Keeping a Dog in a cage?

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My boyfriend has just got a beautiful dog from a rescue centre but on a night he has it sleeping in his cage and also when he is out during the day.
I don't like it,I have a dog and he is free to wander where he likes,he sleeps in my room and jumps on the bed etc.
I just don't like it,is it just me that thinks a dog doesn't belong in a cage?

“17 hours out of 24 a day locked in a crate, how is anyone defending that?”

They’re not...

You can think crates in themselves aren’t inherently anything and also that 17 hours in one is ludicrous.

I am not a fan of crates at all in any case but this is disgusting and your boyfriend needs to stop it at once. The rescue centre he got the dog from would be outraged by this cruelty.

He clearly should not have a dog and this dog will be distressed and depressed by this. Absolutely not acceptable under any circumstances.

I work with rescue dogs btw and am always glad when they find homes but there is always a small part of me that worries they will end up in a worse situation which seems to be what has happened here.

I will say that, although I do not advocate the use of crates, I do know people who use them sensibly, do not lock the dogs in and the dog uses it as essentially a bed.

People who work full time and lock their dogs in a cage day and night should not be allowed to have dogs.

I guess it's cool to crate them for a few hours to settle them in, My pup is never crated though, had a friend staying over a few months ago who cages his dog at 9am after letting the dog sleep in the bed all night and goes to work (without walking him) until 5 or 6pm which I thought is too much but each to their own i guess :/

I disagree with your sentiment 'each to their own'. It is cruelty to the dog and should be challenged with the owner It is not ok to do this.

Our dog takes herself to her crate in her room at night when she's ready to go to bed, it has to be shut with a blanket over for her to be happy. If we go away we take her safe space with us so she's happy anywhere. She has a little snooze at the foot of our bed each morning and night but won't sleep there even if offered. She will go in the crate or the utility while I'm out in the day. She's perfectly happy and well looked after. She shreds paper and soft toys and climbs as high as she can get on the furniture, so there's no way we could leave her loose in the house and no need for her to be. Dog crates are fine for dogs who are crate trained .

Personally I would never use a cage/crate. Especially during the day while I'm out. One thing while sleeping overnight though definitely not for me but imagine not being able to walk and stretch all day while owner out. They are living creatures. They shouldn't be left lying in on place with no real opportunity for movement for long periods of time.

Posted too soon - I do think the dog is being left alone too long unless there's someone going in to walk at lunch? So it's two shorter blocks with a good hours walk in between or similar. Maybe suggest a dog walker.

I hope all of you avid crate users do not leave a collar on your dog whilst they are locked up. I know of two dogs whose neglectful owners left them crated all day and both lost their dogs as they were strangled by their collars (one was also tied up by a lead inside the cage FFS).
I hear many grim stories I am afraid.

Crating is fine but that is WAY too long.

Read up on crate training it can be really beneficial to the dog, one of mine is rehomed and crated at night but they are both free roaming when I go out for the day, as long as it is comfy and the dog isn't distressed or stuck in there 24/7 and it is the correct size etc I see no issue with it

Hell I don't agree with it either and I did suggest that my friend take the dog out at least for a bit before he went to work. Other than extended cage time it's a happy, healthy, playful dog that's loved so I can't judge what works for the owner!

Maybe he doesn't like animals in his home, not everyone does.

Then he doesn't get one!

Crating for 17 hours out of 24 is cruel. And I do believe in crating, but not that.

He’s obviously not been honest with the rescue centre if the dog is crated 17 hours per day. Does anyone pop in to check on it? Walk it? Let it out for the toilet?

It’s fine at night and for the odd short period in the day, but that’s far too long to be shut in. I’m very surprised the rescue centre allowed him to have the dog as the ones round here vet potential owners regarding their living arrangements/working hours.

Desperately cruel. Please, please stop him from doing this.

Ours has a crate the size of a dining table. He prefers sleeping in it as a safe and secure place. It’s got a comfortable bed. He has it covered over to make it darker. He goes in around 10:30pm until about 08:00 at the latest. Sometimes we have to wake him up. We don’t want a dog on beds or sofas. He is a dog. We rehomed a very insecure and fretful dog. He needed the crate environment to feel safe initially.

He is very occasionally put in if we go out for an evening but usually comes with us. Seventeen hours every day is too long: although working dogs are often kennelled for longer. Quarantined dogs and dogs whose owners are on holiday are often kennelled for longer too. It’s not something I’d do but they are dogs not children.

MrsFox this is what concerns me too. No rescue would re-home a dog in to such a situation. He has lied and the dog is now suffering.

The kindest thing your boyfriend can do OP is to let this dog go back to the rescue to be re-homed in to a dog friendly environment. Please do not stay quiet about this - the dog has no voice and he is being treated very cruelly.

Your boyfriend is also in breach of Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act.

Our dog is crated at night. She often takes herself off to bed before we tell her to. She also heads there during the day if she wants some peace. In our case we would be being really mean if we took it away now!

"I hope all of you avid crate users do not leave a collar on your dog whilst they are locked up. I know of two dogs whose neglectful owners left them crated all day and both lost their dogs as they were strangled by their collars (one was also tied up by a lead inside the cage FFS).
I hear many grim stories I am afraid."

Why would anyone tie a dog by a lead in a crate thats bizarre?
I dont leave my dogs collar on when I leave her in the house anyway regardess if she is in her crate or not heard too many horrible stories regarding collars.

Late to the party and not caught up with posts, but, dog trainer here.

Crates are very useful for us and also nice for dogs. A crate is a positive place for them - their safe space - like a bedroom. To us, we know that they will be safe while we can't keep an eye on them.

Crates also aid in toilet training, as a dog will naturally not soil it's bed area.

As long as a dog isn't kept in them for long periods of time, it's fine. A few hours crated is acceptable.

Pretty I know. It is really very distressing. The dog was anxious in the crate and wouldn't 'be still' so he was tethered.

gimme I know that many trainers are ok with crates and, although I don't use them myself, I think responsible use can be positive.

We are not talking about responsible use here at all.

My mum uses a cage for her dog when my kids go round otherwise he jumps all over them. Most of the time he's happy to be in there. He's a small dog and it's a spacious cage with toys, food and water. He's only in there for a small part of each day, so I'd say it's fine.

@starcrossedseahorse I just caught up and read that the dog is crated for 9 hours a day and would agree this is not responsible. Particularly if this is continuous.

OP, if the dog has to be alone while you work, could your boyfriend consider doggy day care or a dog walker? You can also get interactive dogs like kongs which will keep the dog busy. Fill them with things and freeze them. Kong wobblers and treat balls are great too.

Chocolate the OP has described a very different situation! Surely you can see that?