Dog - crate - sorry it's in GD but I need some advise

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

58. I honestly don't get this crate thing.

Here's what you REALLY need to think about:

Dogs are very attuned to humans. They need us a whole lot more than we (as individuals) need them. If you are going to take a dog into your life and then be gone more than 8 hours at a stretch, re-think having a dog. Yeah. Re-think it. Either figure out a way that the dog won't be left alone so long, or get a fish or a parrot or a cat. All of them are fine without humans around as much.

As for the crate: Would you be happy being in a cell that allows you to stand up and move around and nothing else for that many hours a day? Really? And if he's in the crate and just a few feet from you, why exactly is he in the crate? You must be a huge fan of prison cells.

Some years ago I did volunteer work at a local animal shelter, staffing the greeting desk on weekends. It was a small shelter, actually a home that had been donated and wasn't really very suitable to be an animal shelter but it was better than nothing. All of the dog walkers had to bring the dogs past me to take them outside and bring them back. I was struck by how every single dog wanted to greet every single human they passed. Wow. I have never been much of a dog person (cats, that's what I prefer) but this was an amazing and wonderful experience to learn about dogs. They evolved alongside us. They need us. Do not put them in a small prison for any part of the day. Don't.