Some people here are either just dramatic, or live high up on their bubble pedestal. Saying a dog kept in a crate is abuse is just silly. If that is your idea of abuse, then you are really not living in the real world, or are kin to PETA, the biggest group of hypocritical cultists for miles around. Depending on the dog, you MIGHT be able to stretch and call it neglect, but no way is it abuse.

In other news, the OP has been looking without replying for quite some time now. That being said, and this being a new member, we might have been trolled pretty hard, and he's getting a good giggle. I'm withdrawing from this thread until the OP posts a comprehensive reply.

See my post here, Dr Blackwell has been researching into ‘separation related behaviour’ for the last 10 years..
Advice For New Dog Owner What Is the Best Routine? (update @post 7) - Page 4

These are the finding of a sample of 40 dogs in Bristol videoed to monitor their behaviour when left alone. They also had cortisol levels tested for signs of stress....




These were dogs left free to roam and not shut in a crate which is an even worse situation for a dog..

I said being locked in a crate for many hours a day is no life for a dog, it isn't it is a mere existance...

This board certainly see's some drama it must be said.

Eight hours crated or otherwise left is certainly not the ideal but almost certainly the reality for the majority of the dog owning public. I keep mine in their blocks for at least six most days but do have the advantage of working 80% from home and the dogs are at least in each others presence.
While I'm sure there are well meaning folk that would like nothing better than to see dog ownership restricted solely to retirees, well-to-do housepersons or peoples otherwise exempt from having to do an honest days graft the fact remains that the OP now has the dog.
If he is not willing to return the dog to the rescue on the strength of advice given perhaps for the sake of the dog in question the next step might be to advise them on how to make best on the situation rather than bicker amongst yourselves.

Can they manage a couple of hours doggy daycare for instance?

How can you say it's much worse for a dog do you know a dog feels worse shut in a cage than not ?
If a cage is that bad why do most cage trained dogs treat their cage as a nice safe place to be ?
Why does my dog lie in his cage for 10 hours a day if it's that terrible ?
I think I'm going to leave before I am told I'm a terrible owner again ,

Insults, now? How sweet.

I don't believe in saying, "You never know, it MAY be all right" when the odds are stacked heavily against that possibility.

Abuse comes in many forms, it doesn't need to involve violence or starvation, it just needs to involve cruelty.

Dogs are not designed to spend their lives locked in small cages, in isolation, for the majority of their lives. To force them to live like that is cruel, REGARDLESS of your reason for doing so. Wanting a dog really, really badly, is not justification for this cruelty.

An insult? I didn't insult you. "Silly" is not exactly the word I wanted to use, but I still think it fits without being insulting. Another called you "melodramatic" and you said nothing about that.

If you took my words as an insult, then I apologize for it was not made as an insult. I actually avoided the word I really wanted to use to try to avoid insulting anybody. So again, I really apologize for that.

But I must continue to disagree with you. Trying to incorporate a dog into your life, even if it may mean excessive crate times isn't my definition of cruel, I mean, it's not even close. Again, perhaps it's a bit neglectful, but cruel? I don't think so.

Nobody is making excuses, we just see how futile it is to be all ticked off. If he's going to get the dog, how is accusing him of cruelty and abuse helpful? I live in GA, USA too and I see far worse things than that on nearly a daily basis. That is the barrier that might be there.

To me, a dog inside away from the elements, well fed and not skinny, not walked on a prong and snatched all over, and given attention (albeit maybe not quite enough) is NOT an abused dog. You seem to have no idea what real cruelty or abuse is, especially when looking at it from a different cultural POV, so to me, you have greatly over reacted.

I don't think the OP is being intentionally cruel, just incredibly selfish.

I would love another dog but my boys granny wouldnt be able to cope with 2. I could tell her not to come and see my boy (her reason for breathing) everyday and they hangout together because I WANT another dog. This would mean 2 dogs left alone all day because of MY whim. I choose not to have what i want and my boy not be alone all day.

Why are so many dogs crated ? Is it really necessary ?

She could at least get a very large playpen at least 2m * 2m. I work but mine have a carer go in part way through the day and they have free run of the house and walled garden and there are 3 of them to keep each other company. But they still miss out on training time.

I'm sure there are dogs that are happy crated and left alone for many hours but for those that are not , they arent going to think like we do , that I could be worse off , i could be beaten or i could be living in a shed or be in a shelter.
Dogs live in the present, they react to what is around them and to their emotions . If a dog comes from a shelter say , and he feels lonely bored , scared frightened or what ever
the fact that it could be worse is absolutely no comfort to him The only one to get comfort is the owner who uses it as an excuse to have a dog in not the best circumstances.
So yes it can be the end of the world to the dog . Its not what you think about it or that there is worse abuse .

I've met online people who's dogs are so unhappy at being left alone that they put them in crates and put shock collars .

Another thing I've noticed is that about 15years ago , while it was acceptable in places like the US and Australia to leave dogs alone for 10 hours, they didnt accept puppies should be BUT now the goal posts have moved and puppies are being left alone all day in crates .

As i have already said I'm not against people who work full time having dogs and I'm sure that regular members here , know there dogs and put in great effort to keep them happy.

I think this "I can have it all" society we live into today makes us feel we have a right to whatever we want regardless of others,