Friday, September 21, 2007

Socks and his kennel

I had some one tell me that its cruel to keep a puppy in a kennel and that we should give him away if we can't take care of him! We take great care of our pets and they are incredibly spoiled. So I just wanted to let every one know that Socks is handling the kennel well. Its set up in our living room. He spends a few hours in there depending on work schedules. The most time he's in there is 1-3 hours. I hate doing this, but there have been no accidents on the floor and the litter box has been peaceful (as in not looking like it exploded). And the kennel is not the same as a crate. Some people leave their pets in crates (small boxes) for that amount of time or longer and I would never do that. His kennel is designed for a large dog (he's a Shih-Tzu, they're small) and is about 5'x4' and about 4' high...and he's only about 2' long and about a foot and a half tall. He's got water, food, a bed, and toys in there and plenty of room to move around and jump all over. He goes in there on his own, we don't have to put him in there. And since we've started doing this he's actually starting to housebreak! Hopefully we won't have to do this long. He's a little over 1 year old and it takes about 3 years to completely housebreak a Shih-Tzu. Oh, and the lady that told me I was cruel...she was buying puppy pads for her 2 year old dog that refuses to go outside and said that she keeps it locked in the laundry room when she's not home! I think thats cruel! I would never keep an animal in a confined area with no windows or doors and poor ventilation! She also said that when she tries to move the puppy pad outside the dog brings it back inside and does its business! I think she's doing something wrong there.

On the home improvement subject...James reminded me that its been 2 months and the dining room floor is still not done. I reminded him that he can do it too. I've been in so much pain lately that I just can't do hardly anything. Maybe we'll get started on it again soon.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always felt that it seemed a little mean to keep a critter in a crate...but when I rescued my dog, I tried for 3 years to get to the point where he was a responsible member of the house. He was...responsible for chewing on the couch, responsible for peeing on things he shouldn't, and responsible for demoing a couple new sheetrock walls. So now he's crated while I'm away...and I think we're both happier. He gets delicious goodies in his Kong when he goes in the crate (you should see him fly in there when I'm getting ready to leave for work), and I don't have to be angry with him when I come home and find damages.

Christine said...

Well, the lady that told you that was completely wrong. You're doing the right thing. If they are left alone they actually prefer to be in a kennel or crate. Sure they can't get out, but more importantly nothing can get to them. It's their safe little "den". If they're left to roam free they can suffer from all kinds of anxiety and end up doing some crazy stuff. And most dogs like having their own private spot to go to if they choose even when you're around.

So I'm curious if the litter box had one of those lids on it? Seems reasonable if it did that he was trying to use it for his den.

BeccaMarie said...

No, the litter box doesn't have a lid or top, its just the regular kind. But it is in a corner under a wide window sill and wall mount sink, so that might explain it. He never did that when it was more in the open.

Thanks for the support and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that has to do this! Its great that I don't have to be mad at him all the time anymore and he actually seems more happy now!