Tamira Thayne is the founder of Dogs Deserve Better, a national nonprofit working to bring dogs out of the backyard and into the home and family. She is an artist and animal advocate living in rural PA, the author of Scream Like Banshee: 29 Days of Tips and Tales to Keep your Sanity as a Doggie Foster Parent, and editor of Unchain My Heart: Dogs Deserve Better Rescue Stories of Courage, Compassion, and Caring.
Welcome to our Second Annual Group Vote for the "Formerly-Chained-but Now Free-and Lovin'-Life" Dogs Deserve Better 2009 Calendar Model! Each dog pictured was rescued from a chained or penned life, and is now happy, loved, and FREE to enjoy life the way dogs were meant to do...living as part of the family, with responsible and understanding caretakers.
The rules are simple: the dog with the most votes will be our 2009 Cover Model! (But don't worry...they will all find a place INSIDE the calendar.) Please limit your votes to 15 per person, in order to make the contest fair to all income levels...any votes over 15 per person will not be counted, but we'll be grateful for the additional donation! The last day to vote is October 16th, so hurry!
We had a tough year at DDB...our economy stinks...so what's the solution? Get Jiggy with It! Sometimes there's nothing you can do about bad things. They happen. And sometimes we just need to bring a little joy into our lives anyway; so we know it will be OK, that if we keep fighting for our own rights and the rights of dogs not to die at the end of a chain, that someday we will come out on top.
This year let's choose happiness, let's choose the vision that our dogs will be Dancing and Free this year!
Get them in batches of 12, 25, 40, or 50, with price breaks as you order more. Send a humane message wrapped in a beautiful and fungreeting card this Holiday Season.
This lighthearted art, donated by Rocky Shepheard, shows four Unchained Rescues dancing in their ballet slippers in the snow.
By purchasing your Jiggy holiday cards with our message, you too will spread the word about chained dogs in a feel-good way, shining your own light this holiday season.
Please
Help get Justice for Shepp, a German Shepherd
left to Starve
on the End of a Chain
Maria
Daines, who is becoming known
as the Goddess of Animal Rights Music, has
written an incredibly moving song for Shepp,
and is generously allowing DDB to keep any money raised from downloads. The
song is now up, please listen and download at:www.indiestore.com/dogsdeservebetter or
listen and download it from this widget, below:
Details
of the case since DDB heard of it:
9/22/2008
After being dumped off at an abandoned
home in Corpus Christi, TX, a German Shepherd was found in horrific
conditions last week on 9/16/08. Parts of his bones were exposed
due to constant friction from trying to move. No arrests have been
made.
Laying on the concrete, unable to even get up from his side and
with what appeared to be a wound on his neck was a dog laying under
a carport. Barely within reach was an overturned bucket with some
dry food.
Shepp, a German Shepherd, squirmed in an attempt to move when
the Animal Control people arrived. The dog was unable to budge
but a few inches. His ribs were protruding through the skin due
to him weighing 43 lbs., less than half of what would be considered
a healthy weight. Skin was actually growing over his collar and
there were wounds all over his body. The skin and the muscle had
worn through due to the friction of him struggling on the cement,
with approximately one inch of shoulder bone exposed. It is being
labeled as the worst case of animal neglect that local officials
have ever seen.
A neighbour told reporters that
a man in a tan coloured Ford Ranger pickup dropped the dog off
about a month ago at a vacant home. She said in the news report
that she knew the dog was indeed thin but didn't know to what extend
until this past Monday when it had apparently gotten loose from
whatever means the individual had used to tie it up.
The pickup was found at another residence in Corpus Christi. The
owner of the residence claimed to know who owned the pickup but
couldn't remember his name despite it being her brother-in-law.
She said he found the dog, according to the KZTV news report.
Sadly, Animal Control director,
Kelli Copeland explained how this case and so many other animal
abuse cases fall short of proper investigation and prosecution
due to limited resources. When there is a child abuse case versus
and animal abuse case, current available resources go to the children.
Shepp was removed from the horrific conditions in which he was
found but he died in a local animal facility last Friday. The owners
have not been charged with any crime and police are not confirming
that they know who owned Shepp.
To sign a petition to bring justice for Shepp which will be sent
to local officials, please
visit this link.
10/01/2008
A major development
in the animal cruelty case of Shepp the Dog. TWO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED! A 44-year old man named
Daniel Luna, and a 45-year old woman named Norma Luna. Both charged
with animal cruelty. We will continue to update as we get more
information.
According to ACO Richard Golb, the DA who is prosecuting the case
is Deborah Rudder - here is contact info for that office :
Mailing Address: P.O.
Box 9277 Corpus Christi, Texas 78469-9277
Telephone Number: (361)
826-2530
Fax: (361) 886-2567
E-mail: Prosecutors@cctexas.com
A comparison of Shepp's
photos (graphic) to Doogie's photos
follows:
We are struck by the similarity
between photos of Doogie and photos of Shepp. Doogie
was lucky we found him when we did, and that the neighbor did not stop looking
for help when humane officers failed to respond. Yet, despite
vets best efforts, Shepp died of the cruelty bestowed upon him.
Why does it seem that when concerned citizens and neighbors do
the right thing and get help to save the dog before it's too late,
advocates are arrested for providing that help, and when they don't,
the poor creature dies and then maybe, maybe, cruelty
charges are filed? We maintain that these dogs have MORE rights
than to die BEFORE cruelty charges are filed. They deserve to LIVE!
As Election Day approaches, both candidates are filling the airwaves with talk of change...and here at DDB we're joining in by talking about some CHAIN-GE of our own!
Help us by using your spare Change to create some lasting CHAIN-GE for America's chained and penned dogs.
It's a simple but effective idea: Help Dogs Deserve Better through Election Day by taking all your spare change, tossing it in a jar, and saving it up through November 4th. If everyone on our e-mail list saved only $5.00 in change, an amount that won't be missed by ANYONE, we'd have over $25,000 dollars by November 4th! This would go a long way toward vetting dogs, building fences, and printing educational materials in preparation for the winter onslaught of dogs who are suffering and need our help.
So, on Election Day when you go out to vote for the Candidate you believe will bring the most Change, stop by your bank or grocery, change that change into dollar bills, and send it along to Dogs Deserve Better at P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA, 16684.
Make sure you let us know it's for our Chain-ge We Can Count On Campaign, so we can total the amount raised, and give the individual sending in the most money a free Puddles Pak of her/his choice!
Join us today in turning that Change into Chain-ge for Chained Dogs!
In a downward economy such as we're facing right now, it's the smaller nonprofits who really suffer and whose programs really suffer. Nonprofits without a 'nest egg' of bequests (DDB has not as of this date received any major bequests to enable us to build a nest egg) that have built up over time cannot hope to make it through hard times when donations dry up.
Dogs Deserve Better has always put our funding to use as it comes in month to month, expanding programs as possible, expanding vet care, and expanding educational programs whenever funding permits. We feel it's our obligation to put our donor funds to the best possible use, and sitting on it doesn't do our 'clients' any good.
I personally pledge to you that Dogs Deserve Better will keep going no matter what. Our programs are already suffering, and we will continue to cut back as necessary, yet we will not quit.
If you are not suffering financially, now is the time to step up your support for smaller nonprofits, and hopefully Dogs Deserve Better. Our monthly donor programs start as low as $5.00-$10.00 a month (we all can give that much!), and can be set up through our paypal account or through our merchant account by calling us at 814.941.7447. Monthly donations form the basis of our monthly budget, and without that money to count on, we start at square one each and every month.
Remember Dogs Deserve Better in your will or planned giving. Your gift can help our dreams come true by building a Rehab Center for America's Chained and Penned dogs and helping us expand our services exponentially.
Support our fencing or vetting programs, or give a donation to the general fund which covers our educational materials and costs of mailing to homes with chained and penned dogs.
There's so much we need, there's so much we do, there's so much this nation would lose if Dogs Deserve Better were not here. We deserve to be here, and we will not stop no matter how bad the economy becomes.
On a personal note, just this month alone someone dropped a black lab boy at my home, probably due to a foreclosure, and Sweetpea, a foster dog who was in a home for a year and a half, came back due to the economy. These are unexpected costs and unexpected guests, but I could not turn these dogs away. In tough times, our 'clients', the chained and penned dogs, are suffering even more and need our help even more. But without funding we cannot make that happen.
So continue to support the work of Dogs Deserve Better. Save your change, and help us make CHAIN-GE. Thank you.
Tamira Ci Thayne, founder and CEO, Dogs Deserve Better
Artist Insists Censorship Violates First Amendment Rights and Will Exhibit "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" in both Shows.
••••••••••••••••
September 18, 2008, Tipton, PA - Artist Tamira Ci Thayne, formerly known as Tammy Grimes and founder of Dogs Deserve Better, will be featured in two one-woman art shows during Pennsylvania Week for the Animals. During the exhibits at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and The Rotunda in Philadelphia Thayne will exhibit a piece entitled "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All", a work which a Blair County, PA Judge has attempted to censor.
"When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" has previously won an Honorable Mention at the Blair County Arts Festival.
Thayne created the piece based on her experience in rescuing a dog who lay chained and unable to stand, flailing about in the mud and his own feces. When police refused to charge the owners with cruelty and insisted Thayne (then Grimes) return the dog to its abusive situation, she refused, and was thereafter convicted of theft for helping him.
Video of the dog was withheld from the jury by the judge as well as 'after' photos and video of him standing and walking again. The judge subsequently ordered Grimes to remove all images of the dog from the Dogs Deserve Better website and her art. The case is currently in appeal.
Thayne has removed the dog's photos from items for sale on the Dogs Deserve Better site, but has refused to remove the dog's images from its history of the case page or her artwork, citing violations of first amendment rights.
Thayne states, "Doing what any concerned citizen should have done for a suffering animal was not wrong and will never be wrong—no matter what a corrupt 'justice' system says. I feel this in my gut. I have been subjected to what amounts to emotional torture as a result of helping Doogie—yet I could have done no other.
Creating a piece of art based on my experience which speaks to a time when animals will be treated with the reverence they deserve is my right as a human being and an American citizen. I will continue to show "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" on my website and at any shows where I am able. I am no criminal."
20 pieces of Thayne's work will be shown Saturday, September 20th from 4-8 p.m. at Eddy Theatre at Chatham University, Woodland Road, Pittsburgh. The show runs with three films shown, I Am Unseen by Dogs Deserve Better, The Witness by Tribe of Heart, and Uncaged, Second Chances for Puppy Mill Breeders by Ann Metcalf and Chris Shaughness.
The works will show in Philadelphia from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23, at The Rotunda, Walnut Street, also in concurrence with I Am Unseen and Uncaged.
To view Thayne's art, visit her website at http://www.littlegirllooking.com. 20-50% of all proceeds from sales of Thayne's art benefit Dogs Deserve Better.
Thayne can be reached at 814.941.7447 or Tami@littlegirllooking.com for comment, and is available for art shows, commissioned works, or interviews. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Naturology from the American Institute of Holistic Theology.
Dogs Deserve Better was founded in 2002, is an international nonprofit with 140 area reps in the U.S. and Canada, and works to bring dogs out of the backyard and into the home and family. The site can be viewed at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
'Puddles Paks' Provide Phenomenal humane education props for prepubescent pupils
'Paks' press home issues plaguing companion puppies and prime classroom pontification
September 15, 2008, Tipton, PA—Dogs Deserve Better, a non-profit bringing pups out of backyards and into the presence of people, today made public its Humane Education 'Puddles Paks' for prepubescent pupils. (Or students in Grades 2-6 for the layperson who might not do P-speak...)
Tamira Thayne, founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better, states, "Our 'Puddles Paks' will provide phenomenal Humane Education props for pupils in grades 2-6 (and try saying that 3 times fast!). We've noted the absense of a plethora of humane education props for our issue, that of chaining dogs for life, and so promptly set out to produce our own peppy program!"
'Puddles Paks' consist primarily of a new paperback printed precisely for Dogs Deserve Better, Puddles on the Floor, penned by Lorena Estep and pictured by Thayne herself. They are parceled with a CD of 3 Powerpoint Presentations, one which puts forward the pictures and captions manually as presenters read to pupils, a second which autoforwards and is read by Thayne for a stand-alone performance, and a third which speaks to chaining in an age-appropriate primer. Pupils are prompted to pontificate on preferred patterns of possible pup care by the book and CD. The CD also plays Puddles as an audiobook.
Thayne continues, "We are most pleased at the perspicacity of the puppy issues presented in Puddles, including overpopulation, spay/neuter needs, misuse of caging, chaining, and problems of stray pups. The Paks combine the paperback, the CD, and other paraphernalia including DDB stickers, rescue angel temporary tattoos, DDB brochures, Buddy Unchained books, and DDB posters. We hope many humane educators, classroom teachers, and parents take advantage of these packages to promote better treatment of Man's Best Friend. The preponderance of laws limiting chained and penning of pups nationwide—3 states and over 120 communities—postulate chaining will soon be a predicament of the past. We must prepare our children on proper puppy parenting posthaste!" The six 'Puddles Paks' can be perused and purchased on the website at dogsdeservebetter.org/puddlesbook.html
Puddles on the Floor is available wholesale to rescue groups and non-profits for fundraising programs. Phone the organization at 814.941.7447 for pricing.
Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has over 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada.
I don't normally ask for 'favors' from you all, but this one is so easy and can REALLY bring awareness to our cause. Based on video I've taken from my latest foster dog, I put together a very short, 45-second 'ad' for chained dogs and the work of Dogs Deserve Better. It's short and sweet, and If EVERYONE watches this ad and passes it along, it will get a ton of views and will start hitting 'your average joe' who doesn't even know about our cause. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBgna_M-50M
Our vet bills are at an all-time high, with new requests for vet help from area reps coming along daily. We cannot fulfill all this need as it stands now! But if we are able to get people to really understand chaining dogs as an issue and start supporting this cause, we can meet the immense needs of our foster dogs.
So, please take one minute of your time for Chained Dogs! Watch this video, and then pass this along to your list and ask them to watch too. I would be very grateful, and so will the dogs we'll help.
Guess What! We have a brand new way you can help us free chained dogs and bring our 'best friend' into the home and family.
Our PSA ad has been running on TVs across the nation, but now there's a new twist: we have a new application on our site that allows our supporters to run the ad with their name on it! The final 5 seconds of the ad will say “Paid for by: YOUR NAME” when it runs on television.
How Exciting is That!
In partnership with SaysMe.tv, we are excited to provide you with an empowering opportunity to truly get our message out.
Now you can tell everyone that Dogs Deserve Better than life on a chain! This is an easy and extremely effective way to do something meaningful in the fight for Man's Best Friend.
How it works:
Follow the link below and choose the city where you want the ad to be seen. Enter your name where indicated and click “see it” to see how the ad will look on tv with your name attached. Next select the cable network and timeslot for your ad. After you complete the purchase and email will be sent to you letting you know when the ad will air so you can tell all your friends to watch and air their own ads. The time to act is now. To help save chained dogs start here:
Even though each ad is VERY reasonably priced, usually from $10-$30, there is currently a $100 minimum total order for the ad. Brendan from SaysMe.TV tells us that he is hopeful soon they will be buying enough ad space to get rid of the minimums per customer. Remember, for your $100 you can get DDB's message on a station as many as 5-10 times, which will include your name each time! For example, you can run 10 commercials in your name on ANIMAL PLANET for $100 during prime time hours in Los Angeles (90071)! Also, try to find others in your area to chip in...if 4 of you go in on 10 commercials, and find a way to include all your names or make up a funny name which will represent all of you, you can get the NO CHAINS message out at a very low cost!
After being informed by my parole officer (it's not often you get to say that!) that if I didn't start my community service by August 22nd, I'd be back in front of the judge, I reluctantly went to see the man who is the highest paid man in the WORLD. No shit! He spent about a 1/2 hour with me, took my basic info, and gave me two choices of places to work near me...the Bellwood-Antis Library, and St. Vincent de Paul. Since the library is closer, I chose it (after all, I DO love books), and he sent me on my way with a stack of timesheets and contact info for Hazel Bilka, head librarian. I was to call Hazel within a week and set up a schedule.
(Wouldn't you think for a rate of $3000/hr. he could at least call her himself and get me set up?)
$3000/hr? Yeah. The reason I've bulked at the community service for so long —besides the fact that I don't get why you have to do the work even when you're appealing...if you do all the 'punishment', and win on appeal, is someone going to come to your house and do 300 hours of work to make up for the time you spent doing work which turns out you didn't need to do at all?—is that I'm expected to PAY $5 per hour, $1500 total, for this man's 'services'. Now, unless I'm getting something extra that no one has told me about (oh, the mind could indeed wander), paying $1500 for 1/2 hour of this man's time makes him the highest paid man I've ever met!
He doesn't contact the workplace, he doesn't come with me to hold my hand, to my knowledge he doesn't even come by or call to make sure I'm doing the work, so what exactly am I paying him $5 per hour FOR?
Mind you, I have no intention of paying it...unless they want to cut it down to a nifty $100 or so—I'm not an unreasonable woman—but as it turns out, apparently I don't even GET to not pay it, because in their infinite wisdom and power, they've placed a lien against my home for whatever unGodly amount they've decided that I owe them. Without even telling me of course. Such is the power of the powers that be.
So yesterday, August 20, 2008 I started my community service, working 5 hours at the Bellwood-Antis Library, and then going in today for another 5 hours, just to sorta start myself off with a bang.
First I sorted all the book catalogs and threw out the old ones, For Doogie. Next I carried books to the basement and stacked them up, For Doogie. Then, I got to pull weeds and deadhead flowers, For Doogie. Today, (even better!), I was lucky enough to clean bookshelves, For Doogie.
Having accomplished all these tasks, I'm now 1/30th of the way to completion of my community service hours. For comparison's sake, let's look at some recent 'punishments' of those convicted of HARMING animals, rather than helping them:
Domaneek Bradley, Baltimore MD, got 16 hour community service for starving his rottie to a weight of 42 lbs. (Heck, I'd be almost done if I'd STARVED Doogie instead of helping him.)
John Blank was convicted of 8 animal cruelty charges for 23 puppymill dogs in horrible conditions in PA. He received 2 years probation, with apparently NO community service. (I wouldn't even have had to start community service if I'd taken Doogie and 22 of his friends and put them in cages and abused them for years.)
Ashley DeCent, Nebraska, starved 2 dogs, merely paid a fine and surrendered ownership of the barely-alive dogs. (I could have left Doogie and his neighbor white dog without food and water for weeks and just paid a little fine?)
Terry Moore shot a neighbor's dog in North Carolina, and got a whopping 24 hours community service. (So I could have walked up and SHOT Doogie and only gotten 24 hours...instead of 300 for taking him to the vet's!)
Amazing.
As I sat pulling weeds, something I don't even do at my own house, I was struck by how we animal advocates are much like the poor weeds I 'got rid of'. Is there really any difference between what is deemed 'the flower' and what is deemed 'the weed'?
Who makes that decision?
Any human who goes against the ingrained social order is plucked out like a weed, ostracized, punished, and humiliated. Here in backwoods Pennsylvania, like many other locations across the country, anyone who stands against the good-old-boy network of animal abusers, wife abusers, and child abusers will be treated as scum, compared to the 'worst hardened criminals', and put soundly 'in their place'.
I really don't know how they manage it, or how any of these people sleep at night. In fact, that's something I wonder every single day of my life.
How DO those who abuse and condone abuse of anyone...animals, women, children, truly THINK they are doing the right thing, and how do they sleep at night knowing deep inside what horrible injustices they are perpetrating against society?
I hated pulling the weeds yesterday, not because it could be construed as 'menial labor', but because I was forced to take out plants who were 'different' than the rest, just doing their best in a world that was hostile to them and their goals.
I replanted a tiny maple tree into a new home in back of the library in which I hope he can take root and grow. I didn't pull out a 'weed' that was a gorgeous sole trooper for others of it's kind, with little yellow flowers, soaring above the rest. I'll leave the extermination of that little guy to someone other than myself.
To say my faith in our system is shattered would be putting it mildly. Between my two cases and seeing the abusers win time and time again I sometimes don't know how I can go on in this world.
But I will go on, I will rebuild my life, and I will conquer. There is no other way. Doogie demands it, every chained dog out there demands it, my very essence demands it. Sometimes you don't or can't see your way out of the fog, but you must feel your way out regardless.
By believing in myself and my abilities, I will grow and build anew from the ashes of my former life. By believing in DDB and what this wonderful organization does for mistreated and abused animals, I will see the day when animal abusers will be the ones behind bars, and not those who merely step up to offer a hand to a suffering soul.
Mark my words...there are already many out there who see it! Let us remove from power all those who condone animal abuse. Let us walk them to the front door, escort them out, and unceremoniously kick them to the curb.
I spoke of Doogie to a plenary session full of animal advocates Friday night, and was gifted with a standing ovation. I was so touched by the support that I sat in my chair and cried, overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude. Two different waiters where I live have paid for my meals out of their own salary, because 'they know who I am, and they know what I did for that dog'. You know these angels aren't making $3000 an hour.
My daughter told me 'I'm her hero for the animals', and two little girls in her class came up to me and thanked me for 'helping that dog.'
There are those out there who see it. Those who do not deny the suffering, those who stand with me in theory.
I need to ask you all to stand with me now in practice. Stop the abuse, stop the abusers, and build a new world where EVERY dog lives inside as part of a living home and family.
Help us build our Rehab Center, where chained dogs can come to be healed, loved, and renewed.
Most of all, learn to love yourself and those around you, even those you struggle not to hate. If only in theory. We have to stop this cycle of abuse, and hating the abusers will only draw more hatred to us and the dogs we love so much. They aren't worth it, but you are worth everything, and so are the souls we protect.
Animal activist changes name to translation of "Peaceful Dog Warrior"
Tammy Sneath Grimes legally changes name to Tamira Ci Thayne
[Special thanks to Christine Jaksy, who took this beautiful, professional photograph of me (with many others) at Chain Off in Chicago. She's a model herself, and amazing to work with! Visit her site at http://www.dogdayart.com]
July 22, 2008, Altoona, PA—Tammy S. Grimes, an animal activist, artist, and founder of Dogs Deserve Better, has legally changed her name to Tamira Ci Thayne, which roughly translates in its Czech, Welsh, and Gaelic heritage to "Peaceful Dog Warrior".
Thayne, a Czech linguist in the U.S. Air Force, added the word for peace, 'mir', to her given name of Tammy to create Tamira. Her family ancestry hails from Wales, so she chose the Welsh word for 'dog', 'Ci', as a middle name and added the Gaelic word for 'warrior', 'Thayne', as a surname.
Thayne, convicted of theft in late 2007 for helping a chained dog who could no longer stand and refusing to return him to his abusers, realized during the course of her trials that abuse had been a recurring part of her life since childhood. Men who abuse women and children and people who abuse animals are no different from one another: they seek to control and dominate those they see as 'less than', and use all methods at their disposal to harm and diminish them, keeping them 'in their place'.
She states, "Unfortunately all too often, both in courtrooms and in homes across the world, the abusers conquer and their victims are left helpless and hopeless. As I sat in the courtroom at my sentencing and listened to the DA tell me I was 'worse than his worst hardened criminal'—for helping a dog?—I was transported back to the supper table of my family home, 12 years old, enduring the shame of verbal abuse from my father. The cycle had once again repeated itself, and even though I thought I was 'the good girl', I was being told by a man that I was nothing more than a piece of trash in an attempt to 'put me in my place'.
I vowed to drop my chains of abuse, seek my own independence from domination, and continue to fight for freedom for those still abused—animals, women, and children. Changing my name to symbolically become my own father, my own husband, is a step in that direction for me. I will never again bear the name of another, but carve my own path in this world. With this act I send out a prayer for freedom from abuse for every soul on this planet. You Deserve Better."
Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has over 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada. Thayne was a top-ten finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Award, and the March 2007 In Defense of Animals Guardian of the Month.
Updates are pouring in, and we will be working all week to get them up, along with photos and articles from our chainees. In the meantime, please watch our video from Chicago's Main Event, and read the poem, written by Gordon Bakalar, that had me crying as I read it in the Chain Off Opening Ceremonies.
TOUGH LOVE / Chained
I am a dog with a story to tell A dog on a chain, my life a living hell.
I was unlucky enough to be born in a “mill” Though they passed new laws, it’s probably there still.
I was born in a small wire pen Along with my brothers, six of us kin.
We were not kept together for very long Before taken to auction and sold for a song.
Sold to a pet store, my home a glass cage I was one of those designer dogs, “all of the rage.”
So again I was sold in about a week Little did I know it was “up the creek.”
I was bought for a Christmas present for the kids But that didn’t last long before I hit the skids.
At first it was a happy and playful time I lived in a big house, everything was fine.
Played with two children, my master and his wife This was the greatest, this was the life.
But then all of a sudden things got real hard I was thrown outside to live in the yard.
Maybe it’s because I do shed a little Or once on the rug I did a little piddle.
No explanation and no reason why All night alone I would whimper and cry.
When the sun came up I barked all day But no one, not even the kids, came out to play.
I’ve grown a little older now living on a chain They say I’m too big for the house, too much trouble to train.
This is my story, and my lament I'm nothing more than a lawn ornament.
I’ve been waiting for my master for close to 15 years Tied in the back yard, choking back my tears.
I hope you think of me when you see a dog on a chain And know that dog is lonely, hurting, and in pain.
Maybe you’ll even stop a while and pat him on his head Or just sit beside him and talk to him instead.
If you stay long enough to say a friendly word It’s sure to be a kindness that for years he’s never heard.
\When you see a chained dog and know of his plight You'll know in your heart and mind, it just ain’t right.
Please come to the Chicago Chain Off if you live in that area to support the efforts of Dogs Deserve Better. (Of, if you're not local to there, please try to support anyone chaining in your area. Visit the site at http://www.UnchainOurWorld.org to see all the locations and contact people near you to support them.)
DuPage County Fairgrounds • Wheaton, Illinois
Support Freedom for Chained and Penned Dogs June 28, 11-5 pm. Visit Us to get these great benefits!
• FREE to pets and people • Dogs available for adoption, with 40-plus exhibitors • 1,000 FREE microchippings by N.A.W.S. • Free goody bags to the first 200 attendees • Test out a chain and doghouse to put yourself in their paws • Meet DDB founder, reps, & 15 others in 24-hour effort for Chained Dogs • Food and drinks available • On-site canine massage
Demos Include: 11:00am-12:00pm Hoops & Hounds by Trainer Dawn Vendegna 12:00pm – 1:00pm Pet First Aid by Pet Tech Trainer, Kandra Witkowski 1:00pm-2:00pm Healing Touch & Essential Oils by Charla Sirtoff 2:00pm-3:00pm Basics of Canine Massage with Alexia Macri, Hands On Paws 3:00pm-4:30pm Leadership Fundamentals/Doggie Manners 101, Dawn Vendegna
For more info, visit www.UnchainOurWorld.org or call Susan at 425.293.4492
Chia, second of the Freedom Prints: This print will give 50% of the proceeds to Dogs Deserve Better through July 4th!
Every year between Memorial Day and the 4th of July, my mind and the minds of the nation ponder the meaning of FREEDOM. What does it stand for? Have I, you, our nation lost most of our freedoms as so many believe today?
This year it is especially thought-provoking for me, since helping Doogie to the freedom and care he deserved instead brought me a loss of freedom; my ex has tried and continues to attempt to take basic parental and familial freedoms away from me and my children; and DDB is going global with our Unchain Our World campaign for this year's Chain Off.
In America, one never knows the importance of freedom until it is taken away. How many chained dogs in America lived inside the home until they 'got too big', or 'chewed something up' and then got thrown outside? How did they feel having freedom one day and losing it to a chain the next? Chained dogs deserve to be free and part of the family just as we do; yet some of them will never again know it despite our best efforts.
This poignant piece features Chia, with her before and after shots, an Akita who deserved and finally got better before it was too late. She spent most of her life penned and then chained in Indiana, was rescued by DDB reps, and finally ended up in Pennsylvania.
Everyone who knows me know that Akitas are the dogs I most cherish. I know, as a foster parent to many breeds, I shouldn't be playing favorites, but I just can't seem to help myself! When I don't have an Akita in my home, I am sad and pining for the big lugs.
My dog Rosita Chiquita Onita Akita ruined me for all other breeds! She was a long-haired Akita, and once I realized that the traits I thought were 'only Rosie' were instead indicative of her breed, I was forever after hooked on the Akitas. To me, they are more like cats than dogs; not needy, very independent (and shall we say stubborn), but very faithful and loyal once you gain their trust and love.
Chia was my foster, but proved to be unreliable with cats. She now lives with Lexi and Chris, who agreed to foster her for me, and promptly feel in love with the old girl. With all the love, attention, and good food her health improved so dramatically that you'd never in a million years know it was the same dog as her before pics! She looks 5 years younger!
I am so tired of the repression that masquerades as NORMAL here in Backwoods, Country-F PA! I know it's elsewhere too...but I'm tired of being oppressed, repressed, and I'm tired of having to fight and losing every fight for myself and my children.
I'm tired of going to court, and I refuse to pay any more attorney's for my personal court cases which seem to show no end in sight, also for no damn good reason.
So far I've won one...and that was by letting my son go. Let's hope by continuing to stand up against our oppressors there will be more wins in my future! I do not want my children to suffer as I did.
My ex has been dragging me to court for over a year now, seeking custody of my children for no good reason but control, and now seeking to censor my art and DDB photos and videos that contain my daughter, even though she loves being in my art and on videos.
He currently has my daughter because I refused to go back to court with him.
He has already lost my son because of it, I set him free of the pain here to live with his father in California. We will not be controlled! Brynnan and Rayne have clearly stated their wants and needs, yet he does not listen. No man has the right to control his child or his wife. My children deserve, want, and need their own freedom of expression.
I will continue to fight for them to have that right above all.
Chain Off has been held annually around the 4th of July since 2003, highlighting the reality that while Americans are celebrating their own freedom, there are tens of thousands of Man's Best Friends in every state who are still not free: America's chained and penned dogs. These dogs are found in backyards stretching from Delaware to Alaska, from Maine to Hawaii, all throughout the provinces of Canada, and in countries around the world.
Chain Off has evolved from one woman chaining herself to a doghouse in 2004 for 33 hours, to108 people chaining themselves in 36 states and Canada during last year's 2007 Chain Off to raise awareness for chained dogs.
This year help us blow that 108 total out of the water by chaining yourself in your own backyard, your neighborhood, a local park, or with us in Chicago! Join up 'in packs' to make a local event of it, or take it low-key in a one-woman or one-man show in your own backyard. However it works for you, it's ok by us! We've got more excitement than ever, with a large event in Chicago where activists will be chained, and new ways to fundraise in groups or on your own. We'd like to see 200 people, and at least one from EVERY SINGLE STATE, living chained to doghouses sometime during the week from June 27th through July 7th. We can do it!
This is also our biggest fundraising event of the year, last year raising over $20,000 for our work with chained and penned dogs. $20,000? Let's blow that out of the water this year too, with a goal of $60,000 raised during Chain Off! Be part of it! You can be a sponsor, exhibitor, chain yourself, or just donate and cheer from the sidelines. You can fundraise even if you're not going to live chained to the doghouse...join a fundraising 'team' near you, start your own fundraising page, and make it happen.
April 24, Altoona, PA — Their families and friends feared for their lives and elicited promises of daily phone calls, but the Dognamic Duo braved the trip anyway; 3,453 miles, 12 states, 240 dog caretakers, and 1051 chained and penned dogs, all in the space of just 12 days. The Dognamic Duo, consisting of animal activists Tammy Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, and Dawn Ashby, Public Liaison Director of Dogs Deserve Better, hit the road to prove two things: just how prevalent chaining and penning are in America, and how crucial it is to dog advocates in every state to step up to chain-ge minds via education and legislation.
The Duo encountered lunging and biting dogs, the effects of flooding, tornadoes, and fireworks, and confrontations with a few guardians who didn't like the message they were sending.
Says founder Tammy Grimes, "Most of the fireworks occurred in South Carolina, widely known on the East Coast as the Fireworks Capitol. However, the fireworks we encountered were of a different variety...a mastiff wanting us for dinner, a paranoid woman freaking the moment she saw us, and a couple of inebriated folks vowing to 'put lead in someone's ass if they didn't stop talking to them about their dog.' Luckily for us, they were mostly bark with little bite, and they weren't bearing any firearms upon their person at the time—except for the mastiff with his 42 teeth and over 300 pounds of pressure per square inch—and we weren't getting close enough to him to test that weaponry!"
Dawn was bit by a chained shepherd who faked nice and then grabbed her ear, and lunged at by a rottie as she tried to give him water. Tammy talked a chow puppy out of its cage and to the vet's for emergency wound care, and was able to sqeeze into every conversation a tidbit about how dogs really DO want to live in the home with the family—no matter how big they are (the usual excuse for why the dog had to stay outside).
"We found we caught a lot more chained dog caretakers with offers of free fencing than vinegar; we also offered free collars, leashes, dog treats, and toys, which we handed out with a smile and a friendly attitude. This willingness to meet them where they were went a long way toward fostering good relationships, and hopefully was instrumental in opening some minds." Grimes continued.
The duo found a lot more than they bargained for; 1051 dogs as opposed to the sought-after 120, 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?"
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.
We've been posting the videos and diaries daily online as promised, even though we haven't had time to answer e-mails or send out a mass e-mail since Day 3. But we're still here, there, and everywhere! Each day has been an adventure, and each day has shown us (and you) something different. We've never worked harder in our lives, out driving and filming and meeting people and doing press by day, and writing and creating videos each night until midnight or 1 a.m. But it's been worth it!
Please click the links and watch each day's video, and pass them along. The more views we get on our videos, the more likely America's average joes are to watch them and learn about the cruelty of chaining.
So far we've spied 656 chained or penned dogs in 9 states in 9 days. Already 536 dogs more than our goal! We know that may be overwhelming to you, but don't turn away. Stand with us and fight for better rights for man's best friend.
We've talked to at least 20 caretakers per day and given them fencing applications, leashes, collars, toys and treats. Most of the time they've been receptive, once in awhile they've been 'not so nice', to put it gently. We've been bitten and lunged at. But we keep on going!
Below are the daily video links. Please click them and watch! Make these efforts worthwhile...the bottom line is we need your support to make change. Watch, pass along, and help chain-ge the world.
We ARE promising you we won't show photos or footage that is too graphic...but don't turn away from the need you will see. We also throw in some humor each day, because each day should begin and end with humor, no matter how tough it gets in the middle!
So watch the videos and read the diaries (you'll also find them embedded on our pages), please pass them along, and send them to any press you think might help us spread the word.
More than ever, we need your support. This tour is opening our eyes even though we thought we knew how bad it was, and we hope it will open yours too.
There is hope. Dogs Deserve Better is handing out hope along with brochures, fencing applications, advice, training tips, dog food, treats, collars and leashes on a 12 day tour. 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 way to house and keep Man's Best Friend.
We are handing out new collars and leashes for as many dogs as we can afford, plus give out treats and dog food in addition to educational materials and discussions. If you can help fund the trip and the supplies we'd like to deliver, it would be very much appreciated. To donate, visit the page at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/dognamictourpre.html
The theme of the Dognamic Duo’s presence in Alabama is “Spay and Neuter” or “Too Young to Be a Mother”. This theme goes for both the young women and the dogs we met. Practically everywhere we stopped we found pregnant or nursing dogs with pregnant or nursing caretakers; all too young to be in their condition.
This morning we drove to Alabama to meet with Sonya who was kind enough to put Tammy and me up in her beautiful home, feed us and let me sleep in the bunk bed with the fluffy giant teddy bear. Sonya and Linda Morgan took us on an expedition in search of Alabama chained dogs. We stopped at the home of a pregnant young woman with two dogs she chained together to keep them in the yard. Cooper, the Husky mix, was a wanderer and the other was a homebody so their caretaker thought maybe if she chained them together the stay-at-home dog would detour the drifter from meandering. She was very kind and invited us into her home and around her yard. We offered her a fencing application and she agreed that a fence and a doggie door would solve many of her problems and make her home more accessible to her dogs.
The next family we met had a penned pit in the yard. The pregnant young wife asked her husband to come to the door and he told us the dog used to live in the house. They had another dog sitting on the couch watching television with them. When asked why the one dog was in a pen and the other was in the house the man told us that the pit “got too big for the house” and started knocking things around. Tammy asked them it they thought the Bulldog was bigger than they were because they were allowed in the house. The question flew over their heads. We left them information, treats, a collar and leash so they could take their dog for a walk and moved on.
We stopped at a house in the middle of nowhere and met a white chained Pit Bull named Dixie. Dixie a recent mother herself was lonely for attention; her puppies had all been given away. Dixie’s intense coughing caused us to be concerned about the possible presence of heartworm. Further out in the yard we spied a chained little pup, the tether tangled so taut around the base of a tree the pup was unable to move. Another dog came walking up; she had puppies in the back under the house. Angie, a gracious young 5th grade girl came out of the house to greet us. We thanked her for taking the time to talk with us but asked her to be more careful of whom she approached in the future. We left treats, puppy kits, collars and leashes. She took information from us to give to her mother. Angie went straight to feeding and watering the dogs as we were leaving. All the dogs were dying of thirst.
We visited with a little Weiner dog, obviously NOT “too big for house” but still left outside on a small trolley system. When we gave the Dachshund a squeaky toy his little tail went wild. The next trailer we approached had a chained Pit Bull in the yard and another roaming loose. Neither of these dogs had water and both were so happy to see us. On down the road we ran into another young woman who was interested in the idea of fencing and a doggie door for her Pit Bull named Bryor. Next there was the chained Pit Bull with the “Beware of Dog” sign and the Pit Bull wearing a shock collar with invisible fencing that encompassed about a 20x20 area. The invisible fencing dog had two empty bowls and a hole in the roof of his plastic dog house. The only thing dangerous about any of these sweet dogs was their irresponsible caretakers.
We ended at a trailer with a chained Pit Bull on a trolley. The whole family came out to greet us. The daughter was carrying a baby doll, one of those they give school children to teach them how much work having a baby is. Tammy said to her, “I’ll bet that makes you not want to have kids.” The girl replied, “I’m having one in October.” I’m thinking maybe the school system should start that program a little earlier.
Dogs and people started coming out from all over the place at that trailer. Then we found there were 4 puppies in a shed. The chubby little wrinkle faced pups were in desperate need of socialization.
I used to feel that people were being facetious when they said they thought “No Chains” meant the dogs were to be left free to run at large, but during our travels we have seen quite a few dogs running at large and we realize that this is more of a problem than we originally imagined. Tammy explained that there are two sides of the “Irresponsible Owners Spectrum”; on one end you have dogs running at large and the other you have dogs being chained 24/7 for their entire lives. The middle ground, which is desirable, includes your dog living in the home, with proper fencing and/or walking your dog on a leash.
We ended the evening with a speaking engagement and met some wonderful people in Alabama’s rescue world. We very easily found 36 chained dogs in Alabama bringing our total to 228 in only 5 days.
Alabama proved to be a beautiful state full of friendly people, but like everywhere else, not a great place to be a chained or penned dog. A special thank you to Linda Morgan and the Cullman Area Animal Welfare Association (CAAWA) for their offer to follow up on the animals we met with today.
Tomorrow should be peachy as we head for Georgia bright and early in the A.M.
Diary of Dawn, Day Six, Georgia: It's All About Fight or Flight
Tammy and I said goodbye to Alabama and voyaged along a two-lane highway all the way to Georgia. We counted 61 more chained/penned dogs left outside alone and sad as we passed through the country areas, even stopping to pass out information despite the fact that we had to get to the next state...we just couldn't help ourselves!
In Georgia we passed out information and talked with dog caretakers. We spoke with a Hispanic man and met his chained German Shepherd named King, another adorable looking dog with a lazy ear. The dog was in desperate need of fresh water and food, a privilege most chained dogs don’t often receive. King sat up and begged and wagged his tail. I said, “Aww! How sweet!” Little did I know the dog was begging for me to come closer so he could take a bite out of me! King took a piece of my ear and afterward his guardian proclaimed, “Be careful that dog is mean.” Neither Tammy nor I read the aggression in his demeanor or actions, until the obvious of course. I don’t think King would have been violent off of the chain, but guarding the small terriority had made him that way. I still managed to get him fresh water and food; it's mentally draining enough without walking away leaving a dog without food and water. I refused treatment because I felt the wound wasn't too bad and I didn't want King turned in for a dog bite. Tammy and I braked at the nearest service station to stop the bleeding and clean the wound.
Further into Georgia we stopped at a home with two terribly scared Pit Bulls. The female was so frightened she cowered and both Tammy's and my heart shattered. The little girl was pregnant by her yardmate, Kilo. The owner had both dogs in a pen together when they mated; he said it wasn’t on purpose. Now each dog is chained separately in the yard. Kilo was appropriately standing in front of a football. This is Atlanta Falcon’s territory after all and Kilo seemed to understand he was in Michael Vick’s stomping grounds. We wondered if he'd chew up the football and spit it out to pass along his opinion of this treatment of dogs? One could hope.
Next we came across a yard full of chained and penned Pit Bulls. “Beware of Dog” and “No Trespassing” signs gave the breeder’s residence away. Seven chained and God only knows how may penned dogs were on the property. The breeder said the dogs sell for $250.00 a piece and up. We see them put down daily in shelters across the country, but home grown Pit Bulls are still being bred and sold, just to end up in someone else's backyard, dead in the fighting ring, or dead in the shelter system. We pray they will not kill others along the way. Left alone and completely unsocialized, their anger can sometimes turn outward against their imprisoners or other innocents who cross their path. Can we as a society blame them for what is only a reaction to our ignorance and abuse? We've really got to put a stop to our barbaric practices that allow such things to continue.
Just across the road from the Pit Bull plantation was a neighbor, a pleasant young woman who has her Boxer and Chihuahua in a beautiful fenced in yard. The dogs looked lovely, they sleep inside and have their own beds. The caretaker said that others in the neighborhood thought she was crazy for keeping her dogs indoors. We think she is the only responsible one on the block. Her dogs ran up and down the fence and through the yard happily as the Pit Bulls across the street kept their position in the dirt so miserable most of them didn’t even bother to move.
Fight or Flight, when the flight ability is removed from the dog’s scenario the fight instinct is all that remains. Even veteran rescuers are often bitten during these times; approaching a chained dog should be done very cautiously and still the dogs are often hard to read.
"Every forty seconds, someone is presented to an emergency room in the U.S. for dog bite related injury. About sixty percent of the victims are children.” - College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Dog Bite Facts, June 2004.
“Never tether or chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior.” - American Veterinary Medical Association, Safety Tips for Dog Owners, JAVMA News, May 15, 2003
"A chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite." - Gershman, Sacks, and Wright, Which Dogs Bite? A Case-Control Study of Risk Factors, Pediatrics, Vol.93 No. 6, June 1994.
These are just a few of the statistics we discuss as we make our way through the state of Georgia.
36 dogs in Alabama and 61 more on the way out of the state. Into Georgia we counted 57 chained/penned dogs bringing our overall total 346 by Day 6, already almost 6X higher than our ten dog per state goal! We're now halfway through our journey, not knowing what day it is or or where we are most the time. Tammy realized today was Friday and we both were shocked!
We met with our favorite "pick-me-up" Rep, Pam Cheatham in Atlanta. Thank you Pam for taking the time to meet with us and lift our spirits!
South Carolina in a few hours....I hope I don't fall asleep with my shoes on again! This trip is starting to take a toll on us, both physically and emotionally. We're starting the second half of the journey today, and we hope we can make it through to the end. Thanks for staying with us...your support bouys us up and keeps us going. Don't stop! We need you behind us.
Before leaving Arkansas we received a tip (we teasingly call it a bribe, because she gave DDB a donation too, so how could we turn her down!) from Emily Pennel and a request to check on a dog she has been concerned about. She tells us she's willing to foster the dog if we can get them to release him/her, as she's been worried about this particular dog for a long time. With a foster home in place, we're certainly willing to make the effort to get that dog off chains. Finding foster homes is always our greatest challenge, and often even if we can get the dog released, we have no place to put him/her. We found if we turned left instead of right on 65th street we leave the city limits—and the tethering limit—putting us just over the border where the difference is like night and day. On the other side of the city border the number of chained dogs grows to at least one in practically every yard. We stopped at the house with a senior chained chow in the yard. The home reeked of cat urine and was difficult to approach but I could only see two cats through the window in the front door. There also appeared to be a bowl of water inside as well as a full bucket of water outside for the Chow. The Chow was extremely timid and wouldn't come near us. I knocked repeatedly on all doors of the home and on the door of a trailer behind the home, but no-one answered. Tammy and I left a note explaining that we had a 'chow rescue' willing to foster the dog if they were interested to please call, educational information and treats for the dog. It was the best we could do.
As there was no interstate heading due south, we instead had to take a more rural route on which we knew we'd see many chained and penned dogs as we left the state. We had a good three hour drive before we reached the Louisiana border, though, and so did not have time to stop and interact with anyone along the way. We did however add to our total count of chained and penned dogs as we went and counted another 74 before we reached Louisiana! As we went through a small town near the border, we stared longingly at a movie theatre and talked about how nice it would be to just take ourselves to a movie and forget about everything for awhile. But we knew that was not to be on our agenda for the next 10 days at least. We stopped for a sandwich in a small town and the staff at the counter never heard of anyone not wanting meat on a sandwich before. They said there was this one lady once who didn't want bread. I could hear them in the back making fun of us but I can't complain because they let us pilfer from the salad bar to fill up our "meatless" sandwich.
Back on the road again the most prevailing pattern I noticed was how far away dog houses are kept from the actual caretaker's homes. In order to greet your dog in the morning you'd have to wake up bright and early, slip into your mud shoes and trek across the yard just to say "good day". It's no wonder this is a rarity in a chained dog's life. Back at home we have a morning ritual with our dogs, one which I am missing while on the road. My husband and I lie in the bed as still as possible and then one of us whispers a word and as soon as the word leaves our mouths we are jumped and smothered in kisses and happy tail wags. (This usually results in an "Oomph" sound as our St. Bernard lands in the middle of my husband's stomach.) This is the best part of the day, although maybe the most painful, for both the dogs and us. I can't imagine not wanting to see my best friend's faces first thing every morning. I also noticed that wherever we go if we find one chained dog we find 10. It's as if one person sets the standards for the others to chain. Tammy said it's the human's pack mentality to follow what other's do.
We pulled off into a town in Louisiana and came across a Basset hound breeder who also sells yard ornaments. The sign read, "AKC Registered Basset Hound Puppies—Yard Ornaments" as if they were selling dogs as lawn ornaments. Isn't that one of DDB's slogans about chained dogs, "Dude, I'm a dog not a lawn ornament"? I went to talk to the breeder to ask how selective she is when selling pups, I was hoping I would find out she checked out the homes first like many responsible breeders, but the lady of the house wasn't in and I spoke to a gentleman who only said, "If you bought one of these puppies you'd want to take care of it." Wishful thinking isn't it? But how many times do we find purebreds living on the end of chains and the caretakers proudly telling us they spent $1000 on the dog!
Once again we had the choice of turning right or left in this town and the coin toss took us right. We saw a quaint little home with a manicured lawn but around back there was the sweetest pup on a chain. Baby's owner had considered putting up a small fence, a pen actually, but decided against it and left her on a chain instead. We fed her and gave her fresh water while we were there. Tammy brushed the clumps of dead fur off of her. She was the sweetest thing and it broke Tammy's heart to have to leave her. Once again we left another adorable dog with the promise of a fence, some treats and hopefully a caretaker with a more positive viewpoint of how to treat such a nice little dog.
A few blocks later we spied a Rottie mix and a little German Shepherd pup chained. When Tammy spoke to the woman about bringing her dogs inside, the caretaker became defensive and said, "Look at them, they are dogs, the need to be outside. Is it a crime to leave my dog out on a chain?" I thought there was going to be a confrontation so I intervened and tried to bring the tone of the conversation down a notch. If I were a chained dog I would want Tammy Grimes on my side, but since I was the one who would have to call 911 if Tammy were shot I decided I needed to give my best "good cop" performance. The woman was very frustrating and when we mentioned there was no water in either of the dogs bowls she said they liked to play in it. I went back to the car and brought a jug of water and she said, "I'll put it in, but I don't think they will drink it cause they aren't thirs..." but before she could finish the dog was slurping up the water faster than she could pour it; the other chained pup was equally as thirsty.
In both Arkansas and Louisiana we found many chained dogs without a collar, just the chains wrapped and padlocked around their necks. Snow was one of those dogs and she was so fearful that she darted away when approached. Snow's guardians seemed to gloat that she was mean and would bite, but she took a treat gently from my hand. That little girl was just frightened to death! We talked her caretaker into removing the chain and putting a collar on her that we gave him. We came across Snow when Tammy spied a Chow puppy in a cage on the same 'lawn', dripping wet. William told us had cut an embedded collar and chain out of his neck and stuck him in the little cage and hosed him down. The man said he was going to purchase a harness so we went and purchased one for him. We just knew we had to get that baby out of that wet and feces filled cage! When we came back from the store with the harness, toys, and treats, William took the poor thing out of the crate and put him back on the tether. The sweet little baby was so happy to be out of the cage that the tether seemed like heaven to him! I went to put antibiotic ointment on Cinder's neck when I found the open wound. My hand sunk into the flesh and the open sore was bigger then my outstretched hand. I started panicking and chanting, "Tammy...Tammy....Tammy. This isn't working, it isn't working..." She was taking a picture of the other chained dog with the chain wrapped around her neck and told me to "Hold on a second!" But I was not in any mood for patience! When she saw what I saw she agreed that the dog needed vetting immediately. I looked up the nearest vet on the GPS and called; they had time to look at him. We didn't show graphic photos in the video, but if you looked under that pup's neck you wouldn't believe it. Since William often works out of town, we were extremely worried about this dog. We asked him if he'd be willing to give him up to chow rescue so they could take care of his neck, but he was not willing. We would have somehow squeezed him in our car that second and driven back to Emily's with him if we could have!
The vet was a super nice guy, and we're sure has seen his share of this kind of thing in his small town. Cinder will be staying overnight at the vet's; we asked the vet to give extra TLC to the pup and help clean it up as much as possible. We called Animal Control and tried to reach the local Humane Society. DDB paid for the vetting, shots (the dog had never had shots before), and antibiotics, both external and internal. Emily's donation, while it didn't help the chow she intended it to, almost covered the vetting for the poor little chow we met only hours later. The universe works in mysterious ways! We offered to pay for neutering and begged William to have it done while Cinder was under, but he wouldn't hear of it. So we did the best we could for poor little Cinder and had to leave the rest in the hands of the local authorities. Once again, walking away proved to be most difficult, and even though we know we could not have done a thing any better than we did, it still seems to not be enough.
This family had one more small dog that was allowed in the house, but Cinder and Snow, they were too big for the house we were told. I told them my Saint Bernard lived in the house and Tammy said her Akita lives inside as well. In the end, the man did say that it was possible he may give up his dog's to us when he leaves for a job on a fishing barge in New Orleans. He asked for our number, which was on the brochure and fencing application, but we gave it to him again just to make sure he had it. Was it divine intervention that led us to Cinder or is the suffering even worse than we imagined? I believe it's a little of both.
So far, in three days and three states, we've logged 152 chained dogs at a glance and already stumbling upon two embedded chain cases later....we face another tomorrow, day 4 of our trip as we will head for Mississippi. I wonder what surprises await us there.
The rain plummets so hard it hurts as the winds accelerate to 106 mph. A little black dog cowers inside of her leaking box, the wind hollers and whistles through the cracks. Her two puppies huddle against her. Little black dog is grateful for their company, yet fears for them more than herself. Outside she can hear the hound dog wailing in the wind. He is chained to his house, an old plastic crate that should be used for travel, not as shelter. The chained white dog living on the other side of hound dog is petrified, she hates storms even mild ones and this storm is proving to be anything but tame. Outside black dog's house she sees a tree uprooted, it falls close enough to rock the ground. Behind her white dog has been pulled from the ground, chain and all and is tumbling with the tempest like Toto in the Wizard of Oz. Where white dog lands, no one will ever know.
When the storm lifts the people come out of the house to assess the damage. No one checks on the dogs at first, but then someone thinks about the little puppies and goes to see if they are alright. All is well with the pups, black dog and hound dog though inside their little hearts are still pounding, but white dog is gone. Her doghouse still stands, but she and her chain have disappeared. The people think this is peculiar. In another day they will call the Animal Control Officer to see if their dog resurfaced on someones rooftop, it has been known to happen. Not this time though, white dog wasn't so fortunate, her fear of storms was affirmed and now she has become forever a part of one.
While this story is from my imagination, there's a very real chance it happened just like this. At least two tornadoes ripped through parts of Mississippi including Vicksburg, Bovina, Jackson and Morton. Chained dogs left tethered in 106 mph winds surprised their caretakers when residents came out of hiding and found their dogs gone. Some doghouses remained minus their inhabitants.
Tammy and I spent the day tracking down this story. We spoke with ambulance service workers, power company employees, police and the sheriff's office. At the Sheriff's Office, Animal Control Services was contacted to confirm that outside dogs were missing in the aftermath of the tornadoes.
Our fact finding proved that an outside dog is indeed left exposed to the elements: cold, heat, snow, ice, rain, and natural disasters including tornadoes. Any of these can prove fatal for an unattended pet. As a result from searching for proof, we spent more time investigating then actually talking to chained dog owners.
The day did begin with a confrontation at a residence with 3 chained shepherds on the property. A woman, with her hair pulled back in a bun and wearing a purple tank top with matching shorts came out as I was untangling a charming black and tan Shepherd hidden behind the trailer. The caretaker had her hand on her hip and attitude in her step as she approached me full of sass saying, "If you come here lookin' for trouble you done found it!" Tammy was laughing in the background thinking, "Let's see how Dawn is going to talk herself out of this one." I did manage to talk my way around it, but I do wonder what's going to happen when I meet up with someone who shoots first and talks later.
Another early morning ahead as the Dognamic Duo detours from the path of least resistance to the road less traveled. Thank you for joining us. Please keep watching and reading and spreading the word! We're at 192 dogs logged and growing...with 40 more added today. Already 152 ahead of goal schedule...sad but true.
Diary of Dawn: 1 Day in Missouri is 1 Day of Chained Misery
6 am I’m up getting ready for 12 days on the road. The biggest question on my mind is can we do it? Can Tammy and I easily drive to anywhere "Backyard America" and find chained and penned dogs suffering needlessly at the hands of their owners? Is the same pain and suffering prevalent across the U.S. as it is in my own town? What I learned today is that backyard America is… pain, suffering and sadness.
The morning started off positive after we maneuvered around the city and changed our rendezvous venue to escape the marathon being run in downtown St. Louis. We drove through East St. Louis, a poverty stricken area with a high crime rate. Though many of the buildings are dilapidated and scream for condemnation, the architectural beauty of more prosperous times still glinted through the cracked exteriors and drab surroundings. This much like the puppies that were born into the world with a fifty-fifty chance of being adopted into a family of love or to be ostracized to the backyard for eternity. Would those pups be cherished or left to rot in the eliminates like the buildings that surrounded them? In the situations we saw today, the later prevailed.
Here, in East St. Louis dogs could be found chained and in pens and even running in packs on the street. Oddly enough the dogs in packs seemed more nourished and well fed then the dogs with caretakers, the ones on chains.
Just a few blocks away from this sadness was an outdoor patio where dogs sat on the ends of leashes as their owners enjoyed their morning coffee. Mollie, chained for 11 years and living in St. Louis like so many of my DDB chained rescues came to greet us at St. Louis Bread Co. Rose and Gary adopted Mollie into their hearts and home, a totally selfless act. Anyone adopting a senior dog knows the adoption is about the dog, not the people. Want to meet the kindest hearted people on earth? Look no further than the family of a previously chained Senior Dog.
When Mollie, Gary and Rose turned to leave, I stood and watched them round the corner until they were completely out of sight. I thought to myself, “That was Mollie and she lived suffering a lonely existence on the end of a chain and now she is walking through a patio filled with other people and their dogs as she strolls down the sidewalk to the nearest park with her family.” I can’t think of a better reason to be put on this earth then to know what I know and see what I saw at just that moment.
Sandy Lynn, one of my Hurricane Katrina traveling buddies showed us around Saint Louis. We talked to owners of chained dogs and offered our help. We went to look at two chained dogs we could not help, many had tried and all failed, except now St. Louis adopted a tethering ordinance that will finally free them from their backyard hell.
Not long after we arrived at the residence, the police were called, but when we told them about the new law and that we were offering help they advised us on other areas where chaining was a problem and needed our assistance. We thanked them and moved along in search of those areas. However, before we went much further we found a Rottie chained and padlocked in a backyard.
We drove to the front so we could talk to the owners, but the house was abandoned, chained and padlocked, ironically, just like the dog. I went to the back to check out the dog’s food and water situation and of course both food and water bowls were overturned and covered in dust. I fed the dog and was pouring water into his bowl as he hurriedly lapped it up when he decided to lunge at my hand as I poured the water. Luckily for me I’ve worked with dogs for years and saw it coming and quickly dodged out of the way. But what if it were a child? If the dog let the child wander that close to him before he felt threatened enough to pounce would the child have gotten out of the way? No, I’m sure the child would not and both the child and the dog would have paid with the price of this mistake with their lives.
A neighbor yelled down from the second floor in the house next door saying, “That dog is being looked after.” Then she admitted that the house was abandoned and the owner was leaving the dog there. “But he does come check on it,” she said. Tammy talked to her through the open window and we left information for the owner of the dog.
Next we took off to a small town in Southern Missouri where recently a tremendous amount of flooding had taken place. Another deja vu of Katrina when we turned down streets that were closed due to flooding. What happened to the dogs when it flooded? Some where taken inside, but many, a lot, where left outside to fend for themselves while chained by the neck to a doghouse full of water.
We hooked up with Janet who took us to see the city dog pound; a row of kennels set on the outside of a field. How sad that this is the best the city can do. This is last place these dogs will see before they are euthanized, unless some kind soul should adopt them. Here I met Stella and Thelma, both gave me generous kisses. Stella was already coming into heat and neither medium sized dog has a lot of hope of adoption. Thelma’s sidekick had been adopted, however, we later found her chained to a tree in a backyard down the street; from one hell to another.
We saw 25 chained dogs today and spoke to many of their caretakers. One asked me for a cigarette when I knocked on the door. I'd buy her a carton if she'd bring her dog inside!
Just another day in small town America, man’s best friends suffering in backyards while their owners sit inside watching television.
I sit here writing as exhausted as I was during Hurricane Katrina rescue. This work is as mentally draining as it is physically. Many a rescuer required therapy for post traumatic stress after Katrina and I’m wondering what my mental state will be after 12 days on the road witnessing the cruelty of the average man in average America.
Tammy is concentrating on piecing the video together. There is so much footage that she can’t show it all and must pick and choose what to include so she doesn’t overwhelm the viewer, and it is overwhelming what we saw today. Tammy says it's much like putting together a song, putting the video together so it tells the story as honestly as possible in a short amount of time.
The positive today is that Tammy hasn’t gotten angry yet, but I fear in a couple more days she will snap and kill Julie. Julie is our GPS Navigator and she has this bad habit of reminding us when we take a wrong turn by saying, “recalculating” That’s how I foresee this ending. I will be attacked by a dog or a human and Tammy will kill Julie; just throw her right out the window.
One day across "Backyard America" and I haven’t seen one happy pup yet. I hear it from chainers, “My dog is happy on a chain.” I’m still looking for that happily chained backyard dog. He’s not in Missouri, that’s for sure.
Today already came and went and I feel tomorrow will be worse. Though I may feel helpless, I still feel hopeful because with Tammy Grimes, Dogs Deserve Better and all our supporters on our side, all of the tomorrows will add up to so many yesterdays when we look back and remember that chaining dogs was a part of history.
It was a later start this morning and it has resulted in a later evening tonight or should I say earlier morning as I'm logging my diary entry in the wee hours. I want you all to know that Tammy is snoring as I'm typing this. I know she will deny it, but it's truth. She makes a slight mooing noise and I neigh in my sleep. It must sound like a barnyard in here. It leaves me to wonder if all animal rescuers make animal noises during REM.
We started out this day to prove we can pull into any town in America and find chained dogs and today proved us right. The first area we came across had much rain which resulted in flooding and a woman we spoke with informed us that more rain was in the forecast. This is bad news for the neighboring Pit Bull who was sleeping on soggy ground in a pen next door.
The car came to an unexpected screeching halt when Tammy Grimes "Dog Warrior" saw a turtle in the middle of the road. This just proves what kind of a person Tammy really is, she'd risk her life (and mine) to get a turtle to cross the road and out of harm's way. Of course I video taped the footage with a play by play. I can only speculate if this had been in Pennsylvania instead of Arkansas would Tammy had been arrested for saving the turtle?
The next town we turned in to was almost as saturated as the one before. We counted many chained dogs in the area, some of the owners lived in beautiful brick homes and some in rundown trailers. This made no difference to their pets who were chained outside in the mud either way.
I immediately grew attached to a dog named Kane. He was a big German Shepherd with one lazy ear. I visited his caretaker while Tammy spoke to a neighbor about her chained dog. Kane had a thick chain wrapped around his throat which evoked panic in me because I've cut so many chains and collars from under the skin of dogs because of this. Tammy and I went out and purchased a thick collar for Kane, some chew toys, treats, rawhides and food. We also purchased a couple items for his caretaker, a new mother who needed some care herself. At the end of our visit I put Kane's new collar on him and had to hook him back up to the chain. It was the most sickening feeling for me to do that, but I left him with the promise of a new fence and his caretaker was left a little more educated on the importance of bringing Kane into her home.
Tammy and I spent most of the day knocking on doors and speaking to owners of chained dogs. When we stopped for lunch I passed a boutique with the latest spring fashions. A memory of a time before rescue (BR=Before Rescue) crept into my mind of a woman who would have stopped to browse and purchase something nice for herself. I realize I have no interest in such things anymore, no interest and no time. I sighed and walked away thinking that someone is going to send one of these videos to those snobbish trend setters on "What Not To Wear".
As we moved on to Little Rock we were in contact with a rescue friend Mica, who put us through to her friend who put us through to Stacy who was kind enough to meet up with us and show us around. Stacy took us into a part of the city she said was big into drug dealing. I prepared myself to see a vast number of chained dogs here and was surprised that the numbers were lower than expected. Obviously there were still some sad circumstances which Stacy explained was because the law was not always enforced in every area because neighbor's were often reluctant to phone in the violations. Stacy felt an answer to this would be for police and code officers to automatically contact the ACO if they noticed chained dog violations while they were enforcing another law.
Not long after we set out on our expedition did we see a little dog with a chain embedded into it's neck. The chain was dragging behind the dog as it sprinted away from us. The dog was always just out of our reach and a local explained that the dog had been running in the neighborhood that way for more than a month. He said we'd never catch him because the dog knew the neighborhood. He was right, that dog knew every hole and back alley and we didn't. We gave Stacy money to purchase food for the dog and she promised to go back to it's sleeping spot and rescue it. Later we spoke with another friend who is putting the ACO on the case. We told them to contact DDB and we would vet this dog. This poor baby is vividly etched into our minds and hearts. We are anxious for a happy ending to this story.
Another troubling case in Little Rock was when we found a sweet Chow mix attached to a trolley system that did not work. My guess was the dog had escaped before and his caretakers tried a quick remedy to tie him back up again resulting in a dog twisted and stuck in a position where it could barely move and couldn't reach it's water bucket. I tried to untangle the dog, but it was impossible, so I unhooked the water bucket and moved it to where the dog could reach it. The dog could tell I was getting the water and began jumping excitedly and darted for the nasty water in the bucket and greedily lapped it. I went to the house and spoke with the owners and the ACO is going to go and check on the dog and straighten out his caretaker.
We met with Emily Pennel and her husband John of Unchainyourdog.org who invited us into their lovely home and cooked us the most fantastic gourmet meal. Emily can be described as a woman who has it all: brains, looks, a great cook, plus compassion; the most admirable trait. My favorite part of the evening was when John said his wife Emily's shero is Tammy and his shero is Emily. John and Emily are a dynamic duo themselves as they have helped pass not one but two tethering laws in Arkansas! Special thanks to Emily and John not only for a great meal and great company, but for putting us up in a beautiful hotel for the night too. Gracias!
Having logged 31 dogs in Arkansas, we can confidently say that those 31 are mere molecules on the tip of a pinhead. Our total between the two states is now 51 dogs.
It is 3:55 a.m. and we need to be on the road at 8 a.m., so goodnight all, more excitement awaits us in Louisiana in only a few hours!
First I sorted all the book catalogs and threw out the old ones, For Doogie.
Next I carried books to the basement and stacked them up, For Doogie.
Then, I got to pull weeds and deadhead flowers, For Doogie.
Today, (even better!), I was lucky enough to clean bookshelves, For Doogie.
