Let the dog out!

The BBQ Pit
1

I just found out that a co-worker who has a dachshund, will leave the poor dog in a crate practically all the fucking time. I can understand leaving him in there during the day at work, but when you get home, let him out. From what I heard she will let him out to do his “business” then back in the crate he goes. Dammit this pisses me off. I am not sure she even walks him all that much. Then why have one. Sure his life is probably better than if on the street but still you have to give it attention.

I have been wanting a dog for several years (pretty much decided on a greyhound), but have not because I live in a one bedroom apartment, and during the week can be gone for 9+ hours. I would not want to leave a dog home that long by himself, crated or not. But when I get home, she would immediately be out of her crate, if for some reason she was not housebroken yet. If I have heard incorrectly then I apologize for thinking ill of her. Unfortunately I know of another asshole that does this.

I have a friend whose brother and his family (who are generally fuckin’ asswipes anyway) have a beautiful golden retriever that they leave locked up in a crate most of the time. One time her parents visited them and took him out for a walk. It is obvious that they do not because when he returned the poor dogs feet were bleeding. This is a man who loves dogs and has a golden himself. The bitch whore daughter in law proceeds to yell at him, making him feel worse about it than he already did. Unfortunately he did not yell back telling her that if she treated the dog properly then his feet would not be bleeding. That she and her husband are assnuggets and that he ought to take the dog away because they are obviously not concerned about it.

If you do not want the responsibilty of a dog, get a cat or fish. They are much easier and do not require as much attention. I would love to call PETA on these people, and let them do something useful rather than all the idiotic things they currently do.

2

Crating is a good thing, but as most good things, it can be carried to extremes. Poor puppies! (Especially the golden. Those dogs NEED exercise! hugs her golden boy, Rusty)

However, I would advise against anybody who is this irresponsible getting a cat. Cats DO take some work, and they DO need attention. And there are enough idiots who just never seem to get around to getting their animals fixed to keep shelters and rescue groups and whatnot in business for a long time to come…

3

Might I add: WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!

4

This thread makes me want to cry. :frowning:

5

I hate to hijack a thread to ask a very stupid question, but what the hell is crating? Is it what it sounds like; putting the dog in a very confined space for a long period of time, battery hen style? What’s the purpose?

6

Not quite, but almost. A properly-sized crate will give the animal plenty of room to stand and move around, but it’s nothing like being able to run free. Crates are fine for keeping the animal confined while the owner is at work, for exmple, but should never be used for continous, long-term confinement.

7

I have a difficult time thinking that 8 hours in a box is a good thing. Try it some time.

8

IcicileFuzz ,here is a link on crating. Crating is a cage that you put the animal in. People put there animals in there for different reasons. Some of the more common reasons are potty-training, to keep them from tearing down the house and give them a place to sleep which they come to know as there bed.

I crate trained my 2nd dog. She did very well with going potty outside. As most dogs don’t want to go potty in their bed, they become conditioned to wait till you let them out of their crate to go potty outside. This doesn’t work with all dogs. All dogs aren’t the same. You have to have lots of patience and keep on a schedule. With our 2nd dog we felt alot of guilt about her being confined to a small area and tried putting her in the bathroom. Didn’t work. She tore through linoleum, ate the woodwork, and clawed the back of the door. After she got out of her puppy stage the chewing had subsided (knock on wood) and she was allowed more freedoms. Look at it this way. You may use a playpen to put a baby in it if you are busy say doing the dishes and can’t keep an eye on what the baby is doing, but that doesn’t mean you should keep the baby in a playpen 24/7. I am not a parent, but hope that I gave you a good analogy that makes sense. .:confused:

It isn’t made for keeping the dog in there all the time and I would say something or maybe get them a book if you want to be subtle about it. It’s not right nor is it fair to the pet.

It does seem like a long time. We didn’t like keeping our dog crated for over 6 hrs and did our best not do that. I would come home between shifts and let her out if I had a double. And hubby would be home in the evenings to tend to her. I did have to tell myself more than once “You got her at the animal shelter and she was in a small cage there for 24/7 surely the home I can give her is better even if she does have to be in the crate for 6 hrs”. I will note that our other dog of 10 yrs. was NEVER crated, but he is laying in HER crate right now of his own free will. Go figure?:confused:

9

So, like, what? A dog carrier? How big? I only have a cat, and I can’t imagine locking her in a single room all day, much less stuffing her in a box. I don’t expect my cat to fold up neatly for under-the-bed storage and come out when I feel like it. If I did, I’d have an AIBO.:confused:

10

Some people use a carrier, or you can buy cages. The idea is to make them a comfy place that the dog likes to be in. And personally were I to crate a dog I’d make sure it was fairly big. Our dogs are not crate-trained but I am not averse to the idea, though keeping them locked up 24/7 is NOT the way to do it!

11

Thanks for the link Ashkicker, that really cleared things up for me. My folks actually do something similar, locking their dog in her kennel overnight.

On the other hand, having the poor animals locked up all day is fucking cruel and the moronic wastes of skin who can’t tell that the dog is suffering shouldn’t be keeping pets more demanding than sea monkeys in the first place.

12

So a stretch that long is ok if it’s dark, but not in the day? Dogs don’t go by the clock the way they do, they’re not going to be asleep that whole night time, nor likely awake that whole day time. At least mine don’t sleep that way. And unless you’re insisting that either a) no one who has a job should be allowed to have a pet or b) pets should be allowed out around the house at all times, nevermind the damage they’ll do unsupervised, I’m not sure what’s being suggested. Our dogs are in their boxes if we’re going to be away for a while and they’ll be unsupervised. they’re big enough to move around, they’re comfortable, they have toys, they have a drink. They go in them and lay down and play sometimes just on their own. They come out as soon as we’re home, they stay out when we’re there, they get lots of attention. That sound like a place that’s “fucking cruel”? They don’t seem to mind it, so I don’t think anyone else has any business getting all pissy over it.

13

Daikona, please note I said all day. The OP gave the impression that the two animals mentioned spent practically all of the time in the crate.

I’m sorry for giving you the impression that I thought that those who spend a large part of the day away from the house should not have pets. That was not what I intended. I recognise that when an animal would be otherwise unsupervised for a long time it is necessary to put the pet in a crate.

“Fucking cruel” is when an animal spends so much time in a confined space that a minor amount of excercise causes the dogs feet to bleed, and where the dog does not, from the impression I get from the OP, get much attention from the owners. I did not mean to paint all dog owners who put their pets in a crate while they are at work with this broad brush, and I apologise for giving you this impression.

14

You know, at some point, you might want to check the dog’s rabies tag, find the name of their vet, and call the vet to let them know what’s going on. Perhaps the vet can get on their case more effectively. (Or he could call the authorities if in his professional opinion it’s the only hope).

I have a dachshund, and I wouldn’t dream of leaving my baby locked up all day (not that he would LET me, LOL!) I understand crating by day, especially when you need to keep doxies off the furniture (risk of back injury is major for them), but there is no excuse for making them stay there all the time. That’s just cruel.

Call their vet.

15

I crate train all the service/working dogs that come through this house.

With high-energy pups, even if I go for 15 minutes, it usually saves my furniture, doors, whatnot. It’s great for dogs who don’t like being separated from you, because it becomes a safe spot for them. They know you will come back.

One of my dogs used to throw shit fits if we went on the road and I didn’t bring his crate. He would cry every time I’d take it down. It’s his HOME. It took me years to get him to sleep elsewhere. Now he doesn’t use one anymore, but I occasionally find him in the pup’s crate taking a snooze.

The current pup is also crate trained. It certainly helps with housebreaking. It’s a blessing if you plan to take the dog to a groomer (they will likely be crated) or if the dog gets injured and has to spend time at the vet. If you are going to fly somewhere and plan to take your dog, he/she will have to be crated for the trip. If you travel by car, a crate is the safest place for your animal to travel. I’ve heard of many occasions where bad accidents have happened and dogs found themselves saved by their crates (that way they didn’t go flying through the windshield…)

Crates are like dens. I always give the dogs a toy (a Kong) stuffed with goodies when I leave, so all I have to say is “Bedtime!” and they RUSH to their crates, waiting for the goodies.

When I am home, the dogs aren’t crated. I’ve once crated my older dog when a young child who was NOT trustworthy around animals was here for dinner. My dog was recovering from an injury, and I didn’t want the child to poke him and make him snap/bark at her. When the dog saw the kid, he himself went to his crate with a toy and curled up, content, knowing that he was safe in there and that no one would bother him.

Crates shouldn’t be used as a “store away the dog” tool. It should be their safe place, their home, and a place where they can be when you’re away and you don’t want them to get into trouble. They should be big enough for the animal to get up and turn around in. Crates aren’t torture tools if used properly… but, if you visit a puppymill, you’ll see how they can be used for ill :frowning:

Elly n’ the dawgs

16

My mother-in-law crates her cocker spaniel, Shadow, aka “The Black Devil,” while she is at work. He takes his chew toy in the morning and trots right in. It is large- he can stand up completely.

She had to crate him overnight when he was a (n even more) destructive puppy-monster, but now he’s calm enough to sleep in her bed at night. As long as she has him on a leash looped around her wrist.

Shadow did get the Most Improved award at obedience school. We think it’s sort of a backhanded complement.

17

Crating isn’t cruel. Owner’s are. I love dogs, but don’t have enough time for one, because I would want to do it right. If I did have a dog, I would crate-train it to start while I was away at work. Keeps them out of trouble. Still, walk (not just out to do your business) in the morning, and one when home from work, and possible a quick trip outside before bedtime was the routine I followed when dog-sitting for friends. I lot of work, so that is why I do not want a dog full-time.

Instead, we got Spike, the world’s most doted upon cat. As stated above, cat’s are lower maintenence , but still require attention. Heck, Spike demands it.

:wink:

18

Ack, don’t call PETA. They don’t even want us to have pets. They’d just set it “free”. :wink:

I’m all for crate training, but that is ridiculous. Unfortunately it’s legal as long as the animal has shelter, water and food.

Do you know where she got this doxie from? If she got it from a responsible breeder, it would be nice to inform the breeder of the animal’s treatment. Maybe if we’re lucky, there’s an abuse clause in the contract. (Yeah, I’m grasping at straws here.)

I hope you get your greyhound one day. They’re wonderful pets. I also hear you can’t just stop at one either. :wink:

19

Our dogs DO sleep all night, actually. They go down around ten and get up when the first person does, which is usually early, and is not me. Not that you’d know that from the way Isaac says “Play with me! Please! Nobody has played with me in a year!”

It’s kind of cute to hear the dog snoring at 3 AM.

20

I think we have the perfect compromise with our Bichon – the entire kitchen is his “crate” when we are away from home, with the help of baby gates. It’s been that way since he’s been a puppy, and he’s very much used to it. Potty training was pretty easy … he was 99% perfect by the age of six months, and Bichons are supposed to be hard to housebreak.