Dog crate/advice Neglect ?

[ChairRider4]

Have friend with a large breed puppy been air cross and concerned pup is crated over night then let out for hour in morning not walked then recrated as leaves for work is out house for best part of 12 hours dog is walked once by dog walker
Evening dog is out crate say from 7-10 pm but not walked

Weekend dog is often crated less maybe only 6 hrs in day as out and she will walk it sometimes once occasionally twice but sometimes not at all as she feels it is good for him not to expect daily walk

Am trying to convince friend that it is not fair on dog and should consider re homing through a rescue obviously .I don't doubt she loves the dog but am concerned how much is crated left alone

What does she have the dog for? Just so she can make its life a misery.

Might be an idea to have a word with your local dog warden to see if this constitutes neglect.

Isn't it law that animals have a right to a certain standard of life quality. Not sure this comes anywhere near it.

That is Bernese cross

Pigsdofly

She liked idea of dog being friend for her little boy
She says as he is used to it from puppy (he now 11 months ) when was younger she did have dog walker going in twice says it is ok and reason she goes out leaves him on weekend is because dog likes routine
Will have chat with dog warden

We crated our lab puppy overnight, and if we went out, but I am a SAHM and so I was at home with the puppy most days, for most of the time, and she was out of her cage with me. She got the recommended amount of walking, and had access to the garden too.

It sounds as if this dog is in the cage most of the time, and that seems really cruel, even if the cage is a good size.

On a weekday I would say on average is crated 18-20 hours out of 24

Less on weekend but still average of 16 -18 hrs

Dog is filling the crate as is huge giant breed

That's not acceptable. I know RSPCA is generally pretty useless but I think I'd be having a word with them as well.

I can't believe that that wouldn't be considered cruelty.

The poor thing will end up with masses of physical as well as psychological problems being shut up like that.

I don't know whether the RSPCA consider that amount of crate time neglect or not (I do btw, and I use a crate, I think it's bloody evil to have it shut up for that long) but if it's not an appropriate size then that is absolutely definitely an RSPCA matter.

There's no excuse for a crate that's too small, I have a 48" one that fits my Rottweiler and (for a laugh, not routinely) my 6 ft 2 DS in beside him, and that isn't the largest crate available.

Tabulah - I have a photo of dh in the cage with ddog2! She is in there 23.5 hours of the day, at the moment, because she has had orthopaedic surgery for a dislocated kneecap. She spent 15 weeks in the cage earlier this year, when she needed two operations after rupturing the cruciate ligaments in both knees late last year.

But even though we have made sure the cage was big enough for her to be comfortable in there - as comfortable as possible after three knee operations - it still breaks my heart that she's back in there again, and will then have to work her way gradually back to fitness again.

I cannot imagine caging a dog for that 18+ hours a day unless you have to for the dog's health, as we are having to. What this woman is doing is abuse - pure and simple.

My dog's had crate rest after surgery as well...I sat beside him for most of the day playing and training because I felt so sorry for him.

I wouldn't leave him anywhere alone for 18 hours a day, then add in that this dog is crated for that long and that it's too small and it's just so sad.

I will give the RSPCA tomorrow and dog warden call on Monday and raise the issue up with them
Have tried bring up with her but she says he fine is used to and his breed not need as much active as mine

I am not going out at the moment, unless I have to (dentist appointment, quick trip to the shop for necessities) because it seems so unfair to leave her alone, when she's in the cage. She is very settled in there - she is doing so well, poor thing - and dh is sure that, if I went out for a couple of hours, she would just curl up and go to sleep - but it just doesn't seem right.

So I am on house arrest for another 4 weeks - luckily someone has laid on a rugby World Cup tournament to keep me entertained!

Apologies for derailing your thread, OP.

I have a terrier cross, she is 4 months and TINY. She goes in her crate at night, so from about 11.30-6.30. Most days there is someone at home, but we have two young children, and from time to time we crate her (e.g. when putting girls to bed), but increasingly we would put her in the garden where she mostly footles about happily when we need her out of the equation. We do leave her during the day, but never for longer than 3 hours - and there is only usually one day a week where she is left with dog minder - who comes in twice when we are gone from 8-5. I think this woman needs to rehome the dog - she doesn't have time, clearly, and is neglecting the dog (I notice that my dog's behaviour is notably worse on the day when there isn't much interaction)

I fret horribly when I have to leave her without enough interaction

My dog hates her crate from the start (dirty protests and howling all night) so she ended up in my bed! She is now the calmest most secure dog ever. Her brother was created for hours on end and is a nervous wreck. That is all the evidence prolonged caging is not good that I need!
Report it and let someone love and appreciate the poor thing.

she sounds as if she got the dog for the wrong reasons and Bernese dogs (unless crossed with something tiny) are HUGE
it is so cruel/ignorant and the dog should be taken from her and given a good home
most people I know use a crate for the odd occasion but not as a sort of 'playpen' so he doesn't disrupt the household especially as she seems to have a toddler who obviously comes first.
dogs - especially puppies - need exercise outside and decent level of training
it sounds heartbreaking and I suspect she may not realise the cruelty /neglect she is inflicting on an innocent animal.

OP - any update on this poor dog ?

I spoke to RSPCA and they said the 4 hours is a guideline and long as it is fed and not neglected (eg physically abused )
even though was left for 10 hours in day without a walk etc (I did offer to pop in let out but was told not needed )

So nothing they will do about it

Why does that not surprise me. Poor, poor dog. The RSPCA are useless, I don't understand how they can sit back and do nothing, did you contact the dog warden too?

Yup dog warden says not his area suggested rspca

Friend is now more of ex friend as pointed out not fair on dog and she got arse .Shrug

chair you did your best - just hope she comes to her senses about the poor dog or someone in her family points out what she is doing is so cruel.

This is a situation where social pressure is the best way to encourage her to change. RSPCA is not appropriate for a situation like this where the dog is generally well cared for. It is not illegal to crate, and not illegal to walk your dog only once a day.

She seems pretty happy with the situation though, you might just have to accept not everyone will be the dog owner you think they should be.

Mmmufins dog is not walked always on a weekend and yup sadly RSPCA said it is fine even be left crated for 10 hrs in day no walk out for hour then crated over Nights

he is already handful on odd occasion she does walk him as in knocking people over won't listen and escaped three times out door almost causing accident

Sadly I suspect he either end up hurting someone or more likely himself

I created my dog when he was a puppy. It's considered a good way of training them. But he was in it a max of 4 hours at a time. (And all night). He loved his crate and would often just go in on his own.

Unfortunately it sounds like your friend is using it for the wrong reasons and I'd consider that a little cruel. Could you look up some dog training places for her and suggest that?