Kid in a Cage

[Bruzilla]

Yesterday, there was a big dust up in Pittsburgh because some folks driving on the Pennsylvania turnpike saw a little girl sitting in a dog cage that was strapped into the back of a pickup truck. They called police, and the cops were waiting for the driver at their house. They arrested the parents for child endangerment. Okay, that was the opening version of the tale.

It turned out that the reason the kid was in the cage was her dog was in the cage since there wasn't enough room for it in the cab, and the dog had been freaking out in the cage by itself and so of course the kid was freaking out too. So the parents let the kid go back and sit with the dog in the cage to make them both feel better. The cage was strapped into the bed seven ways to Sunday and was never in any danger of falling out.

Now we get to the part of the story that really bugged me. I heard from a lot of people I know who thought letting this kid sit in a strapped-down dog cage in the back of a pick-up truck was just the pinnacle of stupidity and reckless behavior, and I had to wonder at what point in our development as human beings did we stop worrying about what "will" or "can" happen and began living our lives around the fear of what "could" happen?

When I was growing up, my sisters and I were never strapped into anything! When we rode in our spacious Dodge Monaco station wagon, we sat in the back and played or made up beds and slept. We would all pile into the back of my Dad's pick-up, or anyone else's truck, and go for drives without a care in the world. Yes, there was a chance of an accident, but we knew it was a very slight chance and not worth changing what we did to deal with the risk. Back then we worried about not diving into shallow water because we would break our necks, or not poking metal objects into electric sockets because we would get electrocuted, or not taking rides from strangers because we would get abducted. We worried about straight-up, cause and effect, high-risk behaviors and were told not to do them and punished when we did. Now we have this mindset that because something could happen, however unlikely it is, we must change how we live to minimize the risk, and to me that's just frigging stupid.

In the case of this kid, there is a .0000048% chance that any driver, on any day, during any trip, will be in any kind of an accident. Was there a chance the driver of the truck would be involved in an accident? Yes, but was it even remotely likely they would be? Hell no. There's a chance that a meteor might not completely burn up in the atmosphere and crash into the truck cab as well, so does that mean not having your kid wear a meteorite-proof helmet at all times makes you an irresponsible parent also?

 

[Propwash]

I agree......

One thing that can be said though.....When ever locking your kid in a dog cage, expect some sort of negative feedback...lol

 

[Bruzilla]

I would agree... if I saw some kid locked in a cage. This was a girl in a cage with the door open holding onto a dog.

 

[Sonny Black]

My X Wife says; "a crate for a kid is'nt a bad idea! "
now, that was her not me.....still laugh, to this day.

also, as a kid we jumped in the back of dad's truck, about 8 of us for a "lift" to
a party or something.....ah, the good old days!

and, I used to deliver & drive a truck at 14, dad and grandpa told me
it was ok! after my route was finished I would visit girlfriends.:icon_eyes:

 

[Richard Cranium]

I see nothing wrong with girls in a cage. Hell, I'd join them!

 

[Budnicks]

:iamwithstupid: IMHFO there's far too many nosey damn busy bodies out there, way too concerned with stuff, that doesn't have anything to do with them or the child's true safety... I remember riding the back of truck with no seat belts all the time when I was a kid, now even your damn dog must be strapped in... way too much of this type of crap, way too damn many Nanny State issues anymore... Although I probably would NOT put my kid in a crate in the back, I would let the dog sit in the car on someone's lap 1st... But if necessary I would do what is needed for the specific situation at hand... I can also see how it could disturb some people...

 

[HT413]

World of difference between letting the girl sit in the bed of a truck with a dog vs parading her down the road in a dog cage. If I saw it, I'd have followed her until the cops caught up. Child abuse is not something I put up with.

 

[Budnicks]

calling it child abuse is a little over the top, maybe neglect or even stupidity or ignorance, caring about the dog family pet... but in that particular case it was not child abuse...

 

[HT413]

calling it child abuse is a little over the top, maybe neglect or even stupidity or ignorance, caring about the dog family pet... but in that particular case it was not child abuse...

True, what i meant to say was seeing a kid in a cage gives the appearance of child abuse, while a kid and her dog in the bed of a truck, while dangerous, is classic Americana.

If i had seen that, I would have assumed the worse.

 

[callofthemopar]

This is a Where does it end Type of deal! Well It does not end! It only spirals out of control a little more each day. I can not believe the cry babies we are raising today. Illegal to ride in back of a pickup, Illegal to drink beer while mowing your lawn, Helmets for bicycles! We lose more freedom day to day. Life will happen! no matter how much bubble wrap the world is covered with someone will get hurt or die.

 

[Meep-Meep]

Well, at first you have to admit it doesn't look good but people never stick around to find out the rest of the story. They just call the cops or raise a stink. So many issues can be solved locally if people would just take the time to analyze the situation.

 

[roadrunnerman]

Would those same people have called the cops if the girl was riding in the back of the truck outside the cage? Maybe yes/no. Some people have nothing better to with their life than to stick their nose in somebody's business where it doesn't belong. If I was following that truck, I would've followed it to it's home and maybe asked them why. I might have taken pics/video in case the owner told me to f#%k myself. But if the explanation was valid, no harm/no foul.

 

[Mooky]

i remember being stuffed in the back of and ramcharger with my 4 brothers while my 3 sisters sat in the back seat and went every where that way....had no problem with it and still don't...what we had.....people who are bored find stuff to get into namely your stuff...they have no lives so they make your lives their problem. weird to see a girl in a cage but I have seen teen's surfing on top of an import as well..on the freeway...is any of it dangerous..yes...cause an accident? only if the reporting driver looks away from the road long enough to wreck into somebody.....gosh I hate nosy people....so worried about being cell phone hero's

 

[pabster]

This is a tough one. Would I call the cops if I saw a kid in a cage with a dog? Most likely yes. It doesn't matter if years ago we weren't strapped to anything and there were no rules about safety. What matters to me is unsafe situations that endanger the lives of others. One can say "the cage was securely strapped down" or "the kid wanted to be in the cage" but there's no way a passerby or another driver will be able to ascertain either while driving. People called the cops because it looked sketchy as hell.

I call 911 whenever I see debris on the highway. They always thank me. As a former motorcycle rider, I almost snuffed it when debris showed up in my path at high speed. I also call the cops if I see anyone driving super aggressively. I don't mean hauling *** in the fast lane, I mean changing lanes and swerving around other cars, or racing another car.

The way I see it, I lean towards people are being irresponsible and stupid behind the wheel, and if their actions endanger others, then it's time to call the cavalry. It is most certainly my business if someone is being a dumbass on a public road and their actions could cause harm or death to someone else, namely me and mine. Putting your kid in a cage with a dog in the back of a pickup may be explainable, but don't expect others to look the other way.

 

[cr8crshr]

Regardless of the comments either Pro or Con, it is absolutely no ones business here. I dare say for the most part, some will never leave well enough alone and continually spin what is an innocent situation until it is out of control. Call the Cops...Call the Cops...Call the Cops. Give me a break will ya???? It is what it is and therefore shouldn't even be of concern. What the "F**K are we heading towards??? My guess is complete control by the Nanny-ites to take everything and all away from us. Get a Freakin' Life will ya.....

 

[Budnicks]

Yeah I would say all the idiots on the cell phones calling 911 & not paying attention to their own damn business or their own damn driving & their own damn children, those people are probably endangering far more people, than the people/parents with the young girl {I'm guessing, don't know the age ??}, who wants to ride with her freaked out dog in the strapped down crate.... my $0.02 cents

 

[kdtjb]

When I was a kid we got our *** kicked for being a tattle tail. At the time it made no since to me, but the older I get the more since it makes.

 

[pabster]

A "tattle tale"? Are you guys still in 4th grade? Really? I guess I just don't look at highway driving like a school playground.

 

[cr8crshr]

A "tattle tale"? Are you guys still in 4th grade? Really? I guess I just don't look at highway driving like a school playground.

Right you are Pabster.:icon_rolleyes: You continually are taking that tact on most everything that is discussed here. The exact opposite of the norm. Does it always have to suit you to insert this kind of rhetoric? Or are you doing it just for spite? I dare say it is the latter as you continually play the Muckraker on just about everything. It really is an unappealing Liberal thought pattern. The bottom line is "IT AIN"T ANYONE'S BUSINESS!" And just for the record...No one equated Highway Driving with the intent of this topic. If you can't stay on point then....Well you get the idea....:jerk:

 

[Deleted member 214]

Right you are Pabster.:icon_rolleyes: You continually are taking that tact on most everything that is discussed here. The exact opposite of the norm. Does it always have to suit you to insert this kind of rhetoric? Or are you doing it just for spite? I dare say it is the latter as you continually play the Muckraker on just about everything. It really is an unappealing Liberal thought pattern. The bottom line is "IT AIN"T ANYONE'S BUSINESS!" And just for the record...No one equated Highway Driving with the intent of this topic. If you can't stay on point then....Well you get the idea....:jerk:

cr8srshr, the people who called the cops about what they saw in the freeway are being called "tattletales". There's the "playground" link, my man. Me, I care about the safety of others. I'm a safety professional, that's what I do for a living. I saw a guy weaving all over the road and throwing beer bottles out of the window, I call the cops. I saw a homeless guy pull a hatchet out of a backpack on a busy street, I call the cops. I see an unattended kid climbing the third tier of the racks at Sam's Club and about to fall off, I don't think "IT AINT MY BUSINESS", I let the parents know or the store staff know. I saw a guy under a truck supported only by a leaky hydraulic floor jack and not jack stands and truck was wobbling, I told him he was going to get hurt. My neighbors lit a bonfire in the back yard and went to the store. It got out of control while they were gone and was spreading across their lawn towards the garage. Hey, it ain't my yard, right??? Because I give a crap I called the fire department and then went over to help contain it until they got there. Supposed the kid in the back of the pickup was being abused and locked in the cage, got home and wondered why nobody who saw her cared enough to call the cops to see if she was OK?