To think this is really cruel?

[RosieGuacamosie]

My friend got a lockdown puppy last summer and is now having to go back to work in the office and is planning to leave her dog in a crate whilst she’s at work. I offered her the details of my dog Walker but at £15/day apparently that’s too expensive. I understand £75 a week is a lot of money but surely that should have been thought of at the time she got the dog?

I think it’s bad enough leaving a dog in the kitchen for 8 hours on it’s own, but to leave it in a crate seems extra cruel.

Am I being precious and the dog will actually sleep most of the time which is what everyone else seems to be saying? Friend pointed out it’s no different to leaving the dog downstairs whilst she sleeps for 8 hours.

[hiredandsqueak]

It is incredibly cruel. Our dog is an old girl who likes to snooze but she likes to snooze where she chooses and knowing that there is somebody about. We arrange for her to stay with family if we are going to be out for more than three hours because although she doesn't bark or whine she doesn't snooze when we are out and you can tell she is unhappy. An energetic crossbred puppy isn't going to be happy to be confined to a crate for eight hours a day. Poor dog

[Unsure33]

They will have problems . This is a high energy breed . I have cage trained but the cage door is open in the day so they can choose to go in . And I have a dog Walker and we are not out for 8 hours.

The rspca will not be interested though.

[fruitbrewhaha]

Poor dog.

My dog is crated at night, we lock the door or else she's be hammering on our door to get on the bed. It's her den, an she often takes herself into it for a nap during the day.

An adolescent dog is going to find being crated all day and night untenable. Your friend really needs to rehome that dog, it's terribly cruel.

[AbsolutelyPatsy]

she at least needs a dog walker

[fruitbrewhaha]

Show her this thread please.

[Ohtheplacesyougo]

Can I ask a question.....

Btw I think this is disgusting and makes me so sad.

We crate our puppy at night time while we are all asleep (and have done since he was small). My rationale being for his safety rather than chewing - he’s pretty good. I never crate in the day. Would you MNers be concerned with this? Genuine concern. It’s between 11pm and as soon as someone wakes around 7am?

[twilightermummy]

There was a lady on here the other week saying that the RSPCA were all over her because somebody had reported her dog sleeping in the window. Apparently it was too lethargic. After the neighbour had called them 3 times, they had to take it seriously so it seems like they will act when they have to.

Keeping it in a crate is cruel all day. I think yabu about the £75 a week on a dog walker. That would be excessive for most people. Mine comes 3 times a week. Perhaps she could walk it after work. Anyway, you are rightfully concerned.

[FlamingoQueen]

My dog was in a crate for the morning when I went back to work. My neighbour walked by the front of my house and then said to me that my dog was whining. That was his one and only time of being in a crate whilst I was out! You may find that her neighbours will have a similar complaint! You many find that her dog then becomes naughty because it will have been caged all day so then when your friend moans about it you could say it’s probably bored.
My dog sleeps for most of the day, but either on the sofa or up on my bed.
Does your friend have a neighbour that can pop in at lunchtime? It is awfully sad.

[Suzi888]

RSPCA won’t do anything.
Yes she’s being cruel. Of course a crate is different to being free to roam an entire downstairs area. Where is his/her drink going?
She’s cruel.

[Sunflowers095]

Please report this. While odds are the RSPCA might not do anything, they might do something!

Also there's supposed to be new legislation coming into play I believe about the treatment of animals so possibly you could even report this to the police.

Friend or not, I would also be tempted to publicly shame her on FB or so, she needs to step up and care for this dog because this is absolutely vile :(

[Moondust001]

@Bluntness100

You need to call the rspca . Do it when she’s at work and rhe dog is crated. This is appalling cruelty.

They won't do anything. At best they'll give her some advice that she'll ignore. Despite this being horrible, it is not illegal, and she can do it if she wants to. The RSPCA can't stop her.

[Clymene]

I wouldn't lock a dog in a crate unless on a journey. In the house, they should view their crate as somewhere to sleep. I don't think the door should ever be shut.

Your friend is a cruel animal abuser and I would end the friendship. I'm completely serious - I really couldn't ever be friendly with someone who treats an animal like this.

[CarnationCat]

That's not fair on a dog of any age.

They shouldn't be going 8 hours without company or a toilet break. How would your friend like that?

She needs a dog sitter or to be able to come home in the daytime but I'm guessing the second idea isn't an option.

[Embracingthechaos]

If she thinks the crate is a "safe space" then can't she just leave the crate open? Then the dog is free to go in the crate whenever it wants to, but is not trapped in there.

[Babyroobs]

It's awful. cannot imagine leaving my dogs in a crate all day whilst I work.

[LynetteScavo]

It's cruel. This is why I don't own a dog; I don't want to pay a dog sitter. (DH works from home but might not forever)

[vera99]

I'd like to lock her in a ' crate' for a weekend - maybe then she would get the message. Gotta be a bastard as she has no empathy for a living creature just a selfish take on what she 'needs'.

[Iheartmysmart]

Perhaps you should ask her how she’d feel about being locked in a tiny room for 16 hours a day with no access to toilet facilities, nothing to occupy her and no fresh air. I truly despise people like this.

[DdraigGoch]

@DenisetheMenace

To the RSPCA. The clue is in the name.

And what are they going to do?

[EatingAllThePies]

I'm not a dog owner and I admit I've always been uncomfortable with crate training for overnights. I can understand the crate being open so dog gets access to their "safe space" during the day but to lock it up seems really cruel to me. I work out of the house sometimes up to 3x a week and whilst there is almost always someone else home then it's one of the reasons we don't have a dog, I don't want a chewy dog loose in my house! I do worry about the dozens of lockdown puppies amongst my colleagues as we are now being encouraged to return to the office.

[chaosrabbitland]

its cruel , i hate seeing dogs in crates , its the equivelent of putting a human in an isolation cell in prison ,

[chestnutshell]

Crates aren’t inherently bad. What your friend is doing isn’t good though. That poor dog.

We have crates in the car for safety and indoor crates with crate door open and blanket on top which the dogs love and lie in all the time without me sending them into it. I shut the door on the crate if there’s tradespeople in the house or they’re soaking wet. Being crate trained is useful for when they need to do an overnight at the vet too. Teaching a dog to feel calm in a crate is good for them for the times it’s necessary but it shouldn’t be abused. I feel that your friend is abusing the crate.

[MilesJuppIsMyBitch]

@Ohtheplacesyougo

Can I ask a question.....

Btw I think this is disgusting and makes me so sad.

We crate our puppy at night time while we are all asleep (and have done since he was small). My rationale being for his safety rather than chewing - he’s pretty good. I never crate in the day. Would you MNers be concerned with this? Genuine concern. It’s between 11pm and as soon as someone wakes around 7am?

This is really fine, and nothing like the OP's example, which I think is very wrong.

It's not unreasonable to not want your furniture destroyed!

[Somanysocks]

She obviously hates her dog then? No compassion for a sentient being and their needs.

[willithappen]

:( our pup had to go into a crate while we worked (not to start but he began chewing things). I hated it but I also had the benefit of working in the same town as I lived and a 5 minute walk, also home for an hours lunch break too. I also put a dog camera up and kept and eye on that whilst at work to make sure he was okay.
As soon as we could trust him out it the crate was ditched and our two get to roam the house now while we are out. I hate the thought of keeping a dog locked up like that :(