by Barbara Stockton

Created on: November 27, 2008   Last Updated: November 17, 2009

Our pets today are not only our companions or our protectors but are also considered a member of the family. No longer does the family dog live in the back yard in a house built especially for them, with a leash that restrains them from moving too far away from their appointed area. Today they travel almost every place with us, they ride in the car, go on vacation and even some smaller dogs have a bag we use to cary them every place we go. We dress them. buy beds for them, give them treats and toys. So the question is why wouldn't we want to protect them from harm?

Though crating your dog may seem to be cruel it is also something that at times has to be considered for the safety of man's best friend. Dogs when left to their own devices can cause allot of chaos and at times can cause themselves harm. I have heard horror stories from some people who owned dogs and left them alone all day without being penned. One man regaled me on the effects of dogs teeth on his molding as the vet had the dog in his office removing splinters from his gums that had become severely infected. Then there was the horror story of the dog that jumped through the storm door window when he saw a cat going by.

That poor guy ended up by having glass in his eye and becoming blind in one eye. And of course the worst story I heard was when a friend of mine left his little puppy unattended, the pup decided to chew on some wires. The end result was that the little fellow burned part of his face off from the electrical charge that wreaked his little body. These are only a few reasons why a dog should at times be penned and if the pen is large enough then the dog will not be uncomfortable as long as he has food and water. Little dogs have a tendency to be a little mischievous and don't seem to realise the dangers all around them, so it is our responsibility to protect them from themselves.

If you work as we all do a pen is more humane than the poor guy being on a yard leash all day especially when the weather is so unpredictable. I have a small pug myself and I know that when he was very young he would chew on wires if you didn't keep an eye on him all the time, so penning him when I was gone was the only way to protect him from himself. Now there are times when he prefers his pen. When he wants to get away from my grandchildren or he just wants to be alone he opens the door himself and goes inside. Now I also have an older dog, a keeshound but I have never had to pen him because they are a more mellow dog.

The only advice I can give is that whether or not you should pen your dog is dependent on the dog and whether or not he or she will be safe when left to his own devices.When you love someone that someone becomes your whole life and life wouldn't be the same without them. I know that very soon I will lose my keeshound because he has cancer and although right now he is in remission I know that it is only a matter of time before he will be gone. So just remember this pet will take care of you when you need it. He will love and protect you, being loyal to you all his life. Don't you think they deserve the same from you.

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