Are my small dogs safe from foxes in an outdoor run without a roof?

Great question! My parents live in Reno, Nevada and they have many coyotes living in their area. Coyotes will attack little dogs, but tend to leave the bigger ones alone. That's not to say that it can't happen, however, and there potential does exist that if they are hungry enough, they could come over the fence at your dogs. At my parents' house, I saw them right up against their fence. I recommend getting lights installed in your back yard. You can motion sensors on them so that they turn on when there is movement, and that will allow you to keep an eye on your dogs when they are outside early in the morning. You can also try to make your fence a little higher to keep them out. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Aww poor kittens! It is definitely possible that a fox or some other wild animal could have snatched up the two missing kittens even with the dogs nearby. Unfortunately, some dogs will not distinguish between pets and other wild animals so it is also possible that one of the dogs got the kittens. I'm sorry that this happened! Probably best to bring the kittens indoors for protection until they are older.

If the fox seems healthy then the risk is low, but foxes can be carriers of distemper virus, leptospirosis, as well as intestinal parasites that can be passed to dogs. It is important to get Martha started on her puppy vaccines as soon as possible to provide her protection. Specifically she should be getting the distemper/parvovirus combination vaccine, and your vet can discuss the other "non-core" vaccines to decide what is recommended for your area and for Martha's lifestyle risk. Hope this helps - congrats on your new puppy!

I would recommend keeping your dog inside for the next few days with limited supervision in the backyard until you know the fence will keep your dog in with no issues. Once you personally observed your dog running around for a few hours at a time and know there are no issues it may be OK to let him be outdoors unsupervised again.

I couldn't quite decipher what you were asking about with the chow chow or shar pei, but can give some comments about keeping a dog outside. My experience is similar to yours in regard to allowing a dog free-range. Dogs are very territorial and do not like to wander too far outside of their home unless necessary. Ensuring the dog is desexed, has a good shelter, has adequate food and plenty of water will usually keep a dog from wandering off and getting lost. In my experience, hounds are more likely to run away than any other breeds. I think 570 acres is plenty of room for a dog and it's unlikely that they will run away as long as they have been there long enough to know it's their home. I would avoid setting the dog loose right away in a new home, because they may run off in search of their old home. I hope that answers your question well. If I did not answer one of your questions, then please post again.

The better question is how much risk are you willing to take? There is a risk to animals on the other side of the fence, animals moving the poison onto your side of the fence, rats moving the poison to your side of the fence, or rats dying from the poison and your dogs eating the dead rat and the poison in its body. There is a product called RatX that does not use poison, instead it uses non-toxic ingredients that will alter the ability for a rat or mouse to absorb water and it will die. While I would not want a pet to eat very much of it, it is much safer than anticoagulant rodenticides or products containing bromethalin.

It is difficult to say without knowing exactly where in Australia you are going or what the conditions of the shed would be. Dangers of this kind are certainly very real in rural areas but in the city they are less common. You may also want to consider the temperature in the shed since parts of Australia can become very hot. This could cause heatstroke in such a small dog.