Cage Free Dog Boarding And Rescue Facilities

“Our dream was to make a place where people wanted to go,” Franklin says. “When you think of going to an animal shelter to find a dog, it’s stressful, it’s depressing, the dogs are all barking, you don’t get to touch them, they’re behind glass or metal doors. When you walk into Muttville, you walk into a space that is really magical.”

I believe larger shelters and professional boarding kennels can accommodate cage free areas for pets. The keys to success are a.) proper and continuous supervision by the staff; b.) safety designed furniture and floorplans to prevent injuries or fights; c.) only allowing visitors who have been screened appropriately, educated on how to behave around these dogs, and supervised by staff; and d.) only mixing dogs that are highly likely to get along and not engage in violence. 

There have been tragic outcomes for dogs in cage free environments. I am assuming this facility in the article has done a good job and hasn't had any problems. Dogs have been injured and some have died in other facilities. So, the welfare of the dogs is important. Add in visitors that the dogs don’t know, and even more can go wrong. Years ago, I was preparing to conduct an outdoor group dog training class. One of the staff allowed a friend to accompany her into the yard area where dogs were finishing their play time before being picked up by their owners. I sensed something was wrong, and sure enough, a dog fight broke out between two dogs that the friend was interacting with. These were dogs that had never fought before. I warned the owner the next day that only staff should be in the yard with the dogs and not strangers. Some people can put off the wrong vibe with dogs, and behave inappropriately with dogs, and trigger fights. That is what happened here.

So, do I support cage free areas in shelters or boarding facilities? Yes. Is it a good set up for all dogs? No. Even in this article, they define the types of dogs they feel are best suited for their program. It is useful to also look at the furniture being used in the photos. For some dogs, that would be fine, for others, it wouldn’t work. I like the home environment aspects. I think that it could greatly reduce stress and help simulate a home environment for some dogs to make their stay less stressful. So… yes and no.