PETA to Place Anti-Crating Ad After Child Locked in a Cage in Wyoming

After a Wyoming couple was arrested for allegedly locking a 7-year-old child inside a cage secured with a metal chain and “dog-leash-style latch,” PETA asked advertising companies in Laramie, Wyoming, to put up its billboard reminding people that crating is cruel to both kids and animals.

Since dogs are highly social pack animals, there is no worse punishment for them than being penned, crated, or chained. Such intensive confinement can actually lead to or aggravate behavioral issues such as barking, aggression, and hyperactivity. Dogs have a basic need to move around, explore, and exercise. Studies have shown that long-term confinement is detrimental to animals’ physical and psychological well-being.

And not only is crating cruel, it’s also counterproductive to housetraining. Puppies don’t develop full bladder control until they’re about 6 months old, so they are physically incapable of “holding it” for any length of time and will have to urinate in their crates. Dogs who repeatedly soil their crates often lose the urge to keep them clean, which actually prolongs the housetraining process.

Dogs need to be allowed outside to relieve themselves at least four times a day, which often means that their humans must come home from work at lunchtime, hire a reputable dog walker, or take them to doggie daycare. PETA supports humane, interactive training methods that teach guardians positive ways to communicate with their animal companions and help keep them happy and healthy.