Hey I totally agree with you. I too own a dog, an Alaskan Malamute. Wouldn't trade him for anything, and I can see why you jumped me (so to speak). Don't be sorry, I understand where you're comming from. You explain it better than me anyway, and I agree 100%. My typing speed sometimes runs in excess of my wording.
On my drive every morning there is big German Shepard dog that has a chain that is no more than 6 feet long. The house is situated no more than 2 yards away from the highway. The dog is chained up on the road side of the house, and it's chain does not allow it to enter it's "doggy den" that is right next to the road. I find the dog every morning laying outside of it's doghouse right next to the road. There is no land around it, just the house and a cliff on the other, so the dog is never let loose from it's chain, and from what I can tell is poorly taken care of. Could be a very nice dog, but presently looks very ragged.