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OP I agree with this. I have a neighbor whose kid owns a BEAUTIFUL Akita dog. It rained all week and they left him out and chained. he has a doghouse and water bowl so the shelter/SPCA said they can do nothing. Plus they only have kill shelters here
It is so sad people don't treat this beautiful dog well. Plus seems they ignore him now he's not a puppy
I always drive by to see if he's okay and fed.
OP I agree with this. I have a neighbor whose kid owns a BEAUTIFUL Akita dog. It rained all week and they left him out and chained. he has a doghouse and water bowl so the shelter/SPCA said they can do nothing. Plus they only have kill shelters here
It is so sad people don't treat this beautiful dog well. Plus seems they ignore him now he's not a puppy
I always drive by to see if he's okay and fed.
I'm not certain, but your neighbor may be in violation of Alexandria's anti-tethering law, which was passed in 2010. They can only be chained for a limited time:
Alexandria, Virginia
June 12, 2010
Sec. 5-7-36.1 Provision Of Adequate Shelter And Space, Tethering Of Dogs.
(a) It shall be unlawful for my person to fail to provide any dog with adequate space or adequate shelter. As used in this section, the terms “adequate space” and “adequate shelter” have the meanings ascribed to them by City Code Section 5-7-3 1 (DEFINITIONS), subsections n and o, respectively.
(b) Except when a dog’s owner, guardian or custodian is physically within reach of the dog, it shall be unlawful for any person to tether a dog to a chain, rope or line of any kind -that is too short to enable the dog easily to stand, sit, lie, turn about, and make all other normal body movements in a comfortable, normal position for the animal and reach shade as necessary, for more than three hours cumulatively within any twenty-four hour period, whether or not the tethered dog has been provided adequate space.
(c) Notwithstanding any other part of this Section, a dog may be attached to a running cable line or trolley system that allows it to reach shelter and water as necessary, except that no dog may be confined to such a running cable line or trolley system for more than twelve (12) hours cumulatively, within any twenty-four (24) hour period. A running cable line or trolley system is defined as one that is at least twenty (20) feet in length and is mounted at least four (4) feet, but no more than seven (7) feet, above the ground. Under no circumstances shall a dog be attached to a running cable line or trolley system unless the tether attaching it to the running cable line or trolley system is at least ten (1 0) feet in length or three times the length of the animal, as measured from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail, whichever is longer.
Last edited by AguaDulce; 03-05-2014 at 03:58 PM..
The individual who started the DDB organization has been working for years to stop this practice. She actually went to jail for rescuing a dying, chained dog who was being basically ignored by its owners. She is the real deal, and anyone who is hestitant to donate to the cause shouldn't be.
I get that not everyone has a fenced yard, and I see no problem with a dog being on a chain for 15 minutes or so a few times a day to take care of business, as long as he's getting a walk to stretch his legs outside too. But why, why, why do some people have dogs only to chain them alone all day? It's such a miserable life. Please click on the thumbnail.
Thanks for this. I transcribed it so I could see it better. Re-posting.
A Day in the Life of a Backyard Dog
6:30 a.m. I can see and hear people moving around in the house but no one comes outside to check on me. They are talking and laughing; I wish I could be with them.
6:30 a.m. I’m hungry and thirsty. I tipped over my food and water bowls last night when I got tangled in my chain. I’m still tangled in my chain.
6:45 a.m. The chain is too tight and it’s cutting into my neck.
8:15 a.m. The people who live in the house are all leaving. I try to run toward them with my tail wagging, hoping they will notice me, but my chain snaps me backward and I fall to the ground. It’s no use.
8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with myself. I can’t protect the house from my chain. I don’t have any toys to play with and there are no other dogs to keep me company. Maybe if I bark, someone will show me what to do. I decide to bark all day.
2:30 p.m. A bylaw enforcement officer arrives and posts a notice on the door of the house. He looks pityingly at me. Do I look bad? I know I’m dirty but it’s hard to stay clean when I’m always sitting in dirt. I pace in circles and growl at him because I don’t know what else to do. I growl at other people passing my yard, too.
3:15 p.m. The smallest person from the house has returned. Maybe he will play with me! He does not. I go to the bathroom in the same place I always go, a few feet from my shelter.
5:30 p.m. The rest of the people are home. One of them removes the notice left by the bylaw enforcement officer and yells at me to stop barking. I pace back and forth, confused.
6 p.m. I smell food in the house. I am still hungry and thirsty.
7 p.m. One of the people from the house comes out to see me. He fills my food and water bowls and I am so happy for this attention that I jump up in excitement, spilling both bowls and dirtying his clothes. He scolds me and delares that this behaviour of mine is one of the reasons I am not allowed to live in his house with him.
7:30 p.m. Another lonely night. I dream about being on a chain because it’s all I know.
I despise, utterly, thoroughly despise people who chain their dogs or leave them outside all the time. There aren't words to describe the hell I hope they suffer in eternity.
If you can't play with and love your dog, for God's Sake, don't have one. If you can't treat your dog like a cherished member of your family, you can rot in hell. There are no excuses.
I live in an apartment with my dog. I'm elderly. I walk my dog outside on her 25' leash anywhere from 4 to 8 times a day, even on ice and through snow. On days above 65 or so, we sit outside for hours, just soaking up the air and watching the world go by. I wish I didn't have to keep her in an apartment. We used to have a country home with 2.5 fenced acres. But our circumstances changed. It is a hardship for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Here is a group with chapters in several cities in the Southeast, helping to provide fences for those that can not afford them. Coalition to Unchain Dogs
Thank you, I am aware of that group. They do good work. The group I am with does similar work and has a similar mission. We have been around for a little over 3 years now.
My daily running route used to take my by a backyard that was inhabited by an old dog that was chained to a tether 24/7. You could see that his neck was scarred from the collar. It was so sad. He was clearly very unhappy and bored and resigned to his fate of barking like a maniac anytime someone walked by. Quite menacing. After seeing him every day in all kinds of weather for a couple of weeks I got the nerve to call the city and file a report. Within a week he was freed from the tether and had the full run of the backyard. Sadly, though, he died a few months later. But just knowing that he had that freedom for the last few months of his long chained life made me feel better.
Please, if your city has an anti-tethering ordinance and you know someone who has a dog that is chained 24/7, report them.
If your city doen't have a law against it, you can still do something. I'm reposting a site that a previous poster already posted. It's AWESOME! This website has flyers (in English and Spanish) that you can print out and slip into a mailbox or place on someone's door urging them to please stop tethering their dog. It explains why it's so harmful.
Also on the website are tips on working to change your city's tethering laws.
Some cities wont do anything even when there is a law in place. They dont enforce it.
Also my only suggestion is before someone calls Animal control on a dog is to be sure they know how animal control works and operates in their city. Where I live, Animal control is the absolute last place you want to call. Only after you have ran out of options and have no one else left to call would you want to call animal control where i live. Animal control is horrible here.
There are many organizations around the country that deal with and help chained dogs. Ive seen a couple of the more well know ones listed . But almost every state has at least a few local groups that help the chained dogs. The tough part is finding out what groups are out there.
Some cities wont do anything even when there is a law in place. They dont enforce it.
Also my only suggestion is before someone calls Animal control on a dog is to be sure they know how animal control works and operates in their city. Where I live, Animal control is the absolute last place you want to call. Only after you have ran out of options and have no one else left to call would you want to call animal control where i live. Animal control is horrible here.
There are many organizations around the country that deal with and help chained dogs. Ive seen a couple of the more well know ones listed . But almost every state has at least a few local groups that help the chained dogs. The tough part is finding out what groups are out there.
I agree with you that calling animal control might not be the best move. Thanks for saying that.
And yes, there are MANY groups out there. It just takes a little internet research.
Thanks for this. I transcribed it so I could see it better. Re-posting.
A Day in the Life of a Backyard Dog
6:30 a.m. I can see and hear people moving around in the house but no one comes outside to check on me. They are talking and laughing; I wish I could be with them.
6:30 a.m. I’m hungry and thirsty. I tipped over my food and water bowls last night when I got tangled in my chain. I’m still tangled in my chain.
6:45 a.m. The chain is too tight and it’s cutting into my neck.
8:15 a.m. The people who live in the house are all leaving. I try to run toward them with my tail wagging, hoping they will notice me, but my chain snaps me backward and I fall to the ground. It’s no use.
8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with myself. I can’t protect the house from my chain. I don’t have any toys to play with and there are no other dogs to keep me company. Maybe if I bark, someone will show me what to do. I decide to bark all day.
2:30 p.m. A bylaw enforcement officer arrives and posts a notice on the door of the house. He looks pityingly at me. Do I look bad? I know I’m dirty but it’s hard to stay clean when I’m always sitting in dirt. I pace in circles and growl at him because I don’t know what else to do. I growl at other people passing my yard, too.
3:15 p.m. The smallest person from the house has returned. Maybe he will play with me! He does not. I go to the bathroom in the same place I always go, a few feet from my shelter.
5:30 p.m. The rest of the people are home. One of them removes the notice left by the bylaw enforcement officer and yells at me to stop barking. I pace back and forth, confused.
6 p.m. I smell food in the house. I am still hungry and thirsty.
7 p.m. One of the people from the house comes out to see me. He fills my food and water bowls and I am so happy for this attention that I jump up in excitement, spilling both bowls and dirtying his clothes. He scolds me and delares that this behaviour of mine is one of the reasons I am not allowed to live in his house with him.
7:30 p.m. Another lonely night. I dream about being on a chain because it’s all I know.
Thank you for transcribing, that was a good idea. Life on a chain must be very much like this for these dogs.
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Valentine's Cards for Chained Dogs
