Help
Stop the Chaining of Dogs in Our Community
By Karen Hirsch
As
a pet sitter, I see the good and the bad. Not only do I come into
contact with many people who love and cherish their animals, but
I also am exposed to people who are cruel to them. Sadly, I’ve
seen many chained dogs over the past few weeks. For example,
while visiting a client in a transitional neighborhood, I learned
that the female dog next door had spent its life on a four-foot
chain, with no shelter from the sun or rain, and was rarely fed
or given water. My client confronted the dog’s owners asking
them why they didn’t feed it regularly or give her water, and
they told her that they were “trying to make it mean.”
When she replied by saying that she would report them to the authorities,
they told her that they’d leave the food bag outside and she
could feed the dog. Not only did she feed the dog everyday before
and after work, she also bought the dog a doghouse, fixed the neighbor’s
fence and tried to convince them not to chain her up anymore. For
some reason, they continued to chain the dog, but said if my client
could find a home for the dog, she could have it. Excited, my client
and I worked to find this poor dog a foster home. We finally found
one, but one week before the dog was to be placed in foster care,
my client found the dog dead. She had hung herself on the fence,
trying to get off her chain to play with another dog.
When
I see chained dogs, I wonder why people even have them. Dogs
are social animals that choose to live in packs rather than spending
time alone. Your family is your dog’s pack. When dogs are chained
they are isolated from their pack, and often become frustrated,
aggressive, unruly in social situations or depressed. While many
people think that their chained dogs are well adjusted, they aren’t
around to hear them barking and whining all day. They also aren’t
aware if the animal is depressed or unhappy, since out of site is
out of mind. Chained dogs learn nothing except that they hate isolation
and hate being restricted while the rest of the world (including
other dogs, cats, and all animals and people) may come and go (in
their territory) as they please.
I’ve
learned that most pet lovers living near chained dogs never attempt
to better the situation, because they don’t want to get involved.
However, they need to get involved, because we as a community
must send a message that keeping dogs chained is unacceptable.
Why? Beside the obvious cruelty, chaining dogs is not only bad for
the animal, but it results in an extremely dangerous environment
for people, especially children! According to The American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA), American Society of Plastic Surgeons
(ASPS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
nearly 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year. As many
as 800,000 people, more than half of them children, require medical
attention for dog bites annually, and about a dozen people die each
year from dog bite injuries. These three organizations stated in
a recent press release that to decrease dog biting in America, “dog
owners should never tether or chain their dog because this can contribute
to aggressive behavior.” Several studies have also concluded
that biting dogs were more likely to be male, unneutered, and chained
(Gershman KA, Sacks JJ, Wright JC. “Which dogs bite? A case-control
study of risk factors.”).
What
can you do if you know of a dog that is chained up? If you know
the owners, you can try to educate them, by approaching them
in a non-confrontational manner, sharing the information about biting
and the social needs of dogs, and trying to find out why they have
the dog to begin with. A friend of mine noticed two dogs on chains
next door to a student she tutors. She has been trying to convince
the owner to take these dogs off their chains for some time. While
he hasn’t complied, he does let her walk his dogs every week,
and she thinks he will come around eventually. If you are unsuccessful
in educating the owner of a chained dog, keep in mind that if the
dog is on a very short chain or doesn't have food, water and shelter,
you can report the abuse to Dekalb Animal Control by calling (404)
294-2996
Additionally,
if talking to the dog’s owners doesn’t work, go to www.dogsdeservebetter.com
and download their pdf letter. Dogs Deserve Better is a nonprofit
group dedicated to becoming the voice for all dogs chained outside.
The pdf letter is written by the founder of the organization (so
you can send it anonymously), includes her phone number and offers
to provide free assistance in fencing the yard and training the
chained dog. If you get no response from the letter, Dogs Deserve
Better offers other suggestions for helping the dog.
Many
communities in the U.S. are now proposing legislation to ban the
chaining of dogs. In fact, 34 cities in 20 states have already
either banned tethering or chaining or have included tethering
or chaining provisions in their animal protection ordinances. Sadly,
Georgia has not been progressive enough to have any cities or counties
to propose this legislation, although some animal advocates are
working on it.
Many
chained dogs do escape, but their outcome is rarely good. I
recently saw a dog near a wooded area with a rope tied around its
neck that was dragging a brick and what looked like a year of debree,
including sticks, pinecones and mud. The dog’s fur was completely
matted, and it was skinny, miserable, and too scared to come near
me. Animal Control had set a trap out for the dog, but wasn’t
having much luck catching it. Had it not spent its entire life on
a chain, it would have trusted people enough to come near them.
On a happier note, I rescued two dogs several months ago that had
been tied up. I found a German Shepherd mix wandering down Memorial
Drive with a rope around his neck, and after much coaxing, he came
to me. He had been abused, was underweight and was terrified of
men. I brought him home, had him neutered and gave him lots of love,
and he is now a housebroken, smart and happy dog who is ready to
be adopted by a loving family. One month later, I was driving in
another transitional neighborhood and saw a dog nearly get hit by
a car. He had a rope around his neck that was in a “choke”
noose, so he could have easily hung himself. I pulled over and asked
someone if they knew who he belonged to. They said his owner had
moved and left him tied up in the yard (and this neighbor never
did anything about it!). I was able to pull him to me with the rope,
and when I picked him up, I could feel his ribs and bones. Several
months later this little guy has gained 15 lbs., is neutered, housebroken,
happy, spunky and ready to be adopted.
Why
not makes your own happy endings for dogs? Educate or report
owners of chained dogs, let your commissioners know you want
an ordinance passed that prohibits chaining of dogs, and if you
see a dog wandering around, pull over and help it. Your veterinarian
can put you in touch with rescue groups who will help you care for
the dog.
Ghandi
once said that a society can be judged by the way it treats its
animals. If this is true, then we have a long way to go. Animals
deserve our protection, since like our children, they are innocent
and cannot speak out against abuse. Please do your part by looking
out for animals. Your support is essential to improving the lives
of pets and animals everywhere.
—Karen
Hirsch has over 15 years’ experience working in animal rescue.
Some of her rescues have included ferrets, rabbits, dogs, cats,
chickens, flying squirrels and birds. She currently has two cats,
five dogs (including two foster dogs) and two birds, all prior strays,
and owns a pet sitting business. You can visit her website at www.petsitters.com/loveem
|
|
