When did people stop keeping dogs outside in dingy doghouses, and instead let them stay inside, like the rest of the family?

Which years did that TV show Lassie air? Another indicator could be those few years before Americans started seeing pet food commercials.

It must have been before I was born. Dogs have always lived inside from what I remember. I do remember that some people had dog houses, and the Brady Bunch had a dog house, but everyone I knew personally let their dogs stay inside the house.

I was born in ‘68.

I have seen (and still see) both versions. Many dogs are bought or adopted as companions and they are treated as members of the family. Some dogs are obtained as watch dogs and are left outside to help make them more effective.

Here in America, my generation is the first to let them inside, for my family. Only cats were allowed indoors, or birds.

Back in the 1980s, two golden lab mixes greatly preferred outdoors. Coming indoors was exciting, and a little scary, and the dogs were skittish.

By the close of the decade, the second half of their lives, they were indoor dogs.

The next set, which we obtained in the mid 1990s, never lived a day outdoors and were maybe a little afraid of being out there by themselves. In my last dog’s remaining four years, she pretty much slept with me on my bed, and only rarely got off.

You assume that I allow my family to sleep in my house! My dog’s house is nicer than mine. I got him to be a watch dog and being inside defeats that purpose. While outside, nobody steps a foot inside my yard without me knowing that they are there. He’s a german shepherd/golden retriever mix with a very thick coat so cold weather doesn’t bother him. I worry about hm more during the hotest part of the year than the coldest. If I ever get him inside, he’s standing at the door begging to go back out less than 2 minutes later. With the coat that he has, he sheds terribly. He’s happier outside and I’m happier when he’s outside.

When did dogs turn from slaves into furbabies? Dogs lost slave status when Paris Hilton stuck hers in her purse & started taking it everywhere. People are like sheep so they followed in her footsteps so they’d look rich and cool.

I think it largely depends on the country/culture. I’m sure even in America it varies widely from region to region.

They are family only when they are not on the menu.

Feral dogs and cats should be in season year round.

There have always been indoor and outdoor dogs. Just try erecting a doghouse outside your suite in Trump Tower.

In my neighborhood, it’s 50/50. My two dogs are little princesses who own nicer sweaters than me. There’s a few others like that around too. But there’s about three houses on this street where the dogs are just outside in the yard all the time, regardless of weather.

There are still too many dogs that aren’t kept outside, but left outside.
I cleaned a kennel once for a Brittany Spaniel. The kennel was out in the weeds on the other side of the driveway. There was no drainage since the 2X4 concrete forms had never been removed. The kennel was a swamp of sewage that this poor dog lived in.
Another dog, a Great Dane, froze to death one cold winter because nobody thought to bring the poor thing in when it got so cold. It crawled under a evergreen bush to escape the snow and cold and died on the bare ground, lying on a branch of the bush. When I pulled the dog out to dispose of it for the woman, it was frozen solid.

@kritiper That is heart breaking. That is animal abuse and should be reported as such.