I lock my dog up so she won't set my alarm off. It is her safe place. She spends lots of time laying in there even when we are home because she likes it in there. She's chillin in there right now. These are animals, kids. Not babies. Lets not forget that. In my estimation, dogs as better pets because they don't shit/piss in a box in the house (no matter what you say, I know if you have a cat the second I walk in) they don't paw at the shit/piss in the box and then go walk on the counter where I prepare food or the table where I eat it. One of my best childhood friends had 2 cats and always invited me over for dinner with him and his wife. I would never eat there because he didn't bleach every surface in the kitchen before during and after cooking. Yuck. The filthy things walked on the counter WHILE they were cooking.