Like many shelter workers, Adam Goldberg, of the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has seen firsthand the damage that living outdoors can do to dogs.
"One of the cruelest things you could do to a dog is to chain them [up] for a prolonged period of time," Goldberg said. "It is cruel and inhumane! Dogs kept on chains watch as the world goes by and imagine what life would be like."
He recalled the story of Hope, a 3-year-old pit bull rescue who had never lived indoors before coming to the Broward County facility. Hope had "rough callouses on her elbows and joints from sleeping on hard surfaces like concrete."
Living outside, she had never learned the rules of a home; she'd missed out on the training most puppies get from their families. Hope had to be housebroken and taught not to steal from the garbage.
"It didn't take long for her to learn her inside manners and become accustomed to sleeping inside with her family in a warm bed," Goldberg said. "Her callouses began to soften and her skin improved due to better nutrition and protection from the elements and fleas. She now lives happily inside as part of a family who loves her.