Psychological Damage Shown in Crated Dogs No Doubt Applies to All Living Beings, PETA Tells District Attorney
For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012
Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382
Tulsa, Okla. -- As William Todd Lewallen—who was arrested on charges of felony child neglect after police found his 18-month-old daughter locked in a metal crate in his home and his naked 4-year-old toddler locked outside the house—heads to his first court appearance on November 19, PETA is rushing a copy of Dog in a Box to Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris. The book will provide Harris' office with new and perhaps surprising information about the physical damage, such as muscle atrophy, as well as the psychological damage that crating inflicts on dogs who are confined all day for their guardians' convenience.
"There's no doubt that children, like dogs, would suffer from being confined to a crate, and Dog in a Box offers an in-depth look at the trauma, deprivation, pain, and loneliness that crating inflicts on dogs," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Insight into the cruelty of crating will help the D.A.'s office with its case and may wake up a few casual dog craters, too."
Written by longtime dog trainers and behavior specialists Emma and Ray Lincoln, Dog in a Box shows how dogs who are crated commonly develop eating disorders and anti-social—even aggressive—behavior. These dogs may exhibit intense fear—especially of anything new—because they were never introduced to the world in a normal manner. They may also lack self-control because there is no opportunity to exercise free will inside a tiny barren cage. The implications for a child kept in the same conditions are clear.
PETA supports humane, interactive dog training, which promotes and teaches guardians effective ways to communicate with their animal companions. Committed caretakers who complete training and continue to work with their dogs have no reason to imprison their well-behaved companions while they are away. And for long absences, they can hire a dog walker, leave a dog with someone who is at home, take a dog to doggie daycare, or get a "doggie door."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.