No!
Dogs Deserve Better Does NOT
Advocate Letting Dogs Run Free
By Joan Sinden
"It's
a shame that we need laws to dictate common sense. If you’re
going to bring a dog into your life, you’ve got to be willing
to take responsibility for it's care and well-being. Allowing a
dog to run free around the neighborhood or chaining it to the nearest
tree are both irresponsible behaviors, and can and do end in death
for the dog or, and in all too many cases, a small child. A responsible
caretaker's dog lives inside, and has a fence high and sound enough
to protect both the dog and children passing by or walks the dog
on a leash for the safety of all. We are attempting to educate society,
one by one if necessary. But we must also stand NOW to insist on
the laws being changed to protect the innocent, both humans and
dogs. It's too crucial to NOT do so."
—Tammy Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better
As
the owner/guardian/foster mom to a lot of dogs over the years -
some of which were chained to trees and or dog houses for the greater
portion of their previous lives I feel a kinship with the mission
of "Dogs Deserve Better."
I
was thinking back to how it all started for me and I think it was
with a huge black dog that lived 2 houses down from my parents cottage.
I can't even remember the dogs name, but he was chained 24 hours
a day to a tree on about a 10 foot chain - the kind that has the
barbs in it - in dirt that when it rained turned to really goopy
mud. He was there by himself the whole time. At that point I'd never
had a dog and knew nothing about them, but he broke my heart - I'd
go over there and he'd knock me down he'd be so happy so see someone!
My parents would get angry with me because I'd spend all my time
over there with the dog and no time visiting them! Every once in
a while he'd get loose though - he'd break free from his chain and
go running with great abandon - that was 100 times worse than being
chained to that tree though, because there was an excellent probability
that he was going to die at any moment on the very busy road he
was running up and down. He stood no chance of being rescued if
he was dead. Running loose either by himself or joining up with
some other dogs and running in a pack was NOT a good idea.
Dogs
Deserve Better, for some reason, gets letters from people who think
that because we are trying to get dogs off of chains and out of
pens that we are advocating dogs running loose! That is the furthest
thing from the truth because that is even more deadly than being
on a chain! What we are working
towards is making all dogs the companion animals and family members
that
they deserve to be - and that includes keeping them as safe as we
would want our own children to be.
Personally
that means I keep my dogs on leash whenever we go outside the house,
and when I exercise my dogs we go to legal off-leash areas that
are fenced in and they play with other dogs who are well socialized
and also off-leash. So I suppose they are "running loose in
a pack" - but certainly
in a very different connotation! And also with a very different
outcome - the only thing that will happen is that I'll have some
very tired and happy pooches, and nobody will die or end up at the
pound. Dogs Deserve Better than that!
Thinking
back to that big black dog - when he broke free from his chain and
he started running around the neighbourhood, what do you think he
was probably looking for? I think he was looking for an open door
to go in so that he could go inside and get some love from a human,
because that's what he needed and wanted most - and unfortunately
he never got it before he died. One of my biggest regrets is that
I didn't know at the time you could do things like "rescue"
dogs. That's why I try hard not to walk by any other dogs who need
my help now - sort of to honour him. Because he definitely deserved
better.
—Joan
Sinden, DDB yahoo group coordinator and moderator
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