My b's have a nice deck and doggie dog outside to the fenced yard where the birds and squirrels come to eat.
BUT 90% of the time, they want to be with me.
I think, in an ideal world, that is here all dogs want to be, with their humans, when they are home.
If it's a Law in Texas it sure isn't being enforced around here 
Here it is. Print it out and use it to your advantage when you call the local authoritiesā¦
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HB01411F.htm
I will admit that when I was a kid our dog was chained outside. But honestly, he didn't like it in the house, LOL. If he was brought in, he'd sit by the door trying to get back out. We couldn't have fences where we lived, so he had to be chained out. He could crawl under our porch for shelter and never would use the dog houses we got for him.
So.. while I HATE to see dogs chained out, I do always try to reserve judgment as long as there is shelter because I remember ol' Pokey very well. He HATED being indoors, even if it was stormy out, he preferred it outside.
Believe me, my sisters and I tried and tried to get him to be our house-dog, LOL.
Well, some husky breeds do like the outside, but with most dogs, IMO they need to be in the house, with their people.
In the old days, when I was a kid, we always let the bitches have one "litter" because it was thought to be best for them.
Nope, that's old style thinkingā¦
BUT in many areas of this country, its still the norm.
The issue with a lot of chained dogs, is not only are they not properly socialized, but they can't get away from another dog or child who is harming them...that makes them likely to see someone or something that has caused them harm and react before it happens again.
So, you have the nice kid who gets badly bitten by a dog who was bothered by others.
All this was something I have learned going to damaged dog classes.
I want to say that, from a purely selfish point of view, that people that leave their dogs tied outside make it harder for those of us that walk our dogs. There is a house down the street with a pom that is always tied outside, and everytime Jack and I walk by, the dog goes nuts barking and jumping around, and i have a hard time keeping Jack focused.
Me personally, Jack has pulled up the stake that his tie out is attached to more than once while I was outside (once while I was in my jammiesā¦you should have seen me running down the street in my slippers, but I digress) so I won't leave him out there alone. Even on a nice quiet street like ours, there is too much at stake....pardon the pun...
No wonder you laugh your self senseless when Ceasar Millan is on TV every time one of these dogowners opens their mouth when asked if they go on walks with their dogĀ“s .The answere is A) Too difficult 
IsnĀ“t the back yard enough??? C) Twice a week or 15 min a day.I donĀ“t know if people are ignorant or plain lazy over there.
Or do we just have different views/culture in dogkeeping ???
Move to Georgia mountains or the south if you want to see ignorance! So many pets are outside, chained, or living in small confined areas in the small towns. Weather in the winter is very cold, but the dogs stay outside. Breaks my heart. Also, many pet owners let their dogs run loose as there is no ordiance against it. If the authorities are called, they say, "Shoot it." There is one animal control officer in the entire area and he only responds to 911 emergency callsā¦if you are lucky. The animal shelters and rescue groups don't have room for more abandoned dogs and cats. Sad. Sad. Sad.
I lived down south for 4 yrs. Its really like going back in time re thinking of animals as property.
Slowly, its coming around, but not quick enough for most of us.
Sigh.
It makes you wonder if there should be a petowners licence as there is a drivers licence??
