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I've heard of people who crate their dog at night, or for other short time periods. I can see where a crate would be needed in some instances, but to crate every day or every night seems to be overkill, UNLESS the crate door is open.
If someone is going to crate their dog every day or night then why do you even have a dog? To me, it's nearly as bad as those people who keep their dog outside 24/7 and/or on a chain.
Our lab is crated 8hrs a day and is just fine with it. We sometimes crate at night, if the dog is sick or there are people staying with us. Everyone is better off.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Before I adopted Artie, he was crated while his previous owner was at work. She didn't trust him to roam free in the house.
When I adopted him, since I work at home, he was never crated. He is not destructive at all. I've never crated him -- even when I go out -- and he just goes to sleep on his futon when he's alone.
He does still have his crate -- its door is always open -- and he goes in there sometimes, even though his futon is three feet from the crate. I guess he wants his own private spot because even though the futon is comfy, it's risky -- because sometimes I go lie down on it too so we can snuggle.
I've heard of people who crate their dog at night, or for other short time periods. I can see where a crate would be needed in some instances, but to crate every day or every night seems to be overkill, UNLESS the crate door is open.
If someone is going to crate their dog every day or night then why do you even have a dog? To me, it's nearly as bad as those people who keep their dog outside 24/7 and/or on a chain.
I agree with you. It seems like people just don't want to put the time into properly training their pets.
Kennels and dog houses are fine. The issue is with the gate that might lock the dog inside.
It isn't cruel that these gates exist... the cruelty comes in how they're often used.
In far too many instances... the gates are used far too much.
I keep my dog in a crate for a few hours every day when I am at work, and he is the happiest dog in the world. I set up video cameras once and watched, and just sleeps all day anyway. I leave the door to it open all the time, and he often goes in and lays down without me prompting him.
For those of you who ask why those of us who kennel dogs have one in the first place, let me say this: in an ideal world every dog would live in a house with a family of five where one parent stays at home with the dog 100% of the time and kids play with it for hours every night, but that isn't reality. Reality is that there are much more dogs than there are homes. For those of you who ask why have a dog if you have to crate it, let me ask you this: What would you rather have? A dog be owned by a single person with less time (like me) who loves it and will do most anything for it, or would you rather that dog stay in a cage 24 hours/day in a shelter, and possibly be euthanasized?
The option isn't between an owner with limited time and the family with the stay at home parent. The option is between the owner with limited time and no owner at all. If dogs were scarce, I would give mine up to a family with more time than me in a heartbeat, but being with me is a much better life for the dog than not having a home at all.
Yes crating is ok for short periods...I know people that crate 9 hrs at work...come home..let them out for 2 hrs then back they go for the nite....98percent of a dogs life is way too much. Id say 4 or 5 hrs a day max...but I wud nvr feel good doing that. Some dogs do like them I suppose...but 9 or ten hrs all day to me is cruelty.
Yes crating is ok for short periods...I know people that crate 9 hrs at work...come home..let them out for 2 hrs then back they go for the nite....98percent of a dogs life is way too much. Id say 4 or 5 hrs a day max...but I wud nvr feel good doing that. Some dogs do like them I suppose...but 9 or ten hrs all day to me is cruelty.
In your mind, is crating a dog for 9 hours/day more or less cruel than not adopting the dog and having it put down by a shelter? Because that is only alternative in many scenarios.
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