PA's Wall of Shame Features Photos of Chained Dogs Who Still Wait-for the Third Year-for a Law

Anti-Chaining Organization To Document Dogs Living Chained In Every County in Preparation for Year Three of Battle for a Law Limiting Tethering

http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/pawallofshame.html

Tipton, PA -- March 19, 2009 -- Dogs Deserve Better today posted "Pennsylvania's Wall of Shame: Chained Dogs Still Waiting for a Law" on its website at DogsDeserveBetter.org, starting with photos of dogs in seven counties who are still living chained, and plans to expand the collection to every county in Pennsylvania.

Tamira Ci Thayne, founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better, spent much of the former weekend documenting dogs who've spent their lives at the end of a chain, sadly looking to all passers-by for help. "By far the worst town we found so far was Blandburg, Cambria County. Driving down a single alley netted us an easy 10-12 dogs chained and begging for attention. It's time for even the mountain boys to understand what a dog needs, and it's not life at the end of a chain."

Thayne also documented a small black and white fufu dog in Blair County whose caretaker is an old middle school boyfriend. The little dog still lives chained despite personal letters and yearly Valentines; its yardmate, an old shepherd mix, died last year, still chained and never knowing human kindness.

One photo already causing upset amongst viewers features a tan dog chained to a blue doghouse with "Do Not Water or Feed This Dog" painted in large white letters on the side.

Thayne says, "It's obvious that a neighbor was worried about this dog and was trying to give it aid, so the owners felt a need to make sure no one came near 'their property.' Good people in Pennsylvania are tired of watching dogs suffer and die at the end of chains and in pens. It's time our lawmakers 'get it' and put a stop to it. We will not back down and this year we are stepping up the pace. We aim to picture dogs from every single county of Pennsylvania on our site. Any lawmaker who thinks the dogs deserve this life of misery can face irate constituents who want answers after viewing the dogs from their county. We are requesting that citizens in every county send us photos of chained dogs to photos@dogsdeservebetter.org so we can post them in the appropriate county."

Thayne reminds lawmakers of the December 19th death of Brianna Shanor, an 8-year-old girl killed in Beaver County by a chained mixed breed dog.

"If state legislators had acted to pass our all-too-reasonable law limiting chaining of dogs for life last session, there's a good chance that this attack would not have happened. How many lives must end—both dogs and children—before legislators take the action that is both needed and demanded by our citizens?"

Dogs Deserve Better has been one of the organizations at the forefront of the push for a state law, and in the last two sessions house bills were put forward to limit chaining. Animal advocacy groups banded together to lobby for the legislation, which last year made it out of the House and to the floor before being blocked and left to die.

Connecticut, California, and Texas have all enacted some legislation limiting chaining, and over 150 cities and counties have followed suit.

For more information on Dogs Deserve Better, visit their website at dogsdeservebetter.org.

http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/pawallofshame.html