I love pets, period! My dog and kids (age 13, 11, and 2 part time 7 yr old twins, over only on weekends and Tuesdays after school) love other animals and deal with pets very well. We've always had pets around for about 10 yrs now. It's one of the best things in life, having a loving animal around. I've always one of those that "awes" at everything and them try to save wild animals.. trouble some problem to have. lol. Take my dog to the dog park about 3 times a week and gets treats. That's how spoiled she is, and give her play dates with the neighbor's dog. (lol) She's a lucky one! I do have a crate but we don't use it. I don't believe in locking a dog up unless it wants to just go in it for comfort.