I totally agree with Aly. Crating can be done very humanely if done in the right way. When we first got Malone (yellow lab mix) I was TOTALLY against crating.

But, I was being driven bananas. He was a totally nawtee puppy, and if I didn't watch him 24/7, he would eat things that were bad for him, chew things up, get into garbage cans, the whole 9 yards. So I broke down, did some research, and got a crate.

I crate both my boys during the day while we are at work. They always get a treat when they go in there, and they sleep most of the day. Even tho' Mark works from home, he can't have them in the same room as he is always on the phone with important people. The other time I use it is when they need a forced nap. They are just like kids, and when they get overtired, they won't lay down and sleep; but get naughty out of boredom.

I have totally changed my mind, and am 100% for crating. But I also am totally against using the crate as a tool to not spend time with your pup. It makes me really sad to hear that someone would do that.