which crate?

I like the plastic carriers better.  It's easier to clean - you can usually remove the top half and just hose down the bottom half that's dirty.  Metal crates, if they mess up they get poop and pee all over the bars and not to mention outside the cage as well. 

I also had a bad experience with a metal crate.  My puppy was so excited when I came home one day, he started pawing at the door, and got his feet stuck between two bars.  And when I tried to get him out, he bit me 'cause it hurt so bad.  Fortunately it didn't cause any serious damage, to me or my pup.

And if you ever need to transport your pet on an airplane, I think they only accept the plastic carriers.

I looked at plastic crates and metal crates recently.  If a dog (i'm thinking puppy) had an accident in the metal crate there's usually a tray to pull out and clean.  The plastic ones you practically have to get in them to clean.  I vote metal.

They both have their good and bad sides, but I'd probably go with the metal crate. Unless you're doing airline travel at all; then they'd have to have a plastic crate. I've got a metal crate for my pup, but when she was really small she had a plastic one, and it was nice and cozy. I put a blanket over the top of her crate and inside there's blankets and stuff so it looks nicer and is cozier for her. I like that they fold up flat too, although I can't use a crate for traveling anymore ( unless we're in the big van with only a few people) since it is kind of big. But I'll use it at home and it's easy to transport.

Max and I prefer the plastic crate. He had a metal crate, and he really didn't like it. He would never choose to sleep in it, which he does sometimes now with the plastic crate (although right now I am pretty much forcing him to by blocking his access to all other comfy sleeping spots). Also, his metal crate was a suitcase folding style, and it would collapse inward with him in it because he would bounce around like a nut, and it would allow him to escape.
However, the cons of the plastic crate are that it will not fit in my car if it is assembled. it just barely fit in the car unassembled with the top nested in the bottom (it's 36x24 and I drive a Cavalier). I think if I put it together once it was in the car, it would fit, but I wouldn't be able to see out the back. The wire crate I could collapse and put in the trunk if I needed to. But, I don't think I had to fold down the seat to get the plastic crate in, so if I needed to take it somewhere, i'd still have all my trunk space, plus Max could sit in the bottom of it. Although if I had more than one person coming with me, they'd have to try to squish in under it or something.

Thanks everyone. I have a plastic one, so I guess I will just stick to that one. []

What are you using the crate for?  In the car, I use kennel aire crates, and here is why:
 
[linkhttp://www.newworldbasenjis.net/kennelaire.htm]http://www.newworldbasenjis.net/kennelaire.htm[/link]
 
 
Sometimes things are worth the extra $$$