Bringing in an outside dog

Question
About a year ago, I took in an abandoned dog that was found in my neighborhood. She looks to be a German Shepard/spaniel mix, and at the time was maybe a year old, making her about 2 now. She was very timid--I believe she may have been abused--but came around with time and has become a very loving pet. At the time I did not know anything about crate training, and I have three indoor cats so I did not consider keeping her inside. Currently she stays outside in a 200 sqft fence kennel with a doghouse, proper shade, and water. She's fed once a day, and gets exercised at least once a day.

My husband and I are considering bringing her inside now that we have researched crate training and believe it to be a safe and reasonable option. My only concerns are 1) how to progress to that point and 2) we are both away from home at work for at least 11 hours each weekday (we have a long commute to work). Because we are gone so long during the day, I don't want to leave her in a crate that long. We live in the country and there is no one that could come let her out.

Would it be OK to keep her inside during the evenings and keep her outside only while we are at work? Would that be better or worse than her situation now? Thank you for your advice. --Erin

Answer
Since you are gone for so long during the day, I believe bringing her inside while you are there, but putting her out while you are at work is the best solution.

Good luck with her! I'm sure she'll really enjoy being more a part of the family! If you haven't already, take a look at http://housetraining.angelfire.com for some helpful tips.