We recently adopted a 1 year old lab and he's been an outside dog for the most part. With the light freeze that we're expec to see in the Houston area this week is there any reason that I should be concerned with the temp? He has a kennel underneath our covered patio out of the wind for the most part. I was going to put a heat lamp out there but I'm also considering bringing him into the house as well.

Last time I checked heaters weren't a thing until the 20th century.

If the canine species made it up to then, I think Fido can power through a Gulf Coast cold spell

One time I had a lab and it snowed. I have an inside kennel with a dog door to the outside and idiot was curled up out side sleeping in the snow...

I live at 34N latitude and it gets considerably colder than on the coast. My two basset hounds live outside year round and they have a kennel that's been windproofed and a heat lamp. They do fine and will sleep on the patio concrete on nights like you describe because their space is a bit warm for their tastes. Your Lab will be fine.

The dog will be fine. It's the gulf coast summers that labs hate.

Have a cousin that lives in the Michigan upper peninsula and his labs stay outside a great deal. He does bring them in when the temps are below 10, they seem to do fine.

Dog will be fine. However, if any neighbors see him/her be prepared to feel the wrath on nextdoor about how cruel you are.

Millennial labs are very delicate. Shame on you.

Nice

Yeah, the biggest threat is the idiot's on next door and Facebook that think the fur babies can't handle cool temps.

Dogs are wolves bred to look weird/perform certain tasks/have better dispositions and here is some info on temperatures that wolves can tolerate:

"Many people think wolves live only in colder climates, but wolves can live in temperatures that range from minus 70 to 120 degrees F (minus 50 to 48.8 degrees C), according to the San Diego Zoo."

https://www.livescience.com/27909-wolves.html

-50, my gosh.

My three "outside" dogs (1 Lab, 2 Catahoulas) all have beds in the garage, out of any wind. Have never been in the house their entire life. Do they like coming into my climate-controlled shop? Yes, but more so in the hot weather than our central TX winters.

Winter time is boring to the dogs, as when we are not outside, they tend to lie around. Even on a day like today, we head outside, they are raring to go run/chase something.

Colt98 said:

---

One time I had a lab and it snowed. I have an inside kennel with a dog door to the outside and idiot was curled up out side sleeping in the snow...

---

Domesticated animals. This is what happens. If they were smart and robust they'd be wolves.

Can't help with the decision otherwise. My pups live inside. They will be surviving the cold snap in 74 degrees on the couch or on their fleece lined elevated dog beds. Lol. But that's as far as I'll go for niceties.

Had a chocolate lab that loved being outdoors. Slept inside every night but whenever it was going below 20 and the news warned about keeping pets inside, that idiot had to be literally drug into the house.

Your dog will be fine.

My last lab was an outside dog. There was a hard freeze forecast so I rigged up a plastic door flap over his doghouse and got a few cubes from a bale of hay for the inside. The next morning I checked on him and he pushed most of the hay outside of his doghouse and was curled up on it. That was the last time I worried about him.

Live in North Texas and our great pyrs would laugh if asked to come inside tonight

I'm a complete wuss with our dogs. They have no problem with the cold, they actually like it. Hot weather is another story...

The happiest I have ever seen my lab he had icicles hanging off his ears and balls and was soaking wet.

This thread is cracking me up

Ours swam today! BRRR