I will admit that I have always thought putting a dog in a crate was cruel. When I got involved with greyhound adoption, I did learn all the right things to say to people about crates - I just never really believed what I was saying. Old beliefs are sometimes really hard to let go of!
I have been meaning to write an article about crating, but wasn't too keen on it, because of, well, what I have already said! I will now explain why I am writing this article.
In a word - Licorice! Our newest greyhound - the 16-month-old Burdette pup that I wrote an article about a few months ago. Licorice is a delightful, comical, and simply spectacular greyhound. He is the youngest of our 4 greys. Whitney, Josh, and Rosie are between 5 and 6 years old. They are complacent, well-behaved (for the most part!) enjoyable dogs. Then there is Licorice, or the "wild-child," as I sometimes call him. He is certainly the most "fun" dog we have ever had. Everyday is a new day to him and certainly the day to continue the party he seems to always be attending!
BUT...I guess it was obvious there was going to be a "but." He is young - he is actually eating the house! I started off with very good intentions with him. When we left the house he was crated. He didn't seem to like going into the crate, which of course bothered me, but I did it! He was never crated for more than 2 hours and things were fine. Then one night, Pete & I went to Sapulpa, a small town about 30 minutes outside of Tulsa, to babysit our grandkids. Our daughter and her husband were gone much longer than they anticipated. So, Licorice was crated for at least 6 hours. I was just frantic on the way home - I just had "one of those feelings!" You know what I mean.
Sure enough, when we walked in the door - I saw that I was right on target to be worried. He had managed to have several accidents in the crate - the crate was moved around. A greyhound afghan that was kind of covering the crate had been partially pulled inside the crate and shredded, and Licorice was very upset. Pete dragged the crate outside to wash it while I took Licorice to the shower for a bath. He was very subdued and not acting at all like himself - he acted this way for several days. Of course, I was so guilt-ridden that I vowed NEVER to crate him again.
