LETTER: Don't lock dogs in crates
To the editor:
A dog in Minneapolis narrowly escaped a gruesome, slow, and agonizing death recently when a good Samaritan kicked in the door of a burning house and pulled the dog — who was locked in a crate — to safety. The dog was limp and suffering from smoke inhalation, but survived, thanks to the passerby's quick action.
After Hurricane Harvey, PETA's rescue team saved many animals who'd been left behind, including two dogs who were stuck in a crate in a flooded home while the waters rose around them. Countless other animals haven't been so lucky and have slowly burned to death or drowned, panicking, while locked in crates.
Crating not only gives dogs no chance of escaping in a disaster, it also prevents them from fulfilling their most basic needs, including walking around, relieving themselves, and stretching. According to veterinarian Dr. Michael W. Fox, dogs who are crated are at risk for "multiple health issues related to retention of urine and feces and lack of exercise."
Crating also frustrates dogs' innate need for companionship. Dogs are highly social animals; when kept in solitary confinement, many become severely depressed and withdrawn and can suffer from separation anxiety, hyperactivity, and behavioral issues because of their intensive confinement and isolation.
No one likes being locked up and left alone. Please visit www.PETA.org for tips on humanely caring for and training dogs.
Lindsay Pollard-Post
The PETA Foundation
Norfolk, VA
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