crating is not an asset in my opinion. I didnt crate my dogs and never will. I think of it kinda like imprissioning them . When ever I would put Oscar in his kenelle he would whine and cry and I would feel super bad, I dont think it is very nice to do that to a dog or puppy.
If you don't choose to crate your dog, and don't have to, great. I don't crate the majority of my dogs either, but some of them would be absolutely unbearable without their crate.

However, CattleDogMom is obviously at the end of her rope here and willing to try something ... anything ... to keep her dog. I think she should be commended for doing so, not criticised.

A crate, used properly, is NOT mean or cruel or unnatural. Dogs still retain many instincts from their wild ansestors, one of which is sleep in a small, safe den.

By the way, the general consensus among trainers, handlers and vets is that EVERY dog should be crate trained to the extent that they know what a crate is, are not afraid of one, and will spend time in one comfortably, even if you don't regularly use a crate at home. Why? To avoid the type of situation you described ....
Tikeya has never even been in a crate in her life intull one day when she went into get spayed she had to stay over night and she freaked out!! the vets thoughs she was dieing!!!!
At some point in their lives many, many, many of our dogs will be sick, need surgery and/or post-surgical confinement, will get lost and hopefully found, etc. They NEED the crate skill at those times. If someone finds your dog and takes it to animal control, your dog is going to have a MUCH better chance of getting back to you if they can contain it, and have it behave, rather than screaming, flopping and biting because it is terrified of a crate. Those dogs are deemed "unadoptable" or "vicious" and euthanized. And what happens if your dog has to have hip sugery one day, and the vet prescribes two weeks of crate rest? Bad, bad time to try to crate train, eh?