PROBLEM 5: Cage Floors Lacking Boards, Beds, or Bedding Lead to Distress and Fighting

The Standard:
Dogs are provided with a resting board, bed, or bedding.

Exhibit 16 We provided pups with boards to allow them to walk on metal cage rungs. (Keelung)

The Reality:
With the exception of cardboard or plastic boxes provided for nursing mother dogs at Pad Te, dogs have no relief from metal cage bars (EXHIBIT 16) and cannot walk. In some cases, dogs' nails were overgrown into painful talons due to long-term confinement without a flat surface. At Shi Tze, even large dogs had difficulty standing on cage bars that were spaced inches apart (EXHIBIT 17). At Keelung, one or two dogs took over the feed and water bins, preventing their use by other dogs, and puppies were forced to lie on metal mesh. In most pounds, no beds, boards, or bedding material is provided at all. When there are not enough territorial boundaries and strange dogs come together, fights are more likely to break out over communal space. This situation is extremely stressful for impounded dogs and weakens their immune systems, making them even more susceptible to disease. It can be partially ameliorated by the provision of enough beds to allow each dog room to lie down comfortably to escape others and to sleep.

The Solution:
Provide sanitizable, simple beds for the dogs.