Monday, November 05, 2012

CRATES & PETS: HUMANE OR HELL?

Rupert relaxes at the groomers,
 while waiting for his owner.
Recently I had a potential new client refuse to book an appointment for grooming after learning that her dog would have to spend some time in a crate while at my salon.  Although I had come highly recommended by more than one happy customer, and she "just loved" how I groomed her friend's Bichon, the idea that her dog would have to spend "even one minute" in a crate was a deal-breaker.  "She's never been put in a cage, and I would not want that to ever happen."  Even the alternative of placing the pooch in an exercise pen, which I have available for extra large dogs, was unacceptable. The dog could NOT be confined.  I thanked her for calling, and suggested she find a mobile groomer.  I also informed her of a salon that allows the guests to run free in the grooming area.

The call got me to thinking.  Why would a pet owner perceive a pet crate or kennel as inhumane?  I think it is due to our tendency as humans to project our own feelings onto our pets.  We perceive containment as imprisonment and we assume the pet would be as unhappy in a cage as we would be.  I think this is an incorrect assumption for the most part.  Another source of this negative perception are the images we see of neglected animals in puppy mills forced to live their lives in small cages and pens.

My experience with over 41 years of being with dogs in crates or kennels during grooming is that the majority of them are fine with being placed in a comfortable crate.  I have dogs that arrive for grooming and make a beeline for the same crate every month; others leap from my arms into the crate. Left on their own, it is quite natural for dogs to seek small confined spaces.  There is a privacy and security to the physical boundaries a crate affords.  At the groomer's, pets can be in the presence of the sights, sounds and smells of other dogs while being safe in their private quarters.  Being in a crate is part of the expected ritual of the grooming.  Important to the ritual is that being kenneled is linked to being picked up.  The more often a dog is brought for grooming, placed in a kennel, and picked up when grooming is completed, the more confidence the dog has that when they are kenneled, they will be collected.

Frankly, I believe that going to the groomers, including being placed in a safe kennel or crate is good life training for a dog.  It is an exercise that reinforces the notion that the dog can be separated from the owner, handled by folks other than family, housed in a contained kennel, crate, or pen, and ultimately reunited with the owner.  A dog that has experienced this ritual, especially if on a regular basis, will be much less likely to become distressed in other situations that require kenneling.  That could be at the veterinary hospital, a boarding situation in a crisis, or a disaster shelter.

Crates in my home are a part of my life style.  I keep enough crates to allocate one per pet in an emergency evacuation.  I don't use my crates much, mostly if I need to give someone a "time out", or privacy if they are ill or out of sorts.  My own pets have their own little "places".  One of my Bichons prefers to slide under my computer desk or the couch.  At my grooming salon, my own dogs have their preferred places.  Gracie, my mixed breed, likes to come into the grooming room and settle into a ground-level crate.  I have to chase her out if I need it for a guest.  The two Bichons like the two dog beds that are scrunched under my desk in the other room.  As I said, on their own, many dogs seek small confined spaces.  Under the desk, sofa, or bed can become their own little cave to which they retreat for privacy.  It is natural.  Crates simply accommodate this natural desire of the dog.  They are not cruel or inhumane.

7 comments:

  1. Sorry but I hate to see an a dog confined to such a small space in a cage. I am not a dog expert but I feel it is inhumane to cage them in a small space. Seems mean to me because they were born in a cage so how is it natural or normal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there, in the wild dogs are naturally den animals and will go to ground and dig a small hole to sleep in, raise pups in etc as this is where they feel safest....I have had a domesticated dog do the same when he became lost for a few days :( Crates are a cleaner alternative lol. MY dogs love their crates and take themselves to bed whenever they want, and when we go away for holidays we can easily fold them up and take them so they have familiarity with their crates. If you give a dog a bed to sleep in then whats the difference if it has sides or a door :o)

      Delete
  2. Thank you soo much for writting about this topic! At home my dog loves to go to his cage, we leave the door wide open and he willingly strolls right on in. Being at the salon is stressful, dogs need a safe place to decompress. Personifying your pets is fine from time to time but in this instant I think pet parents should understand that what may look like an uncomfortable, claustrophobic, prison cell is actually a safe haven for them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My dogs love their crate! I also learned that crate training allows me to travel with my dog, compete and have them safe from other dangers and when/ if they need to go to the vets they won't panic if caging is required! Crate training is a great tool when used properly.
    Very nice article Barbara.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Working at a vet clinic, we occasionally get the odd client who will refuse to have their dog in a cage even though it is booked in for surgery. How about we will just let it injure it self or other staff members whilst it's drugged up waking from anaesthetic. I love the idea of crates it's the safest place your pet could possibly be, i crate my dogs when we're on holidays and they are unsupervised, that way i know they won't destroy the place, they won't be barking, they won't try to attack each other (not that they do) or be injured by straying dogs. The idea is not inhumane provided they have enough room to turn around, have water, and ventilation and are not locked up all day i.e 24hrs like most kennels. For a grooming salon that's not the case.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Pet crates and pens are not that bad. Owners should also take into consideration the comfort of their pets.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have had several clients that have this way of thinking.. the funny thing is... one of them her dog puts himself into the cage bank... lol... he doesn't want to be out running free, he feels safe in the crate.. in fact he came early this morning.. .and as usual Max put himself in the crate.. door wasn't latched lol.... another client same thing... her dog absolutely loves going into the cage... did it right in front of him... no stress at all... granted there are a few...very few dogs who do not like a crate, and for them we make other arrangements... not a huge issue. But don't be fooled... just because they may not like being in a crate at home, doesn't mean they don't like being in a crate at the groomers..and they aren't usually in them long anyway... great article Bbird!

    ReplyDelete