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.
To read Grimes Top Five List of the Things she Learned on the Tour, and see videos, diaries and photos of the tour, visit the website at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/dognamictour.html.
To watch Daily Videos of the Tour, Click the Below Links:
Day One, Missouri
Day Two, Arkansas
Day Three, Louisiana
Day Four, Mississippi
Day Five, Alabama
Day Six, Georgia
Day Seven, South Carolina
Day Eight, North Carolina
Day Nine, Tennessee
Day Ten, Kentucky
Day Eleven, Virginia
Day Twelve, West Virginia
Tour Wrap-Up Video
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Dognamic Duo's Tour Days 5-9: Please Click and Watch!
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.
Day One, Missouri
Day Two, Arkansas
Day Three, Louisiana
Day Four, Mississippi
Day Five, Alabama
Day Six, Georgia
Day Seven, South Carolina
Day Eight, North Carolina
Day Nine, Tennessee
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
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.
Day One, Missouri
Day Two, Arkansas
Day Three, Louisiana
Day Four, Mississippi
Day Five, Alabama
Day Six, Georgia
Day Seven, South Carolina
Day Eight, North Carolina
Day Nine, Tennessee
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
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Dognamic Duo's Tour Days 5 & 6: Alabama and Georgia Chaining
Day 5 Alabama—Too Young to Be a Mother!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DTWjWyj5oU
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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfy1758gT3g
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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DTWjWyj5oU
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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfy1758gT3g
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.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Dognamic Duo's Tour Days 3 & 4: Louisiana and Mississippi
Day 3—Louisiana Dogs Need Love Too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA889lfwn3Y
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.
Diary of Dawn—Day 4, Mississippi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5jHqt2YGe4
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.
Dawn Ashby, DDB Public Liaison
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA889lfwn3Y
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.
Diary of Dawn—Day 4, Mississippi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5jHqt2YGe4
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.
Dawn Ashby, DDB Public Liaison
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Dognamic Duo's 12/12/120 Tour Days One and Two: Missouri and Arkansas
Pre-Tour Video
Day One, Missouri
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.
Day Two, Arkansas Video
Day 2—Chained in Arkansas
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!
Dawn Ashby, DDB Public Liaison Director
Day One, Missouri
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.
Day Two, Arkansas Video
Day 2—Chained in Arkansas
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!
Dawn Ashby, DDB Public Liaison Director
Friday, April 04, 2008
Dognamic Tour Update: Plus, Watch Oprah Today for Puppymill Show!
Today, as I'm sure most of you know, the animal advocacy world is abuzz with news of the Puppymill issue making it to the Oprah show. It is our understanding that much of that was due to an ingenious billboard installed near Harpo Studies by Bill Smith of Mainline Rescue...if that is indeed the case, all we can say is, You Go, Bill! Thanks for breaking through what seemed to be an impenetrable barrier for our friends. Please, on behalf of the puppymill dogs, watch the Oprah show today, then send the show a message thanking them for showing the horrible lives of puppymill dogs; be sure to ask for a show on America's chained dogs next! We'll have plenty of footage to share after this trip too!
Email Oprah Thanks and Ask for a Show on Chained Dogs Next
Update April 4, 2008. We've received over 120 tips from dog lovers from all twelve states, thanks so much for you help and support! We have offers of lodging, speaking, and media help in many of the areas, which we are gratefully accepting when it is at all possible or feasible logistically. Most pleas for our help came from North Carolina, where there is either a large awareness of the problem, or a very large problem statewide. Unfortunately since we are spending only one day per state, we have had to choose only those pleas or offers of lodging that are within or near our driving path between states. If we were to spend two days we could meet you all, but with the intention of the tour being to find as many as we can in only one day, we will be very pressed for time. Please know that we are very grateful for your caring and worries for chained dogs near you, regardless if we make it to your area or not! Keep on working for them, do not give up even when it seems hopeless.
Here are just a few of the heartbreaking tips we've received so far, some of which we can't even get to because they are too far out of our path:
I live in Alabama & it is considered "normal" for people to chain or pen their dogs.Dogs are not considered family members & few get to live inside with humans. Very few people have fenced yards. You could easily find a lot more than 10 dogs on chains within a 30 mi radius (Colbert, Franklin, & Lauderdale Counties).
I live in Georgia, my back yard neighbor has 4 pits chained and pad locked in his yard.
In Missouri, a Chihuaha and its yellow friend have been tied out on the coldest days of this winter in the freezing temperatures, snow, slush, and ice. The poor little Chihuahua laid shivering in its "doghouse" on a damp blanket not even looking up when a friend went to check on it. These 2 dogs deserve such a better life.
I live in North Carolina and my county really needs you!! I am sure you hear that from everyone but I really mean it. I live in Johnston County and people here have what I refer to as the good ole' mentality. They think they are suppose to have a dog in the yard no matter if they want it or not. It is a lawn ornament to them. You can not go 1 mile without seeing a chained dog. I know your goal is ten and that could be done within 1 short strip of highway. I have a dog in my neighborhood that has lived chain the whole time they have lived here. They even have him way off from the house along the tree line. He has a delapitated plywood doghouse and I NEVER see anyone go over to him. Well I take that back, a few weeks ago the little boy was out there taunting him with a hoe in his hand. He just lies out there in the rain. He doesn't go in the doghouse...I doubt it has a bottom. I know there may be dogs treated worse but he is my "special" one. I see him everyday !
I live in GA, just over the TN state line. One block over has five houses in a row with chained dogs in their front yard 24/7. The last house has two chained in the back also. I have hung signs on their street about "how inhumane it is, 13 GA counties has banned chaining for a reason and to have some compassion and bring your dogs in." One of them finally built a small fenced area. Sent Valentines this year to them to no avail. One beautiful golden retriever has been chained 24/7 since I moved here almost six years ago, he has worn away all traces of vegetation and lives in the dirt. Please come visit!
High Point, NC. The neighborhood near the police dept has hundreds of chained dogs.
Just outside the city of Birmingham--the west side of town. Dogs tied everywhere. Some houses have multiple dogs tied in one yard. It makes me sick.
12 Days, 12 States, 120 Chained Dogs
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 plan to offer 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.
We Can Now Take Donations Over the Phone at 1.877.636.1408
If you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail, you may print out this
form in .pdf format, and send to P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 1668
Email Oprah Thanks and Ask for a Show on Chained Dogs Next
Update April 4, 2008. We've received over 120 tips from dog lovers from all twelve states, thanks so much for you help and support! We have offers of lodging, speaking, and media help in many of the areas, which we are gratefully accepting when it is at all possible or feasible logistically. Most pleas for our help came from North Carolina, where there is either a large awareness of the problem, or a very large problem statewide. Unfortunately since we are spending only one day per state, we have had to choose only those pleas or offers of lodging that are within or near our driving path between states. If we were to spend two days we could meet you all, but with the intention of the tour being to find as many as we can in only one day, we will be very pressed for time. Please know that we are very grateful for your caring and worries for chained dogs near you, regardless if we make it to your area or not! Keep on working for them, do not give up even when it seems hopeless.
Here are just a few of the heartbreaking tips we've received so far, some of which we can't even get to because they are too far out of our path:
I live in Alabama & it is considered "normal" for people to chain or pen their dogs.Dogs are not considered family members & few get to live inside with humans. Very few people have fenced yards. You could easily find a lot more than 10 dogs on chains within a 30 mi radius (Colbert, Franklin, & Lauderdale Counties).
I live in Georgia, my back yard neighbor has 4 pits chained and pad locked in his yard.
In Missouri, a Chihuaha and its yellow friend have been tied out on the coldest days of this winter in the freezing temperatures, snow, slush, and ice. The poor little Chihuahua laid shivering in its "doghouse" on a damp blanket not even looking up when a friend went to check on it. These 2 dogs deserve such a better life.
I live in North Carolina and my county really needs you!! I am sure you hear that from everyone but I really mean it. I live in Johnston County and people here have what I refer to as the good ole' mentality. They think they are suppose to have a dog in the yard no matter if they want it or not. It is a lawn ornament to them. You can not go 1 mile without seeing a chained dog. I know your goal is ten and that could be done within 1 short strip of highway. I have a dog in my neighborhood that has lived chain the whole time they have lived here. They even have him way off from the house along the tree line. He has a delapitated plywood doghouse and I NEVER see anyone go over to him. Well I take that back, a few weeks ago the little boy was out there taunting him with a hoe in his hand. He just lies out there in the rain. He doesn't go in the doghouse...I doubt it has a bottom. I know there may be dogs treated worse but he is my "special" one. I see him everyday !
I live in GA, just over the TN state line. One block over has five houses in a row with chained dogs in their front yard 24/7. The last house has two chained in the back also. I have hung signs on their street about "how inhumane it is, 13 GA counties has banned chaining for a reason and to have some compassion and bring your dogs in." One of them finally built a small fenced area. Sent Valentines this year to them to no avail. One beautiful golden retriever has been chained 24/7 since I moved here almost six years ago, he has worn away all traces of vegetation and lives in the dirt. Please come visit!
High Point, NC. The neighborhood near the police dept has hundreds of chained dogs.
Just outside the city of Birmingham--the west side of town. Dogs tied everywhere. Some houses have multiple dogs tied in one yard. It makes me sick.
12 Days, 12 States, 120 Chained Dogs
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 plan to offer 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.
We Can Now Take Donations Over the Phone at 1.877.636.1408
If you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail, you may print out this
form in .pdf format, and send to P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 1668
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