Thank you for the kind words Tina and for your thoughts Caroleoh and Flyingpwr. The possibility that those puppies are being crated when they are home never crossed my mind and at this point, I really don't want to speculate on what takes place when the family is home. The problem I have is based solely on what I saw at the time of the visit; knowing full well what the circumstances were which was a minimum of 8-9 hours of confinement without room to move, food or water. I would assume that 8-9 hours to an animal is like a life time. It seems reasonable since it is for me when I'm somewhere I don't want to be. Also just because your dog can sleep through the night, doesn't mean they all can or that water shouldn't be available to them if they need it. Besides, how do we know that those animals actually drank water before being caged? Or even relieved themselves for that matter. For all we know, maybe they weren't thirsty or have the need to pee before being crated. That would mean they actually ended up without water or being able to pee for much longer than 8-9 hours. We also don't know if the HO came home directly after an 8 hour day. What if they had to work late or had plans after work? And what if they are puppies and not adults. Puppies have more energy and need to be fed a lot more often than an a adult, not to mention their exercise requirements. It's just not black and white, there are so many scenarios to consider when you think about it. That said, I don't want to assume as well that this is a situation of purposeful abuse either, because I really don't believe that to be the case. Based other things I saw in the house, I honestly believe these people love their dogs. They just aren't knowledgeable about the correct way to train or properly care for them. I would urge anyone who feels leaving a pet crated and/or without water for that long is acceptable to please reconsider that thought. To the untrained eye, it's not always obvious when a dog or cat is suffering from dehydration and it seems it could affect their long term health. Forcing an animal to "hold it" on a regular basis when they need to urinate, is not only cruel, but I believe it could also have it's own set of repercussions as well. Maybe as a Vet, Meghane can confirm my thoughts and even clarify if I'm wrong. My take is, sure people and adult pets can easily sleep 8 or 9 hours without relieving themselves, but many times we wake up when our bladder is too full because it feels too uncomfortable. There's no way around it, when you've got the urge to go, you've got to go. When a person restrains from relieving themselves for a long time not only does it become increasingly uncomfortable, they also risk infection. I would think that animals could also become susceptible to infections in much the same way. Even if that's not the case, you can't assume to know what an animal is feeling physically. To assume you do is nothing more than just a way to justify this way of mishandling them. Urinating is a natural reflex and not being able to act on it must be uncomfortable for them, especially if they are house trained. Then they also know if they do mess in the house, their owner won't be a happy camper. Jakabedy stated, "I know that folks who show dogs depend on crating, and the dogs are in the crates for long periods of time. They can even leave them stacked and crated at some show grounds overnight (heated and cooled, of course) depending on the venue." Well, just because they do it, doesn't make it right and IMHO, they do not have the dogs best interest at heart. I don't know what the right answer is to this problem but after reading the feedback, I don't feel like I'm over reacting at all. It's been several days and I still have those puppies on my mind. It was just a terrible thing to see. The issues with crating remind me of when I was training my last 2 dogs. At the time, a Vet I was dating was very concerned because choke chains were gaining in popularity and many people did not know how to use them properly as well. I was fortunate enough to have someone like him to teach me acceptable methods for training my dogs. He also taught me a lot about other health and care issues for my animals which why I saw red flags in this situation to begin with. I wish classes on proper overall care and use for some of the training tools available today were mandatory for people who choose to own a pet. I think a lot of people would sure benefit from it.

Your vet may not have the unflavored HW preventative in stock. You may want to call ahead to give them time to order it or write you a script to get it online. You shouldn't feel bad at all about not wanting to do the allergy testing. It is really only useful if you are going to put your dog on allergy shots. The tests are not reliable for testing for food allergies (by the labs' own admission), so they would likely only tell you which varieties of trees and grasses your dog is allergic to. I do suggest that you consider a thyroid test though. Hypothyroidism can trigger allergies. Trying to solve allergies without treating an underlying thyroid problem will be like beating your head against the wall. The testing can cost ~ $100, but the treatment is easy, cheap and might just cure his itching, ear problems, and low energy. I disagree with joepyeweed about cutting down on baths to avoid soaps. Baths are a great tool to decrease the amount of pollen on your dogs fur. The best shampoo to use would one provided by your vet that is designed to help with allergy symptoms. You just want to make sure to rinse well and get him well dried afterwards.

Scenario: A rainy night in Georgia. "Dog" owns the best big dog house that money can buy. "Dog" needs to be trained how to use "her new dog house!" At this pivotal moment our family dog does not understand her new dog house at all! I truly believe she assumes that I purchased this dog house to annoy her. She looks at the dog house as if it were a giant germ. My family and I all have severe allergies, but fortunately we reside in the subtropical area of the US. So the weather is moderate throughout the year, which makes it wonderful for our pet. She is allowed to come in for a short period, but not for long. My mission is to apply a carry-kennel door to the entry door of her dog house, then put her in her new house and shut the kennel door. I plan to sit and talk to her to make her feel comfortable in her new house, then take her out after several minutes. But if she becomes bothered, I will try another day. I plan to work with her till she understands her new dog house is safe, and she becomes comfortable enough to go into her new dog house "by herself!" Got my fingers crossed! I'll let you know if my little experiment works in the weeks to come... And of course if she does good, I will give her a treat.

Something about your room appeals to me -- itÂs been on my mind! Because the room is narrow with a high ceiling, IÂd take advantage of the height with a gorgeous ceiling fixture. I could see it paired with sheer gauzy linen curtains, with a low hold back, and sheer gauzy roman shade on the exterior door. DonÂt know your style, but hereÂs an example with a crystal chandelier: HereÂs a few other styles to get you thinking: On the wall opposite the door used most often, IÂd place the pretty kneehole desk, with lamps and artful arrangement on the wall above. Your existing file cabinet adds some needed variety to the height of furniture, but the black is not ideal. If it were antique oak, it would be great. Or (more likely) you could use a 2 two-drawer regular file cabinets, or one two-drawer lateral file cabinet, which would provide another surface for lamps, artwork, and just a place to put down a cup of tea. File cabinets could be wood furniture style or white or pale color metal office style (used ones are plentiful and inexpensive). Lots of options for long wall behind the piano. For a restful feel, IÂd probably go large-scale, with a large piece of framed fabric, embroidery, cork, or art. Maybe that would even help with acoustics? You could hang or lean an extra large mirror to reflect natural light and expand the room. Or you could paint that wall with a light colored chalkboard or whiteboard paint if it would be useful. IÂd add another large plant with with very large leaves for drama. You could reupholster your vintage chair, or just place a nice throw or even a sheepskin for a soft, pale look. Lastly, IÂd frame that drawing or painting of the girl at the piano, and probably place it on the piano. Have fun!