In Response To The Tether Law Comment.

I got a reply to my post about the anti-tether law. It was really sad, too. A man owns a Shih Tzu that was attacked by a loose Pit Bull. The dog lost a leg from the attack. His reasoning was sound and logical, too.

I agree that tethered dogs can't roam and randomly attack people and other animals. But, tethered dogs can and sometimes do, and notice the wording I use, CAN and SOMETIMES, turn aggressive and attack animals or people, children, that come into their chain range. But, the people that are letting their animals run loose, are breaking the law, and should be punished to the full extent of that law.

There are so many people who just don't care about their dogs and let them run loose. Or, they say it is cruel to chain a dog, and that dog needs its freedom, as all animals do. I do not agree with them, at all.

If you have a dog tied up or penned up, you don't need it. If your dog can't stay in your house as a pack member, then don't get one. Now, for the people that have allergies, my personal opinion is, either take the shots and keep the animal in the house, or don't get a dog and chain it up or pen it up, alone and most of the time, forgotten. A dog is a pack animal and needs it pack, that is you, the human. So, if you are serious about your dog, get it off the chain, out of the pen, and in the home where it belongs!!

Also, there is a leash law. Obey it. And to law enforcement, I have a bone to pick with them, too. Enforce the darn laws!! That is part of the problem. You call animal control and they might or might not come out, same with law enforcement. But, in fairness to the Cabell County Sheriff's Dept., they have gone on every call I have told them about. So, I can't say anything about them. Especially Jim Scheidler. Kudos to Jimbo. He has done a lot for the animals in our area. And, not just dogs, horses, too.

So, again, spay and neuter your pets and don't chain them up and pen them up. Bring them into the house where they belong.

Join To Ban Tethering Of Dogs.

City Council will meet on April 27 at City Hall to vote on an ordinance to ban the tethering of dogs. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. This is so important for many reason. First and foremost, chaining a dog could lead to aggressive behavior. The reason I say this is dogs are pack animals and need to have human contact. When they are sequestered from humans, they become frustrated and the frustration usually turns into aggression. Many people, mainly children have been attacked by a chained dog.

There is a great organization called Dogs Deserve Better. The sole purpose of this non-profit organization is to get all dogs off the end of chains and out of pens and into the home where they belong. I am so glad that the council will meet to debate and hopefully pass the resolution into law. If you can't attend, them contact your local councilperson and let them know how you feel about chaining. Imagine the life on the end of a rope or chain and never getting the love and touch you crave and need so much. Eating and sleeping where you use the bathroom. A miserable existence, not a life.

Go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org to learn more about tethering and what it can do to a dog's mental state.

Chaining and Penning Of Dogs Is Abuse.

Chance says "I wish all dogs lived the life I live with my "pack." "I live inside with them, not chained or penned up a 100 yards away from the "den."

An organization called Dogs Deserve Better (DDB) just finished a tour called 12-12-120. They went to 12 states, in 12 days, only expecting to find 120 dogs. They went about documenting the chained and penned dogs in each of the 12 states. West Virginia was the last on their tour. In 6 hrs. of driving, they saw and counted 179 chained or penned dogs in deplorable conditions. The link I am providing shows some of what they saw in our state. (It is one YouTube)

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001TieZ0g-gLXyWOGcag36gEDz3faCui_vO9SQiSgxQecyR8tOeIwaeFg9-FR1UnrUh2vb9RXLi2XG5MMDw6u5iVZBLmSReAVZ5o0yMA9ZM8obcaX4sdknr2cmDWne_7WeKK2tNv3O9Jv0V2KRjU86i1w

http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/

This is their official website.

source: from an email to me from Tammy Grimes at DDB.

The duo found a lot more than they bargained for; 1051 dogs as opposed to the sought-after120, as well as many more aggressive dogs than they expected. Each day they interacted with around 20 caretakers, and left information for at least 20 more who were not home. Each night they posted videos and a diary of the day's events online. Said Ashby, "All I can say is send out the troops!

"What Tammy and I saw blows our minds...Everywhere we went there were more and more dogs on chains and in pens with no water, no food, nothing! Their spirits were either broken or they had already become so aggressive no one could step near them. How can people just forget about their friends like that?"

Tammy Grimes and her friend, Dawn, said that WV was the "saddest underbelly" of chaining and penned up dogs of all the states they visited." This saddens me to no end. I see it everyday where I live. Or, the feral dogs that are running loose. Feral dogs, in my opinion, are much more dangerous. With a chained dog, he cannot just attack you wherever you are. He is hindered by the chain and how far he can reach. With the feral dogs, they are in pack mode, and hunting. Go to the websites I listed above and check it out. Sad, but interesting.

The tour encompassed the following states: Day 1: April 6th, Missouri; Day 2: April 7th, Arkansas; Day 3: April 8th, Lousiana; Day 4: April 9th, Mississippi; Day 5: April 10, Alabama; Day 6: April 11, Georgia; Day 7: April 12, South Carolina; Day 8: April 13, North Carolina; Day 9: April 14, Tennessee; Day 10: April 15, Kentucky; Day 11: April 16, .Virginia; Day 12: April 17, West Virginia.

To read Grimes Top Five List of the Things she Learned on the Tour, and see videos, diaries and photos of the tour visit the website at www.dogsdeservebetter.org

The tour encompassed the following states: Day 1: April 6th, Missouri; Day 2: April 7th, Arkansas; Day 3: April 8th, Lousiana; Day 4: April 9th, Mississippi; Day 5: April 10, Alabama; Day 6: April 11, Georgia; Day 7: April 12, South Carolina; Day 8: April 13, North Carolina; Day 9: April 14, Tennessee; Day 10: April 15, Kentucky; Day 11: April 16, Virginia; Day 12: April 17, West Virginia.:

To read Grimes Top Five List of the Things she Learned on the Tour, and see videos, diaries and photos of the tour,visit the website: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/dognamictour.html.

Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place.
Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award. The grouphas 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France.
Grimes was also a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest..
Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place.
Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award. The grouphas 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France.
Grimes was also a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.

A Chained Dog’s Plea.

This is a haunting poem to me...I lay down at night, and it runs over in my head..It is -- By Edith Lassen Johnson
source: www.dogsdeservebetter.org

I wish someone would tell me
What it is that I’ve done wrong.
Why do I have to stay chained up
And left alone so long?
They seemed so glad to have me
When I came here as a pup.
There were so many things we’d do
While I was growing up.
But now the Master "hasn’t time"
The Mistress says I shed.
She doesn’t want me in the house,
Not even to be fed.
The Children never walk me.
They always say, "Not now."
I wish that I could please them.
Won’t someone tell me how?
All I had, you see, was love.
I wish they would explain
Why they said they wanted mine,
And then left it on a chain.
-- By Edith Lassen Johnson

"Dognamic Duo's" 12/12/120 Tour.

This tour takes of April 6, 2008. The founder of Dogs Deserve Better, Tammy Grimes has been putting this together for a year. Now, it will be a reality. It is 12 States • 12 Days • 120 Dogs.

March 27, Altoona, PA — What if someone wanted to prove that they could drive to any state and in the space of a few hours easily find, photograph, and videotape a minimum of 10 dogs spending their lives at the end of a chain?

And what if they decided to test this theory by going on the road on a whirlwind 12 state tour, spending only 1 day per state, including finding the dogs, driving to the next state, securing lodging, possibly speaking, meeting media, and creating videos? And what if at the end of each day they uploaded pictures and videos of their findings in that state on that day for the nation to share in the truth of what is going on in our country’s backyards? And what if one day two women decided to make all these ‘what ifs’ a reality? The result is The Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour.

The brainchild of DDB founder Tammy Grimes, the road tour idea has been festering for over a year; now she and DDB public liaison director Dawn Ashby have decided to put the plan into action under the tour name of The Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour! April 5th Grimes will fly to St. Louis, Missouri, where she will meet up with Ashby. There they will pick up a car, drive into Missouri to a likely location, and commence the 12 state tour bright and early the morning of the 6th.

The intention of the tour and the subsequent pictorial and video footage is to show how prevalent chaining and penning are in the U.S., educate the nation that it is common in all states, and put forth the idea that it is indeed something that must be stopped; that it is not humane and not an acceptable practice. They will be speaking to caretakers of chained and penned dogs, passing out treats, collars and leashes, educational materials and fencing applications, and seeking local help for situations that appear to be illegal, as well as engaging the public through speaking and media alerts.

The tour schedule is as follows:
12 Days, 12 States, 120 Chained Dogs
Day 1: April 6th, Missouri
Day 2: April 7th, Arkansas
Day 3: April 8th, Lousiana
Day 4: April 9th, Mississippi
Day 5: April 10, Alabama
Day 6: April 11, Georgia
Day 7: April 12, South Carolina
Day 8: April 13, North Carolina
Day 9: April 14, Tennessee
Day 10: April 15, Kentucky
Day 11: April 16, Virginia
Day 12: April 17, West Virginia

For more information, a tip form, and to see video and photos once the tour begins, visit the website at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/dognamictour.html

Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award. The group has 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France. Grimes was also a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.

Continuosly Chaining A Dog Is Inhumane And Dangerous - Part 2.

8. Are tethered dogs otherwise treated well? Rarely does a chained or tethered dog receive sufficient care. Tethered dogs suffer from sporadic feedings, overturned water bowls, inadequate veterinary care, and extreme temperatures. During snow storms, these dogs often have no access to shelter.



During periods of extreme heat, they may not receive adequate water or protection from the sun. What's more, because their often neurotic behavior makes them difficult to approach, chained dogs are rarely given even minimal affection. Tethered dogs may become "part of the scenery" and can be easily ignored by their owners.



9. Are the areas in which tethered dogs are confined usually comfortable? No, because the dogs have to eat, sleep, urinate and defecate in a single confined area. Owners who chains their dogs are also less likely to clean the area. Although there may have once been grass in an area of confinement, it is usually so beaten down by the dog's pacing that the ground consists of nothing but dirt or mud.



10. But how else can people confine dogs? The HSUS recommends that all dogs be kept indoors at night, taken on regular walks, and otherwise provided with adequate attention, food, water and veterinary care. If an animal must be housed outside at certain times, he should be placed in a suitable pen with adequate square footage and shelter from the elements.



11. Should chaining or tethering ever be allowed? To become well-adjusted companion animals, dogs should interact regularly with people and other animals, and should receive regular exercise. It is an owner's responsibility to properly restrain her dog, just as it is the owner's responsibility to provide adequate attention and socialization. Placing an animal on a restraint to get fresh air can be acceptable if it is done for a short period. However, keeping an animal tethered for long periods is never acceptable.



12. If a dog is chained or tethered for a period of time, can it be done humanely? Animals who must be kept on a tether should be secured in such a way that the tether cannot become entangled with other objects. Collars used to attach an animal should be comfortable and properly fitted; choke chains should never be used. Restraints should allow the animal to move about and lie down comfortably. Animals should never be tethered during natural disasters such as floods, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes or blizzards.



13. What about attaching a dog's leash to a "pulley run"? Attaching a dog's leash to a long line—such as a clothesline or a manufactured device known as a pulley run—and letting the animal have a larger area in which to explore is preferable to tethering the dog to a stationary object. However, many of the same problems associated with tethering still apply, including attacks on or by other animals, lack of socialization and safety.



14. What can be done to correct the problem of tethering dogs? More than 100 communities in more than 30 states have passed laws that regulate the practice of tethering animals. Maumelle, Ark., and Tucson, Ariz., completely prohibit the unattended tethering of dogs. Many other communities only allow tethering for limited periods of time or during certain conditions. Orange County, Fla., for example, does not allow tethering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or during times of extreme weather.



15. Why should a community outlaw the continuous chaining or tethering of dogs? Animal control and humane agencies receive countless calls every day from citizens concerned about animals in these cruel situations. Animal control officers, paid at taxpayer expense, spend many hours trying to educate pet owners about the dangers and cruelty involved in this practice.



A chained animal is caught in a vicious cycle; frustrated by long periods of boredom and social isolation, he becomes a neurotic shell of his former self—further deterring human interaction and kindness. In the end, the helpless dog can only suffer the frustration of watching the world go by in isolation—a cruel fate for what is by nature a highly social animal. Any city, county, or state that bans this practice is a safer, more humane community.

Continuously Chaining A Dog Is Inhumane And Dangerous - Part 1.

1. What is meant by "chaining" or "tethering" dogs?
These terms refer to the practice of fastening a dog to a stationary object or stake, usually in the owner's backyard, as a means of keeping the animal under control. These terms do not refer to the periods when an animal is walked on a leash.

2. Is there a problem with continuous chaining or tethering?
Yes, the practice is both inhumane and a threat to the safety of the confined dog, other animals and humans.

3. Why is tethering dogs inhumane?
Dogs are naturally social beings who thrive on interaction with human beings and other animals. A dog kept chained in one spot for hours, days, months or even years suffers immense psychological damage. An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious and often aggressive.

In many cases, the necks of chained dogs become raw and covered with sores, the result of improperly fitted collars and the dogs' constant yanking and straining to escape confinement. Dogs have even been found with collars embedded in their necks, the result of years of neglect at the end of a chain. In one case, a veterinarian had to euthanize a dog whose collar, an electrical cord, was so embedded in the animal's neck that it was difficult to see the plug.

4. Who says tethering dogs is inhumane?
In addition to The Humane Society of the United States and numerous animal experts, the U. S. Department of Agriculture issued a statement in the July 2, 1996, Federal Register against tethering:

"Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog's movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog's shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog's movement and potentially causing injury."

5. How does tethering or chaining dogs pose a danger to humans?
Dogs tethered for long periods can become highly aggressive. Dogs feel naturally protective of their territory; when confronted with a perceived threat, they respond according to their fight-or-flight instinct. A chained dog, unable to take flight, often feels forced to fight, attacking any unfamiliar animal or person who unwittingly wanders into his or her territory.

Numerous attacks on people by tethered dogs have been documented. For example, a study published in the September 15, 2000, issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that 17 percent of dogs involved in fatal attacks on humans between 1979 and 1998 were restrained on their owners' property at the time of the attack.

Tragically, the victims of such attacks are often children who are unaware of the chained dog's presence until it is too late. Furthermore, a tethered dog who finally does get loose from his chains may remain aggressive, and is likely to chase and attack unsuspecting passersby and pets.

6. Why is tethering dangerous to dogs?
In addition to the psychological damage wrought by continuous chaining, dogs forced to live on a chain make easy targets for other animals, humans, and biting insects. A chained animal may suffer harassment and teasing from insensitive humans, stinging bites from insects, and, in the worst cases, attacks by other animals. Chained dogs are also easy targets for thieves looking to steal animals for sale to research institutions or to be used as training fodder for organized animal fights. Finally, dogs' tethers can become entangled with other objects, which can choke or strangle the dogs to death.

7. Are these dogs dangerous to other animals?
In some instances, yes. Any other animal that comes into their area of confinement is in jeopardy. Cats, rabbits, smaller dogs and others may enter the area when the tethered dog is asleep and then be fiercely attacked when the dog awakens.

Warm Weather Brings Increase In Attacks on Children by Chained Dogs.

Chance says that "he is thankful that he was adopted into his family, or he might be tied out to a tree."

Mothers Against Dog Chaining warns against danger of chaining dogs, especially in springtime when attacks increase four-fold. Dogs that spend their lives on chains often become neurotic, aggressive and pathologically protective of the patch of dirt where they spend their lives. Frustrated and unsocialized, chained dogs pose a year-round danger to unsuspecting children who approach these dogs. However, children are especially vulnerable in the springtime, according to Mothers Against Dog Chaining, an initiative of non-profit Dogs Deserve Better.

The groups are dedicated to ending the suffering endured by chained dogs and to educating the public about the dangers chained dogs pose to America's children. Since 2003, when Mothers Against Dog Chaining began monitoring attacks nationwide that result in serious injury or death, it has traditionally seen an increase every spring when the warmer weather beckons more children outside and chained dogs can be especially frustrated after another lonely, agonizing winter.

In 2007, Mothers Against Dog Chaining logged 81 serious attacks on children by chained dogs. Thirty of these attacks - more than one-third of the entire year's attacks-occurred in April and May alone. Of the 81 attacks logged in 2007, 8 resulted in the death of a child. "Our records include only those attacks serious enough to make the newspapers, and include only those we are able to locate," explains Tammy Grimes, founder of Mothers Against Dog Chaining and Dogs Deserve Better.

"There are many more attacks that unfortunately go unmentioned and unreported. We encourage any parents of children who've been attacked by chained or penned dogs to get in touch with our organization so we can log their info and include their story."The fact pattern leading up to the death in July 2007 of Tiffany Pauley, a 5-year-old Atlanta girl with Down Syndrome, is typical of many of these attacks: a child wanders into a neighbor's yard and wants to pet the chained dog, but the angry, perpetually chained animal attacks when it feels its space is threatened.

The dog's caretakers then claim that there was nothing they could have done, unaware that the very method of confinement to which they subjected their dog led directly to the animal's aggression. "Children are dying because of the misguided belief in certain segments of our society that it is appropriate to chain a dog to a tree and leave it there to pace the same patch of dirt and excrement for years on end," says Miranda Riane, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who was seriously mauled by a chained dog in November 2007. "Myson did nothing but run past a dog that spent its life on a short chain. He paid the price for the owner having taken the negligent and "easy way out" with regard to caring for her dog.

"In part because of the public safety issues posed by perpetually chained dogs, a number of states, cities and counties have started passing laws addressing how long people can chain their dogs. California and Texas recently passed statewide laws that put specific time limits on chaining and a number of other states, including Pennsylvania and South Carolina, are currently considering similar legislation.

source: http://www.ddb.org/

Chaining Dogs Can Kill A Child.

A message from Tamara and Chance:

Dogs Deserve Better, 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA/Chase Pet Protector Award, is a voice for chained and penned dogs, whose sadness speaks only through the eyes. 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 January 2008, there were at least 194 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.


A recent attack in Texas in March, 2007 left 2 year old Carolina Sotello dead from head and neck wounds. She was attacked and killed by an unneutered male dog chained in the backyard, next to an unspayed female 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.

A Miserable Life.

Hello everyone....I was traveling to a friend's house this morning and took Big 7 Mile road, by the IGA on Rt.2 to get there. As I drove toward Union Ridge Rd., I began to notice the dogs tied up to way too small plastic dog houses, or wooden ones with holes all through it. For every dog a rescue organization rescues, their are 6 more, every second, that need help, too. This is really sad.

If you see a dog being abused, or chained up and no food or water, please remember...call the humane society, it can be anonymous, as I have done it many times. Our shelter is now connected with www.petfinder.com, so more dogs are being adopted and not euthanized and thrown away with the trash.

I have a first cousin and his wife that adopt dogs and have quite a few. We saw each other at a funeral for my aunt, and she was talking about how they help Little Victories No-Kill Shelter with donations. I wish everyone were as caring as my first cousin, Alan and his wife, Catherine. Thanks to you both. I would like to end this post with a quote: "Why is it that my heart is so touched whenever I meet a dog lost in our noisy streets?" E'mile Zola