silencespeaks21
New member
My MIL can be incredibly selfish, a prime example being her family dog. “K” is a 90 lbs, 4 year old long-haired german shepherd. My MIL doesn’t want dog hair all over her house, so she keeps K in a wire cage in their living room. The cage is big enough for him to turn around in, and contains bedding, water, etc. My FIL loves K, so he walks him and takes him in the yard. On average, K spends 20 hours each day in his wire cage. My husband insists this is K’s little home and he loves being in it all day.
Now my MIL is getting tired of having a big wire cage in her living room, so she has been talking about getting K a dog house so he can stay outside, including overnight. My in-laws live in Nevada, where it is 100+ degrees on summer days, and under 30 degrees on winter nights. I have no idea what kind of dog house my MIL has in mind for K.
Is using a large wire kennel as a dog’s primary living space abuse? What about leaving a dog (with a thick coat) to sleep outside at night? Are there potential health consequences for K? Although he is well-fed and loved by my husband and FIL, I am appalled at my MIL’s treatment of K. Am I overreacting?
Edit: Thank you to everyone who replied! I am going to call animal control or the ASPCA and ask if this qualifies as animal abuse or can be intervened on. We don’t live in the same state as my in-laws, so I can’t stop by every day to monitor the situation, but I have to at least try and do something for this dog.
To those who brought it up, believe me, I have told my husband I don’t want to go with him to his parent’s home anymore, but he considers this a dealbreaker. His mother’s cruelty to animals extends to human beings too. This dog might be the nail in the coffin for my relationship.
Now my MIL is getting tired of having a big wire cage in her living room, so she has been talking about getting K a dog house so he can stay outside, including overnight. My in-laws live in Nevada, where it is 100+ degrees on summer days, and under 30 degrees on winter nights. I have no idea what kind of dog house my MIL has in mind for K.
Is using a large wire kennel as a dog’s primary living space abuse? What about leaving a dog (with a thick coat) to sleep outside at night? Are there potential health consequences for K? Although he is well-fed and loved by my husband and FIL, I am appalled at my MIL’s treatment of K. Am I overreacting?
Edit: Thank you to everyone who replied! I am going to call animal control or the ASPCA and ask if this qualifies as animal abuse or can be intervened on. We don’t live in the same state as my in-laws, so I can’t stop by every day to monitor the situation, but I have to at least try and do something for this dog.
To those who brought it up, believe me, I have told my husband I don’t want to go with him to his parent’s home anymore, but he considers this a dealbreaker. His mother’s cruelty to animals extends to human beings too. This dog might be the nail in the coffin for my relationship.