wonderful people who work their @rses off to make things better, through not only rescuing, but education. The economy hasn't helped the situation, as a lot of people are struggling,a dn as far as I can see rescues are at breaking point, and a lot can't take on anymore, but somehow places ae found for one more dog, and that is a huge positive



So a more balanced view from me maybe should of read, yes, you can buy devices, and tools that aren't the norm in the UK, and they are used by some, and some dogs are treated in ways that I find strange, BUT the flip side of that is there are many, many people who work in the background, and give huge chunks of their lives to make things better for dogs. As positive trainers, owners and volunteers.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree, as I can't see the point of having a dog as part of your family, if you leave it outside all day and all night.I'm not talking about dogs that come in at night, I mean the dogs that do spend their entire life outside, never going in.