Heavy gauge wire crates are a good choice.

• So, I started - Misha
  • I have a sheltie that ate the wall, among other things sm - sm
    • Heavy gauge wire crates are a good choice. - Costlier but "usually" chew proof. nm
  • Maybe this sounds silly, but have you - trose
  • Had a friend with a black lab that chewed sm - mlstoo
  • I had a dog that hated it when I worked outside the home. - bad doggie
  • I had a dog once that hated when I left and would eat anything he could get...sm - been there done that
  • Sounds like somebody was PO'd to be left - sm -
  • Sounds like Bear needs a crate so you - tired in OH
    • My first 2 days were very fun. - Misha
    • Agree he needs crate. He could eat something that - would cause blockage/perforation of bowels. nm
  • Bear ate Santa off the tree...now he's...sm - cat
  • ROFLMAO!!! Poor baby - I think he needs a roommate! - The Other Sunshine
    • What a compassionate response - yvonne
      • I'm not sure who you're calling insensitve, - Misha
        • Oh and he's not alone. He has 2 other dogs with him. - Misha
    • He has the Schipperke and Sasha. - Misha

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that they were cages and it was cruel to keep an animal locked in one.  Then we got a little dog who just refused, no matter how hard we tried, to learn to go to the bathroom outside.  He was ruining our entire carpet and we had to do something.  We talked to our vet who whole-heartedly recommended crate training.  We were so hesitant but figured if the doctor recommended it, we had better give it a try. 

It was miserable at first.  We kept him locked in the crate at night, in our bedroom, and he would just cry and cry.  That lasted a good 3 or 4 nights...not that long, but it seems like an eternity when you can't sleep!  During the day, we moved the crate to our living room/kitchen area so he could see everything, and only locked him in for 1/2 hour at a time.  When he went outside to potty, and he did it, he came in and got a treat, playtime, and then went back in the crate with the door shut and his favorite toys and a blankie for a couple of hours to sleep. 

We did that for a couple of weeks, gradually increasing the locked-up time to a couple of hours.  I only worked down the street, so during the work day, I could come home on breaks and let him out for pee/play time and put him back in. 

It was the best thing we ever did and IT WORKED!  He still has his little "hut" and goes in it almost all the time...especially when he snags a treat.  He goes into it "butt out" so the kitty can't get his treat.  We no longer lock him in and it is his "safe place" to go whenever he gets scared or uncomfortable, like if there is company.  When we travel, we bring his little "hut" with us and he feels like he's never left home.  He is almost 14 years old now and still has the same crate/hut and we will be burying him in it...that's how much he loves it!

It certainly can't hurt to give it a shot   

You Wrote:  *You would not treat your child this way, so why treat a pet this way?*

Actually, we DO 'treat' children this way - we use cribs, bassinets, playpens, baby gates, etc. to keep babies and toddlers restricted to a smaller, more manageable area until they're little older  - and no one thinks for a second that those things are cruel, right?  (Though they could be, if misused.)  A crate for a dog, *when used responsibly* is no different, IMO. 

I certainly don't agree with someone keeping a dog in a crate for 9-10 hours a day while they're at work or whatever, coming home and letting the dog out only to relieve itself, eat, run around a little, then right back into the crate all night.  That *would* be terribly cruel and more like a prison cell. 

But what about a puppy or adolescent dog that isn't fully housebroken or trustworthy unsupervised in the house when you have to leave for an hour to run an errand, or at night while everyone is asleep? 

I think it's far more humane to crate them for a bit while you're gone than to leave them loose to ruin your carpet, chew up your furniture, get into the trash and eat something that will require a vet visit, chew on an electrical cord, etc. 

I've done it both ways, with a crate and w/o, and I think the crate is by far the better choice, for the person and the puppy.  I would no more leave a puppy loose and unsupervised in my house than I would leave a toddler that way.  Way too dangerous. 

Those of you who don't believe in crates, what do you do when you have to leave a puppy unsupervised?  My guess is, you put up a baby gate, or put them in an uncarpeted room like the bathroom or whatever, which is just a little bigger version of a crate!  You still have to confine them somehow.  If you don't and you leave them loose and unsupervised, you risk damage to your belongings and their safety.  Or do you put them outside, where they can also get into trouble, get hurt, get out of the yard and get lost, get stolen...? 

I'm just not understanding the aversion to crates that some people have. 

I really did not have much of a problem with my 5 yo at this age but man my little one loves to run.  I think she thinks it is a game.  She will run from me in stores.  If I look at anything and I don't have her strapped in a stroller or on that harness she is gone.  In church she wants to run all over the sanctuary.  I had to take her to a parent/teacher meeting last night in the school cafeteria and she wanted to run all over the place.  I did have a harness on her and she is already wise to that and she tried to jerk that thing out of my hand.  I told her no so she laid in the floor and yelled. 

Anyone have any suggestions. 

Another kid question.  As stated earlier, we met my 5 yo teacher. She seemed real nice.  We got to see dd class room, not as big as the pre-K class room but still pretty nice, looked kid friendly.  Some of dd pre-K friends and daycare friends are going to be in her class so it isn't like she doesn't know anyone, but dd bawled and clinged to me.  She said she was afraid I was going to leave her there.  I said no, but I will Monday.  She stayed upset.  This is not like her.  She went to pre-K last year at the same school and she found her chair, sat down and was ready to get started.  This year is a total about face. 

The only thing I can think of is...I never took her out of pre-K for any reason unless she was sick of something but last summer when I had some time off I took her out and we went swimming, bowling, shopping.  I am thinking that in her mind she thinks if she gets to stay at home she gets to do that stuff.  I tell her no that is not what we are going to do.  Mom and dad are working and cannot play with you right then but her little 5 yo friends will be there like sue, and Kate and Zach.  She is still not satisfied.  I tell her if she doesn't go to school the police will get us and she will have to go to a meaner mom and dad.  Not satisfied.  Is there anything to make this easier?

I'd hold off on the wire transfer - they typically charge $25 per transfer for that.

Depending on your bank, they may have an option to add an account that is from an outside institution so you can transfer back and forth.  I had an account with Bank of American before they finally horked me off for good, and I was able to add my account with the credit union.  It was a $3.00 fee to transfer in between banks, and it took about 3 days, but it's cheaper than a wire transfer (unless your bank offers an option to do those for free.)  I was able to set everything up using the online banking system.  It took a couple of days for the set up because they have to verify the new account, but it was worth it.  Before I dumped them, anyway.

I'm very heavy and I would NEVER expect any concessions because of my weight.  I don't expect people to cater to me or excuse me.  I'm overweight because I don't exercise and I eat crap.  At least I used to.  2009 is my year of change and I have been working diligently on changing that.

I agree with the other posters who says if this woman doesn't like the way she's treated because of the way she looks, she needs to change it, not demand acceptance.  Fat is the last bastion of that sort of thing.  I hate all the politically correct stuff.   Bottom line is if you're that heavy, you're unhealthy and you need to change things.  And I, too, know just how hard that is.

La Crueset was too heavy for me as is cast iron plus cast iron is bad for people with hepatitis problem(s) so I tend to stay away from cast iron (puts off iron in the food and hepatitis C feeds on iron) as I have a family member with this particular hepatitis. 

My hands are also very bad after transcribing for 30+ years - so I tend to want nonaluminum lighter cookware which would be something like Farberware or Revereware if they still make the latter.  *lol*

This is the dog my DH says we can have!  He is 5 years old.  He has been a show dog, but he finds it too boring, so we get to adopt him .... if Sasha approves of him.  Do you think he's pretty? 

http://www.synama-wintersweet.com/trey.asp

I am told this is an excellent line for show Siberians.  You can tell who the champions are (to see their other dogs, click "Our Siberians" tab at the top) by the CH before their names. 

don't forget in the USA (outside of Alaska) there are 10 women for each man.......40 years ago it was 8 men for each women but we know how those numbers changed.....15 minutes out of 24 hours or 2x's a week being intimate for an hour in a 168-hour week - is too much to ask for? *curious*

Tonight I will be having club soda, cranberry juice and vodka with a twist of lime. Maybe two.....

I have a liquor cabinet filled, so what can I get ya?

Just wondering how many of you out there have made the decision to NEVER have kids. I'm 25, and have known for a long time that I never wanted kids. As time goes on, and I meet new co-workers with kids (and hear how unhappy a lot of them seem to be deep down), I feel even more relieved that I'm never having any.

One big reason why I know having kids isn't for me is because I have Asperger's Syndrome. Not only is it hard enough to just get through day to day life and take care of myself, but I simply wouldn't be able to handle the stress of parenting- I know my limits. Also, according to my Dr. (who is one of the most familiar with Asperger's in Baltimore), there would be a high likelihood of my child having a disorder somewhere along the autism spectrum. I know I couldn't handle a well-bahaved child (I just don't like being around kids in general), let alone raise a child with special needs.

Given that I have AS, I'm thankful that I have well above-average intelligence to at least partly compensate for other eccentricities. And I'm also fortunate enough to have a good, well paying, stable gov't job, where even if I'm not Mr. Popularity, I am still known to do a really good job (and on the bright side, even if I pi*s people off-which I have, it's not like they can fire me). So...since day to day living and working is hard enough for me, I want to have some time to have fun, and if I had kids I simply wouldn't have the capacity to raise them properly and have time to do things that are important to me.