cages

[b13thy]

Keeping animals in cages - is it right or wrong. I think its wrong but having asked quite alot of people was surprised that it is quite popular. i know people go on about it being 'their space' but my dog has spaces all over my house and she is uber content

[maggie01]

when my youngest dog needs her space she goes behind the sofa.I personally do not like cages only in certain circumstances. If a dog chews and is likely to chew cables or things that can hurt it then I suppose they have a purpose. But I always think some people use them to keep them in one place and some use them as part of their training. I suppose it is a personal thing but for me its a no no

[drgnrdr]

A crate is a "behavioral management tool", it keeps your dog safe from your house and your house safe from your dog. It is not meant to keep them in it for 8 to 10 hours, it is not used instead of obedience training. If trained for the crate, dog like it, dogs are denning animals, they need an enclosed area to retreat to when needed. When first getting a dog/puppy they don't know the rules, it is up to you to teach them what is acceptable and what isn't. You can not always watch them 24/7, and they have not earned the privilege of being free in your home without supervision. The crate is used for this purpose. My dog goes to work with me and I can not have her running loose in the store, she goes in the crate when I have training classes, about an hour, and then she comes out and we work and I take her and play, then we do it all over again thruout the day. She is with me for my full shift. I would have to leave her at home, by herself, locked in a room, or garage, or yard (my neighbors would not appreciate her barking at the birds and cats, and other obnoxious dogs), if not for the crate at work. Her crate at home is for when I go to store and run small errands, she does not have a "right" to be free in my home, she has to earn the privilege, and being a year old, she is not reliable yet. I help parents train for the crate and it is a great tool to use while teaching them the rules of the home. If you don't use a crate they try to find a place to "den" and have some peace, which is also fine if they have found one and your dog is totally reliable on their own, they know the rules.

[funkychicken]

It depends what kind of animals you mean, because not all animals are the same. I agree its wrong to keep a dog in a cage especially for long periods of time but what about smaller animals such as mice or hamsters, you can hardly let them loose in your house

[b13thy]

funkychicken, your point is very correct. it would be bedlam to have rodents scurrying about your house, although when i had my beautiful rat (RIP) he had the run of my room (i live in a shared house at college). must point out at this stage however that i think it is absolutely wrong to keep birds in cages - it makes me so sad to see them trapped

[gingerflaps]

when i had my pet rats, i used to have a big 3 layer cage for them, but i always had the door open on it so they could wander around my bedroom, they were very good and only used the cage as a toilet and as sleeping quarters.

[muses_queen]

Had to reply to this one, I feel so strongly about this issue. Cages are simply wrong, they are animals after all, it is not for us to imprison them. For medical reasons, i.e recovering from an accident, then you may need a cage as they don't listen to advise "put your feet up and don't move for 3 weeks" it wouldnt work would it...

I don't keep pets that require cages as I think it's cruel.