Is it cruel to let St Bernard dogs stay outside in 95 degree heat all summer?

Yes, without a doubt.

Actually, its cruel to let any long-haired dog stay out in the heat like you have described. our border collie cannot stand the heat. its been 95 to 100 degrees in Nashville for the past three weeks. he goes out to do his business and then he’s ready for the inside cool air conditioning again. he has med-length black fur. black absorbs the heat. imagine what its like to be outside with a fur coat on and the temp. is 95 degrees. i would burn and so do St. Bernard dogs. yes, this is animal cruelty. if coming inside is not an option, the woman could at least water the dogs down two or three times a day.

Very much so. It is rough even for short haired dogs to be out in that kind of heat. Have you thought about speaking to her about this or finding some information on the computer about the repercussions of doing so and present it to her?

What a thoughtless ass.

I want to not be so judgmental against backyard breeders, but I can’t help myself. The shelters are overrun with unwanted dogs and cats – many of which are purebred. I think it’s a shame to make a profit by producing more animals… while strays are being killed because there is no one to take care of them.

Yes, it is cruel to leave any dog out in heat like this. Maybe she doesn’t realise, so you could always bring it to her attention. Remind her that she doesn’t want to sit out in the heat all day… and just imagine doing it in a fur coat. So why should the dog?

Poor dogs, call Animal Rescue with the tattoo salon guys… :) they’re gonna “explain” to him!

Maybe this sounds strange, and I know I have brought my Great Pyrenees in for the summers, but where would they live otherwise? They are dogs and have lived outdoors and in the wild for centuries before now and made it just fine. Perhaps because they have been brought to an environment that is not their natural habitat and proves more challenging for them to stay comfortable I can see your point. She could have them trimmed and provide a small pool for them to help keep them cool.

When you combine the humidity with that temperature, she could kill those little dogs. I agree with @TheOnlyNeffie , it is bad enough to breed and sell more animals than this country can handle now,but a big long haired dog like that in heat like that. She is either uninformed, or just doesn’t care.
So, @Aster tag you’re it. You get to go tell her. :)

I think that she should be made to sit WITH them in a fur coat for a week. It’s unbelievable how people can justify such behavior. There is nothing that could be said, that would change my mind, even though by nature, I’m an open-minded individual.

Worse than that, the assholes that leave them in the sun with no water. When I was working (retired), told the lady that i would like to have the dog, she gave it to me. Took it to humane shelter. Hopefully, the dog ended up in a good home.

It has water. She is old but just had 2 puppies, a boy and a girl. So she is now, at the end of her life, staying indoors with a/c and a ceiling fan in a pen nursing her pups. I guess she’s thinking, “so I had to go through THAT to get cool?”
She is shaven regularly.

That’s ashame. You really should call animal control and have them decide or talk to her.

@Aster the one i rescued had no water and was in the sun…grrrrrrrrr

@Aster She is old but just had 2 puppies, a boy and a girl. What do you mean? The St. Bernard dog is old but just had puppies? How old? She is at the end of her life and was made to have puppies so that idiot woman could sell them? Dogs should not have puppies after about 6 years old. And where is the male St. Bernard? Is he still in the heat? If you haven’t reported her yet, you should do so immediately. I hate people that just buy a dog for breeding purposes.

really, one purpose for the long hair is to insulate them from the suns heat. It is a good idea to bring them in if even for short periods through the day but big hair dogs don’t really suffer any more than short hair dogs. In fact, the slick hair dogs can and do get sunburn where the bushy guys don’t. So it is a bad thing to shear off those locks for summer

The family next door leaves their two big dogs out all day in the summer. There’s a kind of lean-to they can go under, but I don’t think they use it much. Anyway, the heat has been over 100 for a week. I feel terrible for these poor dogs and can’t understand how these people can be so cruel.

Yes this is very cruel. I believe some people have a mindset that animals do not have the capacity to feel pain like people do so they just don’t care. I had a neighbor whose family owned a small mixed breed dog (short hair variety) and they would keep the poor dog outside all winter long (with no shelter/dog house). The dog would be out all night in -10 weather (actual temp, not wind chill) barking and crying. I called the cops but they never did nothing. They don’t have the dog no more. I also agree with Neffie.