(Although if the child's hand is paralyzed, how is he eating dinner with that hand? Hmmm

Twisterdog - excellent observation! I never even gave that a thought. Have you ever considered a career in law enforcement or detective work! Now I am having my doubts too. Hmmm...

I first used crates for training in 1984 - YIKES almost 20 years ago! It was at the suggestion of the breeder whom I bought my dog from that year. Initially I thought the concept was cruel but gave it a try at her suggestion. It did help in quicker housetraining and each dog that I have gotten since then has been crate trained. Of course once they proved themselves 'trustworthy' to have the run of the house it was put away. I would never want to see a dog in a crate for hours on end though. Fortunately I only worked part-time while using the crate.