Chained Dogs

This week, February 7-14, 2013, is National Unchain A Dog week.

It is fitting for the week of love to be the week of caring about others, isn't it?

I find it somewhat hard to believe that we still live in a time and place where people find this treatment acceptable.

Everyday on my way to work I drive by four dogs who are kept chained outside 24/7/365. And everyday I am saddened by their plight. How do their guardians not see them as a part of their family? How do their dogs differ from my dogs? I rely on my pups to alert me of guests, trespassers, and the far off foreign noises that I cannot hear but they find threatening. They earn their keep by providing a sense of protection, guardianship, and companionship. They are an integral part of my family. We need each other, we provide for each other and their social status is a reflection of this. They are by my side at almost every moment of my day. As I sit typing this my beagle sleeps on the couch with me, my pit bull snores at my feet, and my elderly beagle in her own cloudy-sense of reality reminds me that the last decade she has stood watch over me are now mine to remember and maintain in her honor. It has been a passing of the torch, her younger housemates have taken over for her, so she remains a few steps behind them and is now able to rest in her winter.

These pups are an integral part of the fabric of my life. They are important to my sense of security, self, and sometimes sanity. They are a source of my happiness, health, and forbearance.

I suppose that there are a whole host of reasons why people chain their dog, but in all honesty, I still don't find any of these reasons acceptable.

Some of the reasons owners give me include;

Behavioral issues that no longer make being inside the house easy or acceptable. Behavioral issues that cause people to consider outside as a place that doesn't require bathroom mistakes, barking issues, or the daily demands of a dog. Behavioral issues are the number one reason animals are surrendered at shelters. It is also why they are cast outside.

Security watch and guard dog assignment. Dogs that are kept in a small contained area become possessive and protective of that area. They will bark at any intruder. The seclusion from society causes hyper sensitivity and alertness and can cause an over expression of aggression if the intruder gets to close, or the dog gets free.

Parasites, such as fleas, skin disease, or ailments that the owner doesn't want to treat or realize is treatable. I have had so many clients tell me that they had to put the dog outside because he smelled bad, (had a terrible skin infection), peed too much, (had kidney, liver, adrenal, etc. disease),

Unwanted pet. An unwanted pet is often discarded to either a shelter, set free or abandoned, or left chained.

Included is the information from the website "Dogs Deserve Better."

Dogs Deserve Better, a national and award-winning nonprofit organization, is a voice for chained and penned dogs. As the days become years, many of these dogs sit, lay, eat, and defecate within the same 10-foot radius. Chained by the neck, they exist without respect, love, exercise, social interaction, and sometimes even basic nourishment. They live as prisoners, yet long to be pets.

Chaining is not only inhumane for dogs, but has taken a severe toll on this nation’s children as well. In the period from October 2003 through today, there were at least 371 children killed or seriously injured by chained dogs across the country. Chained dogs, unsocialized with humans, can become very territorial of their tiny space, and any two year old who wanders into this space can be attacked and killed before adults can intervene. An attack in Arkansas left 2 year old Matthew Clayton Hurt dead from head and neck wounds. He was attacked and killed by an unspayed female chained in the backyard, with puppies.

Would you for one second choose to live the life of these dogs? No matter what reason is given, the bottom line is that it is NOT ok to chain a dog for life. Dogs should not have to live chained or penned as prisoners, yearning for a place in a family, craving acknowledgement, respect, and love. They DESERVE BETTER, and we as caretakers have the obligation to provide it for them.

Please consider today how you can help the dogs in your neighborhood. If you see a chained dog or a penned dog daily, it is time to take action. Please join Dogs Deserve Better today in taking a stand against this mistreatment of dogs.

Volunteer your time or be a rep for Dogs Deserve Better in your area. Become a member and help us prove there is strength in numbers. Help with community awareness by hanging posters, showing thechained dog video, wearing one of our colorful t-shirts, or applying a sticker or magnet to your window/car to educate and provoke thought in those around you. Place brochures and doorhangers throughout the community. Donate to our cause through the donations link or via snail mail.

Take a stand when you see dogs living chained or penned. Speak gently to the caretakers, sharing your convictions and information about Dogs Deserve Better and ways they can improve life for their companion. Print out this chained dog flyer or .pdf letter in which we request that they rethink their decision. (please, do NOT put letters directly in mailboxes, it is a violation of US Postal Code. Instead, check out our door hangers which can be hung over mailbox flags...) (Now available for penned dogs, and in Spanish as a Spanish flyer andSpanish letter.)

If you are not comfortable approaching caretakers of chained dogs or penned dogs, use the doorhangers or submit this form with the names and addresses of the caretakers and we will send information in the mail. You will remain anonymous.

If you are here because you currently keep your dog chained or penned, we applaud your efforts to give him/her a better life. Browse the articles section for tips on housetraining and fencing. If you need help, contact us at info@dogsdeservebetter.org. We will help you.

Start changing the way you and your community think about the chaining and penning of dogs today. Join Dogs Deserve Better to take a stand and make life right for all dogs everywhere! NO CHAINS!

Unchain a Dog Month.

Feb. 7-14, 2013: Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week.

http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/