Are you a pet lover?

[Giskat09 2]

Whenever I’m at the dog park, inevitably I’ll hear someone talking about putting their dog in a crate or even exclaiming, “Oh, my dog LOVES his crate!” At that moment, my hackles go up big-time, and I want to say, à la Saturday Night Live’s Church Lady, “Well, isn’t that convenient!” Of course, it’s highly convenient to lock your dog in a box when you’re too busy or stressed out to deal with misbehavior or rambunctiousness.

“Oh,” they’ll say, “dogs are den animals. A crate is exactly like a den and being in it makes them feel secure.” What they always so conveniently gloss over is the fact that a den doesn’t come with a locked door. In a den, you can come and go as you please.

It boggles my mind that people can be so obtuse about something so obvious. Birds hate to be caged, lions in the circus hate being in cages, humans hate being behind bars … why should it be any different with dogs? Oh, wait—there is one big difference: Dogs are the only animals willing to do ANYTHING for someone they love. And that includes tolerating being locked inside a cage. Dogs are stoic and they love unconditionally and they want to please their guardians, which is a perfect recipe for abusive treatment.

People take full advantage of their dogs’ desire to please and then they even twist it around and tell everyone that their dog enjoys being taken advantage of. It would be like a controlling husband saying, “Oh, my wife LOVES to stay home every night,” when in reality, he won’t permit her to go out.

I wish people would think for themselves and stop taking everything that their veterinarian or their dog trainer or the pet store sales clerk says as gospel. Vets and trainers and sales clerks can have ulterior motives or be uninformed or even mean. Common sense is really the bottom line. Does it make sense to say, “My dog LOVES to be locked inside a cage”? You can put a soft bed in there, and you can throw in some toys and treats, and you can “acclimate” your dog to the crate, but you can’t change the basic fact that the dog is locked up with very little space to move around in.

I wish crates had never been invented. I shudder at their current popularity. I’ve taken care of eight dogs, half of whom came to me as puppies and I never made a single one of them stay in a crate. You puppyproof your house and you train your dogs (getting help as needed) and you stop aspiring to Better Homes and Gardens. That’s all. Sure, I’ve still got some shredded books and furniture as mementos of the puppy eras. But who cares? My dogs’ liberty and comfort and well-being mean far more to me than my material possessions.

If you agree and would like to help counteract this pernicious trend, please order some of PETA’s anti-crating posters and leaflets, like the one accompanying this post.

LINK: Why i hate crates

Edited May 15, 2009 by jiskat08

[Mark&Steph 0]

I would rather have my dogs safe in their crate instead of fried to a little wiener dog crisp because they decided to chew on an electric wire while bored one day while I was at work. F.U. PETA.

Nothing against you personally, jiskat, but this subject always gets my panties in a wad.

[trinket 30]

I like pets in zoo

[alienlovechild 75]

It would be like a controlling husband saying, “Oh, my wife LOVES to stay home every night,” when in reality, he won’t permit her to go out.

Dogs aren't impulse buyers.

[jundp 191]

I don't believe in crating dogs either, unless the dog has sufficient room to move around. But then I don't think people should have pets if they don't have the proper facilities and/or time to care for them. That's just me.

[Mags 112]

I also think you should find a non hypocritical organisation that actually gives a ####### about animals.

Clue: Not PETA.

[~*Maria*~ 1]

I also think you should find a non hypocritical organisation that actually gives a ####### about animals.

Clue: Not PETA.

Mags is a right thinking kinda woman! Wise beyond her years. Mags anymore newcomers yet? Cats i mean.

[Mags 112]

I also think you should find a non hypocritical organisation that actually gives a ####### about animals.

Clue: Not PETA.

Mags is a right thinking kinda woman! Wise beyond her years. Mags anymore newcomers yet? Cats i mean.

It depends!

[jundp 191]

I also think you should find a non hypocritical organisation that actually gives a ####### about animals.

Clue: Not PETA.

There are tons of no-kill shelters, sanctuaries, and non-profits that spend their time and money on the ANIMALS rather than self-promotion.

[~*Maria*~ 1]

Cat-nip party at Mags' house. BYOC (Bring yer own cat)

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Cat-nip party at Mags' house. BYOC (Bring yer own cat)

Off Topic: Maria, those are some fine looking sons you got there. You must be very proud of them both.

[Nagishkaw 510]

I also think you should find a non hypocritical organisation that actually gives a ####### about animals.

Clue: Not PETA.

[Mark&Steph 0]

I don't believe in crating dogs either, unless the dog has sufficient room to move around. But then I don't think people should have pets if they don't have the proper facilities and/or time to care for them. That's just me.

Believe me, I'd love to stay home all day and play with the dogs and have them lounging on the futon with me watching Maude. I gotta work though. We gotta have money to pay for their Science Diet and squeaky toys.

[~*Maria*~ 1]

Cat-nip party at Mags' house. BYOC (Bring yer own cat)

Off Topic: Maria, those are some fine looking sons you got there. You must be very proud of them both.

Thank you, steven. Yeah, i'm very proud of both of them. The eldest has just recently been deployed to Afghanistan, the youngest is due in Canada in 4 weeks for a muay thai fight!! He gets paid for each fight he's in.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I also think you should find a non hypocritical organisation that actually gives a ####### about animals.

Clue: Not PETA.

WORD.