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The doghouse

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Original poster

Leaving dog in crate

99 replies

whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 20:11

This is a bit of a niche issue so bear with me.

We foster dogs for a local charity. On Friday we got our latest - a beautiful and very well behaved 2 year old staffy. Pretty sure he's mixed with something though as he's v stocky and tall for a staff. He's crate trained but his previous owners took the crate away a few months ago so he's not been in one for a while. We do have a crate and he's been sleeping in it quite happily. Today I left him for the first time for a few hours with no problems.

Today I get a text from DD8 school. Her bubble has burst and she will need to be home for the next 2 weeks. DH is working from home so I'll still be expected to go to work. His office is currently in the loft up a ladder so he can't take the dog upstairs with him.

Would it be totally awful to put dog in his crate for the day while DD is in the same room? He's a big dog and not that well known to us to trust him and DD to be alone together for any length of time!

I really don't know what other options I have! He wouldn't be in there for more than four hours still as DH will come down and let him out on his lunch.

Help!

OP posts:
Original poster
whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 21:04

Ok I'll accept it's not ok to crate him while I'm at work. I can leave him out normally. I can change that behaviour. But that doesn't help me for the next few weeks!

OP posts:
MiniTheMinx · 09/11/2020 21:04

I don't like crates. But I don't foster dogs. If I did I guess I'd have to because it seems to be the thinking now.

Anyways, of course you can't leave a strange dog out with your daughter without any supervision.

Yes, I think the dog would be upset if its used to being with the humans when you are within sight.

Can you move the crate to the utility room or a room your daughter doesn't have access to or need to enter?

PollyRoulson · 09/11/2020 21:06

I am also surprised that you are not contacting the rescue in the first instance. They should be your first port of call for any issues with the dog.

You need to tell them the changes in your circumstances. The rescue need to find a new foster.

cherrypiepie · 09/11/2020 21:06

To answer the question you will just have to tell your work your dd is self isolating and need taking care of at home.

It might be a flex of the truth but is the only solution. And one that many will be in.

iMatter · 09/11/2020 21:06

Do the charity know the dog spends so much time in a crate?

BiteyShark · 09/11/2020 21:08

I am out of the house for only a bit longer than you and I send mine to daycare so he isn't alone for more than 3 hours and during that time he has freedom to roam around one room.

I think like others on this thread are just surprised that a dog being fostered would be left alone for so long in a crate. I can understand fostering involves leaving dogs alone a bit to see how they cope but figured that it would be with someone who spent most of the time at home with the dog rather than someone working full time and crates during that time.

This comes at a good time as I was going to specify in my will if DH and I die before our dog that he goes to a rescue that fosters instead of kennels as he needs human company. Now I think I need to make it more specific that he isn't crated all day even in a foster home as that would distress him as I hadn't realised that could happen.

Veterinari · 09/11/2020 21:09

@whoami24601
You need to get in touch with the rescue and ask them to find an alternative foster family for him.

He cannot be locked in a crate all day for 2 weeks.

I'd also be rethinking the sensibleness of bringing strange and potentially traumatised dogs into a house with a child.

Original poster
whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 21:12

Please read my update- I don't work full time! I will of course contact the rescue but I thought I'd ask on here for ideas and possible solutions. Stupid move obviously! I've never used a crate before fostering but if a dog comes to me and that's what they're used to then I'll carry that on for consistency. Unfortunately nowhere I can move the crate that DD won't need to access. Our house is not that big and every room is accessed by other rooms! Could potentially put him in the dining room/ kitchen and her in the front room but then she won't be able to get any food/ snacks while I'm at work.

OP posts:
Original poster
whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 21:13

Unfortunately fibbing to work is not an option as I work at the school she attends!

OP posts:
Original poster
whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 21:14

Biteyshark if your dog isn't crate trained then of course a foster is not going to crate them! It's not a one size fits all solution!

OP posts:
Mrsdoubtfireswig · 09/11/2020 21:14

You need to get back in touch with the rescue ASAP to say your circumstances have changed so he can be fostered by another family and be given a high and appropriate standard of care

Personally I’m not a fan of crates and have never used for my dogs. I can understand dog owners who do use them and each to their own but crating a dog whilst you are in the house for hours on end is cruel and neglectful and I think if you think is acceptable you need to rethink fostering dogs. They are sentient beings who need love, care and attention - not to be shoved in a cage when wanted out of the way

frumpety · 09/11/2020 21:15

He cannot be locked in a crate all day for 2 weeks.

But that isn't what the OP has described , he will be in the crate for a third of the day , with a break of an hour midway or more than one break if he is upset , for 3 days a week. I suppose that is worse than being in a kennel for 24 hours a day with a couple of walks a day for two weeks, which is the real alternative for many rescue dogs ?

Original poster
whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 21:16

I don't want him out of the way FFS. I need both him and DD to be safe while I'm in this totally unprecedented situation! I'm asking for other solutions but all I'm getting is abuse!

OP posts:
BiteyShark · 09/11/2020 21:16

Please read my update- I don't work full time!

I leave at 825 and am home by 305 3 days a week

That's a large time out of the home. Yes I know your DH will let him out for an hour and some dogs are fine with that but I am still surprised that a dog is fostered with those hours especially when people struggle to rescue dogs and work far less hours than you are proposing to leave him.

anxiousanxiety · 09/11/2020 21:17

You're fostering a dog but now your daughter is at home it's not feasible. Put your daughters safety first and find a suitable solution.

Floralnomad · 09/11/2020 21:17

OP can you clarify whether or not the dog is caged overnight ?

PollyRoulson · 09/11/2020 21:17

The problem is not your daughter (although that is an issue fostering unknown dogs to a family with children) the problem is the lack of time you are giving to the foster dog crated or not the dog is on its own too long.

@BiteyShark I hope you never need it but Spaniel Aid do foster in an acceptable way. Foster parents are vetted , behaviourist help is from trained staff, foster staff are trained.

SBTLove · 09/11/2020 21:21

Can your DD not be upstairs with her dad and dog out of his crate downstairs? or use her room and dad takes breaks to get her snacks, let dog out?
For those saying tell rescue to move him, fosters are not easy to come by and staffies get attached to you quickly, it’s not fair on the dog to just shove him about.

Mycircusmymonkey · 09/11/2020 21:21

If he wasn’t crate trained you would need an alternative solution. Being crated for such a long time every day isn’t right or fair. No good stamping your feet because people won’t tell you it’s ok.
The solution is to probably realise you aren’t set up to foster dogs 🤷‍♀️

Original poster
whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 21:21

I'm trying to find a suitable solution! Yes the dog is crated overnight (Pretty sure that was in my OP). I could potentially leave him out overnight to reduce the overall time he's in the crate but won't that confuse him? I'm not getting into the charity. They are a good charity who vet and assess the dogs properly. We get very few fosters here because we have children. They only place known dogs with families with children.

OP posts:
BuggerationFlavouredCrisps · 09/11/2020 21:22

Surely being in the crate in a house and let out after a couple of hours by the DH is preferable to being locked 24/7 in concrete run in an animal shelter?

Or are there hundreds of other willing volunteers available to foster shelter dogs?

BiteyShark · 09/11/2020 21:24

PollyRoulson many thanks for the info. Will look into them as I want to get it right for peace of mind.

DartmoorChef · 09/11/2020 21:24

You only got the dog 3 days ago.

Original poster
whoami24601 · 09/11/2020 21:26

DartmoorChef not sure what your point is? I've contacted the charity so hopefully they will have a solution for me.

OP posts:
QueenOfLabradors · 09/11/2020 21:31

Unlike a lot of the piler-inners I actually also work with foster based rescues... In the circumstances I would continue to use the crate in the daytime when there isn't an adult in close reach, with a screen or blanket over the crate to help foster dog and daughter not get distracted by each other.

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