Have You Registered for Chain Off 2010? Chain Off has been held annually around the
4th of July since 2004 and highlights the reality that while Americans
are celebrating their freedom, there are tens of thousands of man's best
friends in every state who are still not free. These dogs are found in
backyards stretching from Delaware to Alaska, Maine to Hawaii,
throughout the provinces of Canada, and around the world. This year's main event has two locations--
Alachua, FL and at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. We have
others across the country that are planning Chain Off events in their
neighborhoods. See
all the locations and participants! Join one of these events or start your own! Or
you can click to sponsor any one of the participants. Our fundraising page is up and going at www.firstgiving.com/dogsdeservebetter. You can create a webpage to raise funds and
send to all your family and friends. If you have questions, contact
Tereza Marks at tereza@dogsdeservebetter.org. For more information visit
our website 
Justin
Strawser DDB Supporter Wins American Humane's 2010 Be Kind to Animals
Kid's Contest It all started when Justin and his family adopted Sweet Pea, a
mixed breed, from dog rescue organization Dogs Deserve Better (DDB).
Most of the dogs at DDB come from households where they have been
confined and neglected on the ends of chains. When Justin got Sweet Pea home, he gave her a toy. She did not
know what to do with it and just looked at him. It broke his heart to
think that this poor creature may never have known how to play. “Once
that happened,” said Justin, “I just had to give everything.” He decided
to do whatever he could for the dogs remaining at the rescue. Justin and his family read about DDB’s
“Sponsor a Dog for the Holidays” program, which asks donors to give dogs
what they need for Christmas, such as food, treats, toys or help with
veterinary bills. Justin’s mother told him to read each dog’s story and
choose one to buy for. He picked them all. “Their stories melt your
heart,” he explained. He
gathered his spare change, birthday money and savings and bought items
off the lists, including treats, dog beds, toys and food. It amounted to
more than $600. And Justin does not plan to stop his annual giving or
limit his generosity to one shelter. “I won’t stop giving dogs what they
need to have,” he said. Justin has
also fervently taken up DDB’s cause: educating the public about the
inhumane treatment of chaining or penning dogs for prolonged periods. He
spreads the word about chaining by telling his friends and teachers
about it and he has his own website (www.donatetoysfordogs.com).
“They are not just animals,” he explains, “they are just like us.” Read more about Justin on American Humane's website and
the Director of Education's blog See
what DDB founder and area reps have to say... See
Justin in USA Today...
Children's
Book Main Character Contest Dogs
Deserve Better will be publishing our second children’s book in October
of 2010, entitled A New Name for Worthless, and this time
we're looking for the STAR of the show! Written and illustrated by Rocky Shepheard, it’s a
delightfully poignant tale of the love of a man for his dog, and the
lengths both man and dog will go to for each other and freedom. There are lots of fun characters to add camaraderie and humor
to the plot and adventure that will keep you turning the pages. The
ending will surely bring smiles to the faces of both you and your
children. Of course,
as with everything else Dogs Deserve Better does, our book has an
important message for children that dogs are part of the family, and
they want to live inside with us. So how do you get involved? Well, all of the characters are
currently being developed graphically except one—the lead protagonist, a
dog named Worthless (named for the
real-life dog who started Dogs Deserve Better). DDB will be giving one of our supporter's dogs the chance to
be drawn as Worthless, the star of the tale, who receives a miraculous
transformation and a new name!
How do you get YOUR dog in the
running to be the star? Just sponsor the book, and indicate whether you
want your dog to be eligible for the drawing or not. (You can sponsor
without entering your dog in the contest too, of course.) We will choose the winner of the contest from eligible book
sponsors on July 12th, and announce it on our site. For more
information, go to the website... 
Another
Chance for DDB to Win $5000 in the Pepsi Refresh Project Dogs Deserve Better wants to win $5000 to
provide coloring books to over 20,000 students in areas where dog
chaining is a big problem. Since we placed in the top 100 last month,
Pepsi is giving us a second chance to win. EVERYONE needs to vote
EVERYDAY through the end of May. Click
here to vote (you will need to register). 
From the Mailbag
About 3 weeks ago, I received an email
featuring some local dogs from one of the pounds that needed rescuing.
Immediately a picture of a dog grabbed my heart. This dog's story was
that she had been chained up at a property in local Lovington, NM,
abandoned there by her people when they moved away, and had to be caught
on a catch pole and removed from the property. Then she was taken to
the pound, which is not a very nice place. Looking at this dog's shelter
photo showed that she had just given up on life and the fact that she
would ever have a home again. But little did she know that so many people from across the
world would be inspired to have a heart for this pit bull/American
Bulldog and do whatever they could so that she had another chance at a
loved life this time around! I decided to temporarily rescue this dog through Dogs Deserve
Better. She was getting SO MUCH publicity and people were wanting to
give to a Chip In that I knew I could not let her die in the shelter.
Over $600 was raised for her veterinary care and anything else that she
needed. She also had people from England, British Columbia, and about 5
different states in the US want to adopt her. We fostered her for about 3 weeks. In that
time, a gentleman named Ted Everett from CT made her a Facebook fan page
so I could post updates about her and a graphic designer in
Albuquerque, NM made her shelter photo a poster encouraging adoption
from local shelters. We also celebrated the little things that Mary Jane
did because she was not a dog who was happy to be with people. She had a
phobia of people. Not so bad that she was a fear biter but she was
definitely a "flighter" when loud, startling sounds were around her. The
first few days she was not even comfortably using the bathroom outside
unless it was in the middle of the night, with no one around her and the
night was quiet. I could
only commit a few weeks with her because we took a month long vacation
to visit family in the south. At the end of our time together, a
wonderful woman from MS expressed an interest in adopting her. She
expressed such an interest that after she was properly screened and
approved as the home, she even drove from Jackson, MS to Lubbock, TX to
pick her up and take her back home. Talk about commitment to provide a
dog with what she needs! Thank
you Dogs Deserve Better for allowing me the opportunity to rescue Mary
Jane as a DDB representative. What an humbling experience this was for
me as a rescuer to watch and celebrate with a dog and other dog lovers
the little things that many dogs never get to experience! Amanda Green, Hobbs NM DDB Representative Sad Photo Spurs Animal Adoption 
**************** 
This DDB billboard is currently running in
Henderson, North Carolina, organized and fundraised by Val Lamoreux. You can get the word out by getting a
billboard in your community too! Go to our website for more information.
**************** In
Atlanta, Animal Control Takes Injured Dog, Finds
Loose Dogs that Attacked It Blackie the Chow Treated, Back Home ************* Is it inhumane to chain up dogs?
************* El Paso, TX, Mom Upset After Dog Bites Two
Children
******************* Free Delilah Latest Video from the Triad, NC
Fencing Project
******************* In PA, Anti-Tethering Law Sinks at
Greencastle Borough Meeting
******************* Iowa Shelter Rescues Abandoned Dogs
******************* Dog Breaks Free of Chain, Bites Police
Officer in Champaign, IL
******************* In Indianapolis, IN, Family Dog Shot During
Attack on Two-Year Old
******************* In Omaha, NE, Emaciated Dogs Found Chained ******************* In Jacksonville, FL, Deputies Find 5 Pit
Bulls Used for Fighting
******************* Update on Courage: Write a Letter to the DA
Regarding His Abuser
******************* Dog
Advocate Wins Appeal of Trespassing Charge for Helping Underweight
Chained Dogs ******************* Panel
Proposes Sweeping Changes to Lucas County, OH Dog Policy ******************* Looking
to Expand Chaining Law in Battle Creek, MI
Upcoming Events
Join
DDB at the Animal Rights 2010 Conference July 15-19 at the Hilton
Alexandria, VA. For more details see the website.
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| IN
THIS ISSUE |
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Have You Registered for Chain
Off 2010 DDB Supporter Wins AHA Be Kind to
Animals Kid's Contest Children's Book Main Character
Contest
Another
Chance to Win $5000
From the Mailbag Make A
Difference for A Chained Dog! Upcoming Events
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| Get great signs for your
yard and support DDB! Check out doginyard.com |
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| Want to buy some great toys and other products for your pets,
while supporting Dogs Deserve Better! Shop
PetJunkie.com and DDB gets 35% of all sales! |
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