Astoundingly low boxer 11Nov41 when looped get from send like out for me on the infrequent occasions which I did it, but if I had it to do over, I 't think I'd leave a dog alone a crate unless I absolutely had to. Em, I think we are agreement. For own dogs I 't like to crate. I imagine a horrible litany of bad outcomes: fire, vomiting dog, dog with paw wedged crate, etc. I do make use of the crates when I am there and need to keep one dog out of face while I work with the other I personally prefer exercise pens for puppies and had excellent results. I do think, though, that for some dogs some situations, crating while the owner is gone can result a happier, calmer, less-stressed dog. And for some dogs properly used crates are literally life-savers. I do think they have potential for abuse and the personal rule-of-thumb I followed is that a puppy should not spend more than 8 hours out of 24 crated, which meant that for me a puppy crated at night had used up his crate-time for the day. And yes, definitely I agree that some research on what is would be helpful. It would seem that at the least they could do some scans of bladder and bowel to how close they were to capacity, to speak. Leaving a dog alone at home for 9 hours or more? Why get a dog if all y0u have to offer this living creature is being alone a house all day? I think we have great laws Sweden! But even 6 hours alone is too much! Most responsible breeders demand that the dogs they sell never be left alone for more than 4 hours. Why get a dog if all y0u have to offer this living creature is being alone a house all day? Ms. Benson, honestly that comment is not very well thought out, is it? That is not ALL I have to offer pets. I offer them walks the woods, cuddles on the couch, agility classes, therapy visits, trips out swimming. I offer them hikes and frisbee sessions and lots of visits with people the park by house. I offer them treats and good meals. I offer them the companionship of each other I guess I would turn it around and say this to you: do YOU find it unbearable to be alone for 8 or 9 hours? I know I 't. I enjoy it. I crave time alone after being a busy office all day. Regardless, I do find your comment a touch judgmental and very subjective. pets are actually never alone, except for the cat on rare occasion. Personally I can't imagine having just one dog because they seem to enjoy doggie companionship much. Yet online searching shows me that the majority of Swedish dog owners do have just one. I won't go around saying that I think that's ridiculous and that no one should be allowed to have only one pet since they need time with their own kind. I suppose I would appreciate if you would give the same kindness and consideration to MY choices that I give to YOUR choices. breeders also won't sell to someone without a fenced yard and I 't think that's fair either. I just came back from a trip to Asheville, NC. It is a wonderfully dog-friendly town. Dogs were everywhere and when I asked about it I was told that dogs were allowed every store and park and mall- just not the restaurants. It was strange to dogs the mall. Water bowls were all over the downtown. It seemed that everyone was good at picking up after their dogs. Germany. I haven't looked up the laws regarding crates or hours unattended that we have, but I'd almost guarantee that they are as restrictive as Sweden's or worse. Fortunately, the police have much more important activities to worry about and they are not peeking windows looking for crate violators. The law is there to make sure abusers can be dealt with if necessary. It ensures that animals have some protection which is virtually absent the USA. I have not once encountered a lonely backyard barker, abandoned dog, or the crazed chained dog The social and financial costs of dog ownership are high here. People 't get a dog without a lot of forethought and planning. There are a lot less dogs here, but every one of them seem to be well taken care of, exercised, and incorporated into family life. Well behaved dogs are welcomed virtually everywhere. dogs it here because they can do more things with their humans. I it because I've done a lot of work with dog rescue the USA and other countries, and heart doesn't get broken by