An Interesting Article From Canada

[Perry's Mum]

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/03/16/this-is-pet-abuse/?utm_source=_BPY3iZB8hZX6i4&utm_content=ml60&utm_medium=email Edited March 17, 2012 by Perry's Mum

[tdierikx]

Dogs are NOT people... and for us to "humanise" them is kinda silly really.

My dogs have the option of inside/outside - the back door is always open. The fact that they like the creature comforts of couch and bed is just their preference... *grin*

I have friends whose dogs like to be outside - and that is their preference.

I foster pups, and they are crated at night for their own safety, and to prevent them from eating the house while I sleep. They are also crated when travelling in the car - again, for their own safety.

I also have 2 dogs that don't get on - one is crated when the other is running loose. They take turns as to who is crated and who isn't. Much better than the alternative of having to take them to the vet all the time for hurting each other - I can't rehome either of them as I know what they are capable of, and also because I love them both and committed to them for life when I adopted them. Both are perfectly well adjusted and behave nicely with others in public - they just don't like each other on occasion with rather scary results.

I'm not so fussed on dogs being tethered for long periods of time, but until I know the circumstances I really can't judge that either. If the dogs are otherwise happy and healthy and get enough interaction with their owners, then I really can't see that it's any of my business.

T.

[Perry's Mum]

I agree. Perry has a crate but rarely uses it unless she has had too much attention from visitors in which case she goes in and closes the door behind her. I do crate fosters because Perry is never very keen on them but they get the use of the garden for alternate hours during the day and the foster is crated away from Perry at night. They seem pretty happy with it and it is certainly better than their alternative.

[OSoSwift]

As with anything, crating and tethering used with common sense is fine. Idiots that crate all the time or tether all the time, well yes that is stupid.

I personally do not think it is healthy for dogs to be inside all the time as I do not think it is healthy for people and kids to be inside all the time.

[redangel]

I had never heard of crating until I joined DOL. I now have two crate trained dogs. Having owned dogs for over 35yrs I am much in favor of it. My dogs are with me free to roam when I am home, sleep on my bed with me. They are crated when lots of visitors are here, tradesman working or when I feel a disturbance to the house routine. It has definitely given me piece of mind safety wise. Luci has learnt to take her favorite bone and shut the crate door (like she is confined) so that my other dog Rosie doesnt disturb her! Each dog has put its favorite things in its crate..its like their own den. My dogs will often choose solitude in their crate if things get too busy in the main run of the house. Where kids are concerned my kids respect to leave the dogs alone when they go to their crates as this is their special place.

It has been a great assistance having a crate trained dog for when through medical reasons the dog needs confinement, the dog is not as anxious as a dog used to free roam 100% of the time.

[koalathebear]

I was amused when I first started reading up about toilet training before we got Elbie about 'crates'. What they were describing as a 'crate' was basically a cage. The soft crates look less cage-like but the metal crates definitely look like a cage. Any dog post on youtube that has a dog in a crate has dozens of comments about the 'cage' being cruel. :p

I guess it's all a matter of degree and what you're used to. My dogs were crated as young pups for house-training purposes, overnight and when we left the house for short periods of time. Aside from the overnight crating, I don't think we ever left them crated for longer than three hours during the day. I would hate to do what many US owners have to do (because they are in apartments/have no yards) which is crate a dog the whole day while you're at work. My two are Kelpies and would HATE that so much - then again, they'd hate being in the house all day with no access to the yard. Sort of depends on the dog and the owner, so crating for me is not cruel but excessive crating is.

Tethering is pretty common for farm dogs. The WKC website even says that you should get your Kelpie pup used to being tethered. It's not something I would want to do but if I had a house with no yard, then perhaps I'd consider it.

I've read articles that say that collars are cruel and can cause cancer!?! Some people say desexing is cruel.

There's probably no right and wrong. As with many things, most people who do certain things (myself included) of course don't think that they're being cruel. Others look at things that people do and think that they're cruel. As with most things, it's probably the conduct taken to excess which is cruel.

For me:

1. I crate the dogs as needed - these days the crate door is never closed unless we're out at a picnic etc.

2. My dogs are tethered while I set up and put away agility equipment at dog club

3. My dogs have to have collars for a variety of reasons.

Edited March 19, 2012 by koalathebear

[WeimMe]

I find this really interesting as I was not interested in "putting my dog in a cage" the first time around. Now we have a second dog, I thought I'd try crate training him to assist with toilet training and I'm kind of sold on it. In fact, he's in there right now eating a chicken wing quite happily. He'll go to sleep and not come out again for about an hour and a half when he wakes up. It's nice knowing that he's not off somewhere doing a sneaky poo in the corner or eating the legs of my couch.

I only chose to go this way because after all the reading I did suggested that dogs feel quite comfortable in their man-made den and that it can aid with puppy training and I must admit that for my pup this does appear to be the case.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Peta wants to ban dog ownership and farming in general. If they had their way, we'd all be vegan and animals would be living a natural eat-or-be-eaten life in the "wild".

But it's still a bad idea to let them lobby our political reps unopposed.

[Salukifan]

There is a point at which a crate becomes a cage.

It's less of an issue here but in North America they do see pet dogs who are largely confined to crates to control them as much as anything else.

I've seen stories of rescue dogs confined in basements for years.