Juneau is doing fine after our hilly 3-mile run through Breakheart
Reservation in Wakefield/Saugus on Sunday. Eight-hundred milligrams
of Ibuprofen later, I still am limping around like Joe Namath. The
old knee injury I forgot I had since giving up running two
years ago, re-introduced itself. The pain was worth it for one
restful night. Juneau slept like in hibernation. Yet unless I hire
Haile Gebrselassie as my dog-walker, I don’t see this pace of
fatiguing Juneau into sweet slumber continuing.
Back in the house, Juneau continues avoiding most human contact not
tied to table scraps, skittering about to chew up household items
before retreating to her crate. (She vomited in her crate the other
night after eating candles in the living room, necessitating moving up the
scheduled date of her first bath. Once the
swelling in my knee subsides enough so I can climb the stairs,
Juneau will be introduced to the upstairs bathtub.)
The debate now raging within the Pevear household is how many hours
Juneau can be locked in her crate during the day before we find
ourselves on that slippery slope to being locked up with Michael Vick. The
hectic comings and goings of the household usually has
somebody there with her, but occasionally our meager lives beyond Juneau do call.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that a four- to six-month-old puppy — which Juneau is —
“shouldn’t be crated for longer than a two- to three-hour period.”
Yet a link on the ASPCA's Web site connects to a story saying a dog can be
crated for one hour per each month of age, up to a maximum of nine to
ten hours.
Juneau is not wanting for exercise. Most of my time not working is
spent walking her. When people are home, she stays in her crate
anyway. So what's the big deal?
A friend of mine who is a friend of animals explained that a dog’s
short-term memory is different than ours. Their sense of being
crated for lengthy (yet reasonable) stretches is not as
agonizing as from the human perspective. Today the plan called for crating Juneau for only 2 1/2 hours, so we could keep enough candles in case power goes out in the next storm. So why these feelings of guilt?
I agree with other posters - do not feel guilty at all about crating. I have a 12-year old whippet (just turned 12 today :) ) who was crate trained and that crate is his safety place, his quiet place, his bed at nights, and his - I'm waiting for mum to come out of the shower - place :) The door is left off the crate, so he's free to go in and out as he pleases, but without that initial crate training:
1. It would be more difficult to travel long distances with him (gets a bit car-sick but is much better when he's in his crate in the car)
2. We'd have a dog in the bed every single night
3. He wouldn't feel as secure when we take him on the road with us (it's very evident how much more comfy he is when the crate is around and he can hop into it when there's too much family in his face :) )
Posted by T.C. | January 29, 2009 5:47 PM
Posted on January 29, 2009 17:47
Do not feel guility about crating your dog. You are doing the right thing. I crate trained my puppy and even now as a grown dog he sometimes goes in it on his own at night. Of course now the door is never closed. Dogs like to have a "den" and if you have a crate big enough for Juneau to stand up, turn around, and lie down he will be fine. He needs to be safe when he is alone. I applaud you adopting a shelter dog. I did the same thing years ago and got an awesome dog.
Posted by Von | January 27, 2009 12:40 PM
Posted on January 27, 2009 12:40
Don't feel guilty! You are obviously devoted to Juneau and her well-being. She probably feels more secure in her crate than loose in the house by herself anyway. Our dog (once a terrified rescue and now a constant mooch for love and attention) definitely preferred his crate to any form of uncertainty until he felt more confident and trusting. So go shopping! She'll be fine. :-)
Posted by Stace | January 27, 2009 9:31 AM
Posted on January 27, 2009 09:31