Keeoing a dog in a cage.... ?

Zipppy

I have just discovered that someone I know, who has a zero trained Labrador about 1 year old, keeps it in a small cage in the house when there is no one home .. which is most of the day.
They cant leave alone uncaged in the house as it eats / destroys everything.
Is this considered animal cruelty?

D3V!L

why can't they put it outside ?

My dog sleeps in a crate at night and he loves it.

antix80

Providing the dog gets walked every day and has access to water, it might not be so cruel. The dog might be used to it. Compare it to someone who never walks their dog but leaves it alone all day in a yard or garden.

Knine

antix80 wrote: »

Providing the dog gets walked every day and has access to water, it might not be so cruel. The dog might be used to it. Compare it to someone who never walks their dog but leaves it alone all day in a yard or garden.

It is left alone all day in a cage & yes that is cruel! That is not how crates are meant to be used. Sleeping in a crate at night is not the same thing

cocker5

Crates from my understanding are "supposed" to be used for a "safe haven" for a dog a place to retreat when they want some peace and quite and for sleeping at night... NOT to be kept / locked in for long periods of time.

so yes if this is true it is cruel

antix80

Maybe it's cruel, but most dog owners accept there is a trade-off between cruelty and convenience. That's why dogs don't get walked daily or when there's a bit of drizzle, they're frequently left alone all day, and they're banished to a back yard to bark at everything that goes past.

cocker5

antix80 wrote: »

Maybe it's cruel, but most dog owners accept there is a trade-off between cruelty and convenience. That's why dogs don't get walked daily or when there's a bit of drizzle, they're frequently left alone all day, and they're banished to a back yard to bark at everything that goes past.

no there's no trade off I'm afraid for decent dog owners... decent dog owners treat their dogs as part of the family don't banish them to the garden or neglect their walks when there's rain... and for those that do they don't deserve a dog in all fairness

antix80

I'd agree. Cruelty is cruelty. You might reason with a child "we can't go outside because it's raining" or "i'll be home late so we'll have dinner later than usual".

For a dog, it's a form of cruelty. There's no trade off. You can't say, "well I'm not walking you, but look at the big back garden you can run around to your heart's content" or "I'll be home late so I left extra food out for you".. the animal will just be anxious.

So, leaving a dog in a crate during the day is cruel. So is leaving a dog alone outside with its nose pushed under the side gate. So is leaving a dog in the back hall without water because you don't want to it to have an accident. People are just really bad dog owners, but they always find a way to justify it.

Dial Hard

antix80 wrote: »

Maybe it's cruel, but most dog owners accept there is a trade-off between cruelty and convenience. That's why dogs don't get walked daily or when there's a bit of drizzle, they're frequently left alone all day, and they're banished to a back yard to bark at everything that goes past.

There's no trade-off here, I can tell you. My dog is walked three times a day hail, rain, snow, wind or shine. There are plenty of times when I would like nothing more than to just skip a walk with her but it's not an option, therefore we just suck it up.

Choc Chip

The whole full-time crate thing seems to be big on USA forums. They don't seem to view it as strange at all.

Particularly people who "work" their dogs - a lot of them seem to think it's totally fine to crate the dog unless it's being "used".

To clarify - I don't think that's ok.

My own dogs refused to go outside today when they saw the rain: turned around and went back to bed the lazy sods. If it's still raining by afternoon walk time they'll be going out anyway because if they don't they'll be like kids with too much sugar spinning round the house.

bertsmom

Yes its very cruel and I would have zero problem reporting that cruelty op.

o1s1n

This is pretty awful to be honest. We had a dog for years in a moderately sized back garden and I kind of felt bad - a cage is just crazy.

em_cat

Zipppy wrote: »

I have just discovered that someone I know, who has a zero trained Labrador about 1 year old, keeps it in a small cage in the house when there is no one home .. which is most of the day.
They cant leave alone uncaged in the house as it eats / destroys everything.
Is this considered animal cruelty?

Yes. If the crate is NOT an appropriate size, the dog does not have sufficient access to food, water and toileting area then yes it is.

If you have proof, then report it to the animal cruelty helpline, our laws are sh*t* but leaving a dog in a crate for 8-10 hours is cruel and I know from experience that it is likely to be investigated, but you have to supply proof.

Latatian

I would keep a labrador in a crate during the first few years no problem. They frequently die of eating things and can eat things you wouldn't believe. Leave the dog out and it could eat a branch, the bottom of the door, or the fence post, or stones, and die or hurt themselves. I wish they had been a thing when my lab was that age as she would have been a lot better off and we would've been saved worry. At the end of the day the dog's safety is paramount. Now, the dog should have someone to walk it in the middle of the day and get a proper 2-3 hours of walking minimum.

At the moment I have a dog who gets crated whenever she is unsupervised- work, sleep, popping out to the shops. I would not have done it when she was young, but she's old and partially blind and deaf and gets disoriented and frightened sometimes if she forgets where she is and walks into something. She knows she's safe in the crate and gets plenty of walks (at least an hour on a normal day) and interaction outside it. She has her food puzzles in it and she is always happy to run in to it. If she is left to her own devices she will go into it to sleep or check the food puzzles. I have a few times accidentally left the door open and she will check the food bowl outside it and then be sitting in it when I get home. If I come home early she looks at me and then tucks into her bed and back to sleep. If things are too busy she will go into it herself.

Like any tool they can be abused, and many dogs (crated or not) do not get enough attention and exercise. But there would be fewer kids bitten by dogs, dogs shot or poisoned etc if the dog was put up somewhere safe (not necessarily a crate) when there was no-one to supervise it properly.

Knine

Ah there is no doubt crates have their purpose. They are fantastic for very sick dogs too. But the OP is saying the dog is basically living in a crate!

Latatian

I am just saying- it wouldn't be much better if the dog was sitting in the kitchen or utility all alone, living in a postage stamp of a garden, or roaming during lambing season unsupervised. The lack of interaction and training is a problem, not the thing that is keeping the dog safe and stopping it from eating something dangerous.

AryaStark

antix80 wrote: »

I'd agree. Cruelty is cruelty. You might reason with a child "we can't go outside because it's raining" or "i'll be home late so we'll have dinner later than usual".

For a dog, it's a form of cruelty. There's no trade off. You can't say, "well I'm not walking you, but look at the big back garden you can run around to your heart's content" or "I'll be home late so I left extra food out for you".. the animal will just be anxious.

So, leaving a dog in a crate during the day is cruel. So is leaving a dog alone outside with its nose pushed under the side gate. So is leaving a dog in the back hall without water because you don't want to it to have an accident. People are just really bad dog owners, but they always find a way to justify it.

I couldn't get my dog outside if it's raining she will look at me like I'm mad! And the pup is starting to learn from her. They just play fight instead... uses lots of energy!

Knine

I actually prefer the bad weather, the rain etc as it weeds out the fair weather dog walkers! These are usually also the untrained " oh he is friendly" as their dog with no social skills at all launches themselves at mine!

mikeym

That person should spend more time training the dog to be good instead of the lazy way of leaving the dog caged up all day.

Some dog owners dont have a clue about the needs of their dogs.

em_cat

Don’t get me wrong, I confess that I now understand why it’s important to crate train, but I also muzzle train and will in future too as it is about keeping the dog safe.

But crating a dog without training it is horribly cruel, when you’ve witnessed the damage a dog is willing to do to itself to get out of it is something many people don’t see.

I know quite a few labs that have the correct mental stimulation, exercise & training so eating everything in sight isn’t an issue and they don’t need to be crated when left alone.

corks finest

antix80 wrote:

Maybe it's cruel, but most dog owners accept there is a trade-off between cruelty and convenience. That's why dogs don't get walked daily or when there's a bit of drizzle, they're frequently left alone all day, and they're banished to a back yard to bark at everything that goes past.

Yes and i can vouch for the barking bit ,were 3 dogs left alone all day next and behind us ,non stop barking when one started chorus joined in , irresponsible owners who don't care and haven't a clue how to look after an animal,one of the dogs was in a cage at nighttime and sometimes day- unfair to dog and man,my westie was put down after 16 good years but wouldn't ever dream of putting him in a cage,walked every day and night

Latatian

I don't think there is any mental stimulation, exercise, and training that can 100% protect all labs. Particularly if it already has the habit of eating objects. They are wired a little differently, to varying degrees depending on the individual.