We have a much smaller dog than yours, a 7 lb schnoodle, and NEVER let her out in our yard alone! We have a patio villa which is fenced on 2 sides (the patio side and along the back of the house). We have decorative, movable fencing that fences the front end of our patio from the house to the fence and then again in the back of the house, from the edge of the house to the fence. This gives her a fairly large L-shaped patio/yard to run in and do her business. Once she gets around behind the house, we can't see her. I was at the patio door one day, had just let her out on the patio when a large hawk swooped down and tried to grab her. Fortunately, the wing span was so wide, that the bird got hung up between the fence and side of the house, so it corrected and flew away. To this day, either my husband or I are outside with her the entire time she's out. We've had numerous snakes in our yard as well, including one bright green snake, about 4 ft long with turquoise and black stripes and a large black diamond on the back of its head. Hubby tried to push it under the privacy fence with a rake and it became aggressive and came after him, spitting a white, slimy venom on his shirt. We later found out that venom is neurotoxic to pets. My 7 pounder thinks she's 75 lbs in her mind and will go after anything that moves!! I frequently find piles of poop/scat on our patio and one night was awakened to something knocking over the decorative stone wall on the side of the decorative gate (about 3 ft high). We're constantly hearing about packs of coyotes and bobcats roaming in our village near the new construction. And then there's the gators which can climb fences if they want to. I don't think I'd care how big my pet was, I wouldn't leave it unsupervised, especially in the early evenings or night around here. Too many potential threats!
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