Having a guard dog

In the olden days when I was still a boy, the dog is always a guard dog. That was my impression because dogs would bark when there are strangers. Usually the dog is tied by the entrance of the property since a gate was not common yet.

Now the society has changed and treats the dog as really man’s best friend. Why would you tie your best friend by the gate regardless of the weather if it is hot or wet? There are advocates that say keeping the dog by the gate is cruelty to animals. But I’d say that letting loose the dogs in the street is more cruel.