I remember the moment eight years ago when I first thought of chaining myself to a doghouse. I was filled with a sense of rightness and excitement at the notion, yet fear and trepidation dogged my every mental step.
I tucked the idea away and ruminated.
The image wouldn’t budge, however, no matter how often I told myself it was impossible, it would be too embarrassing, people would laugh, etc., etc., etc.
What would they think of me?
But in the end the fear and uncertainty didn’t sway me from my vision. On July 3-4, 2004, I chained myself to a doghouse for the first time, facing my own inner demons about social acceptance and the prejudice of others—others who either chain their own dogs, love their own dogs but don’t extend that compassion to others, or know in their guts that chaining is wrong but aren’t willing to stand against it.
I chained myself to make a statement about chaining a dog for life.
I.e., it’s morally wrong.
And, it's ethically indefensible.
It should be the same no-brainer for the ‘Absolutely Immoral List’ as kicking a puppy or molesting a child.
Sticking a dog on a CHAIN despite the fact that he’s the absolute most-social of animals, affixing him to a doghouse or tree, ignoring his pleas for help, and watching him die ten years later—a mere shell of the glorious creature he was intended to be—IS a criminal act.
Yet, inexplicably, it doesn’t make the list for a large percentage of Americans.
I was raised on a 100-acre farm, and I grew up with a beagle chained to her doghouse behind the honeysuckle bush at the top of the lane. Granted, perhaps on the surface Maggie’s lifelong chaining didn’t top the list of abuses in my household, but looking back I can see that what we did to Maggie was absolutely WRONG.
I just didn’t have the power to stop it.
But don’t you see?
NOW WE DO! Now We DO!
When enough of us burst forth from the fear bubble we’ve put ourselves in, we CAN make things right for America’s chained dogs.
This IS a no-brainer, but we have to be willing to stop tolerating the abuse.
Are we ready yet? Will you work with me to put an end to the abuse?
When I take my place in front of my doghouse on the hot and humid grass of an Alachua, Florida shopping center this July 3rd, it will be my seventh year living chained for 24 hours or longer—suffering one day in comparison to their 365.
I’ve yet to die of embarrassment for doing it. When I spend those 24 miserable hours chained on behalf of chained dogs, what I’m doing matters to me, and it matters to the world we live in—a world which needs to see people strong enough in their belief of the wrongness of an act that they are willing to look stupid on behalf of a creature who has no voice. I’m depriving myself of comfort, adequate food, enough water, a nice soft bed, and protection from the elements because I know that they DO DESERVE BETTER.
Please join me in chaining yourself for them, or in supporting our Chain Off fundraising efforts so we may continue to be their voice.
When you see your dog on the couch tonight, give him or her a hug. And realize, no matter purebred or mutt, there are thousands more dogs who look just like yours living chained at this very moment, needing someone to be a voice for them.
Will you be that voice?
Tamira Ci Thayne,
Founder, CEO, Dogs Deserve Better
To register for Chain Off:
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Chainoff2010before/chainoff2010.html
To sponsor me as I chain myself:
http://www.firstgiving.com/TamiraThayne
To sponsor others who are chaining on behalf of the dogs:
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Chainoff2010before/chainoff2010locations.html
Showing posts with label Dogs Deserve Better. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dogs Deserve Better. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Dog Caretakers who charge animal advocate with trespassing later release dogs to her organization
Cite Desire for Dogs to be a Success Story
June 6, 2010, Altoona, PA — In January 2010, Dogs Deserve Better Founder Tamira Thayne was charged with trespassing for providing food, water, and straw to two underweight chained dogs in Lilly, PA. Thayne lost the case in magisterial court, but the charges were not prosecuted on appeal.
In a twist that is being described as miraculous, dog caretakers Jason and Krystal Cann came to her and Dogs Deserve Better in June with the willingness to release the dogs to her organization. On June 6, 2010, everyone got their miracle.
Says Thayne: "I have renewed faith in miracles today! When Jason called me and expressed a desire to relinquish ownership of the dogs to DDB, I admit I was suspicious there was some kind of trick. But both he and wife Krystal desired a better life for the dogs, and they wanted their dogs to be a Dogs Deserve Better success story.
"I commend them for their courage in doing the right thing. That's a first for me, and I'm happy to say that tonight these two dogs have gotten their miracle. They will spend tonight sleeping in the home and will now learn how to live inside as part of the family."
Video of the rescue can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuzyIjIY4m8.
Dogs Deserve Better is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania, and asks all Pennsylvania residents to stand against this form of abuse by joining the coalition to Unchain Pennsylvania Dogs. The coalition seeks to pass a bill setting time limits on chaining, and creating better conditions for Pennsylvania's dogs. Sign up today at Unchainpadogs.com.
Please visit the website at DogsDeserveBetter.org to learn more about dog chaining, the reasons it is cruel to dogs and dangerous to humans, and to find a local area representative or other areas that have laws in place.
Contact:
Tamira Ci Thayne • CEO, Dogs Deserve Better
Dogs Deserve Better • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 814.941.7447 • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
June 6, 2010, Altoona, PA — In January 2010, Dogs Deserve Better Founder Tamira Thayne was charged with trespassing for providing food, water, and straw to two underweight chained dogs in Lilly, PA. Thayne lost the case in magisterial court, but the charges were not prosecuted on appeal.
In a twist that is being described as miraculous, dog caretakers Jason and Krystal Cann came to her and Dogs Deserve Better in June with the willingness to release the dogs to her organization. On June 6, 2010, everyone got their miracle.
Says Thayne: "I have renewed faith in miracles today! When Jason called me and expressed a desire to relinquish ownership of the dogs to DDB, I admit I was suspicious there was some kind of trick. But both he and wife Krystal desired a better life for the dogs, and they wanted their dogs to be a Dogs Deserve Better success story.
"I commend them for their courage in doing the right thing. That's a first for me, and I'm happy to say that tonight these two dogs have gotten their miracle. They will spend tonight sleeping in the home and will now learn how to live inside as part of the family."
Video of the rescue can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuzyIjIY4m8.
Dogs Deserve Better is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania, and asks all Pennsylvania residents to stand against this form of abuse by joining the coalition to Unchain Pennsylvania Dogs. The coalition seeks to pass a bill setting time limits on chaining, and creating better conditions for Pennsylvania's dogs. Sign up today at Unchainpadogs.com.
Please visit the website at DogsDeserveBetter.org to learn more about dog chaining, the reasons it is cruel to dogs and dangerous to humans, and to find a local area representative or other areas that have laws in place.
Contact:
Tamira Ci Thayne • CEO, Dogs Deserve Better
Dogs Deserve Better • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 814.941.7447 • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
Monday, February 08, 2010
Dog advocate charged with trespassing after providing straw to underweight dogs chained in freezing temps
Charges point to immediate need for stronger dog protection laws nationwide
February 6, 2010, Altoona, PA — Dog advocate Tamira Ci Thayne, founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better, a non-profit working solely on behalf of chained and penned dogs, spent the coldest night of the year sleepless despite being snug and warm in her bed.
The faces of dogs chained out in single-digit temperatures and sub-zero windchills haunted her, and she worried if these dogs would survive the night in their inadequate houses, many of which contained not even the single insulating element that could well save their lives: straw.
Determined to help local dogs, she rose early and, with another DDB volunteer, took straw, food, and water to some of the worse cases.
At 1492 Dulancey Drive in Lilly, Pennsylvania, Thayne spotted two skinny dogs with inadequate shelter, minimal straw, no food, and no water. She knocked on the door, and when no one answered she left a Dogs Deserve Better calendar and stuffed the doghouses with straw to save the dogs from immediate danger of death by freezing. She gave the dogs each a bone, food, and water. They shivered nonstop while they ate in the -11 degree wind chill.
The boxer mix had very short fur, a too-large doghouse with an opening as large as the dog, and every rib and bone in her back stood out starkly as she tried to decide whether to eat or run into her house for what little warmth it offered.
Current Pennsylvania law dictates that dogs must have access to"sustenance, drink, and sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and keep it dry." Thayne knew the law was being broken, so she returned three days later to speak to the caretaker on behalf of the dogs.
Again, no one answered the door. She left a brochure and a note saying the doghouses were not meeting legal requirements, including her phone number in case they wanted help or to release the dogs to rescue.
As she gave the dogs treats and a pat on the head, a woman came out screaming at her to get off the property. She immediately left.
Two days later she received a call from a Pennsylvania State Police officer saying she was being charged with Summary Defiant Trespass. Under Pennsylvania law 18 Pa.C.S.A.§3503(b), a person commits the crime of defiant trespass if he or she comes onto or stays on your property AFTER being told to stay away.
However, Thayne had only been told to leave the property once, which she immediately did. She has not returned. She was informed by the State Trooper that the dog caretaker claimed she had told Thayne to leave twice. Thayne rebutted this statement, but the officer said it was her word against the owner's.
Thayne has a witness—the volunteer from the first day—who will testify in court that: 1. Although Thayne made a good-faith attempt to speak to the caretaker before taking action on behalf of the dogs, no one indeed answered the door, and 2. No one EVER asked them to leave the property on Sunday, January 3, 2010.
Thayne's report to the Cambria County Humane Officer brought no relief of the dogs' suffering. He had the guardians fix one of the doghouse openings, but never charged them with cruelty for inadequate housing, the underweight condition of the dogs, the lack of food and water, or leaving the dogs to freeze in sub-zero wind chills.
Thayne will be in district court on Main Street in Portage, Pennsylvania, at 9:30 a.m. on February 16, 2010 to defend against the bogus charges. She will be bringing photo and video evidence, and well as eye-witness testimony.
Thayne is asking all Pennsylvania residents to stand against this form of abuse by joining the coalition to Unchain Pennsylvania Dogs. The coalition seeks to pass HB1254, a bill setting time limits on chaining, and creating better conditions for Pennsylvania's dogs. Sign up today at Unchainpadogs.com.
Please visit the website at DogsDeserveBetter.org to learn more about dog chaining, the reasons it is cruel to dogs and dangerous to humans, and to find a local area representative.
Contact: Dogs Deserve Better • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 814.941.7447 • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
The world's most unusual Valentines go to the dogs
The world's most unusual Valentines go to the dogs
15,000 Valentines to be delivered to America's 'Forgotten Dogs'
Tipton, PA, February 7, 2010—15,000 Valentines will be delivered this week to some very unusual recipients: dogs. Dogs of every breed, size, and color may receive one, but all that do have one thing in common—they are America's 'Forgotten Dogs.'
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering endured by chained and penned dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to canines across the country. The 2010 campaign has reached a milestone: 15,000 Valentines will be mailed between February 7-14 to chained and penned dogs nationwide.
Dogs of every breed, size, shape and color end up outside through no fault of their own. Caretakers claim they are not housetrained, too big for the house, or too dirty to be inside. Yet through it all dogs just want to be with humans, part of our pack, and putting a dog outside for life when he/she becomes a burden is not an acceptable solution.
The mailing includes a Valentine for the dog and a brochure for the dog’s caretakers, explaining why the practice of chaining dogs for life is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals.
“We call these dogs the Forgotten Dogs, because they may technically have a home, but do they really? Left alone in the elements, enduring extreme heat and cold, often withstanding inadequate or no shelter, food, or water, there's no doubt that these dogs suffer, and suffer immensely. Winter is a critical time to reach out directly to the people who chain their dogs, and what better excuse than Valentine’s Day to send these forgotten animals a little love,” says Tamira Thayne, founder and director of the eight-year-old non-profit. “Every winter our rescuers see dogs that have frozen in the snow, suffered frostbite, or otherwise endured horrific living conditions because of the longstanding misperception that it is ok to chain a dog and let it out there for life. It isn't.”
“This is the perfect opportunity for people who pass chained dogs every day but feel powerless to help them to make a difference,” continues Thayne. “People anonymously provide us with the addresses of these dogs, or make us a batch of Valentines, and we do the rest.”
Schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations create the Valentines, expressing love and such unusual sentiments like "Chains Break Hearts" or "I Promise to Spread the Love, Not the Fleas." “Children have a natural affinity for animals and they enjoy making art projects,” says Thayne, an artist herself. "In this way we remind children of proper pet caretaking, and educate guardians as well."
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, states and cities have started to pass laws against the practice. So far four states have passed limitations on chaining: California, Texas, Connecticut, and Nevada. Hundreds of cities and counties have passed limitations or flat-out bans.
Meanwhile, countless backyard dogs are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in hole-riddled doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention.
Perpetually chained dogs often become aggressive from their constant confinement, thereby posing a danger to people, especially small children.
For more information about the Valentine’s Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2010.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
END
Contact: Tamira Ci Thayne • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Note: For hi-resolution photos, please visit the site at
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2010.html.
15,000 Valentines to be delivered to America's 'Forgotten Dogs'
Tipton, PA, February 7, 2010—15,000 Valentines will be delivered this week to some very unusual recipients: dogs. Dogs of every breed, size, and color may receive one, but all that do have one thing in common—they are America's 'Forgotten Dogs.'
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering endured by chained and penned dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to canines across the country. The 2010 campaign has reached a milestone: 15,000 Valentines will be mailed between February 7-14 to chained and penned dogs nationwide.
Dogs of every breed, size, shape and color end up outside through no fault of their own. Caretakers claim they are not housetrained, too big for the house, or too dirty to be inside. Yet through it all dogs just want to be with humans, part of our pack, and putting a dog outside for life when he/she becomes a burden is not an acceptable solution.
The mailing includes a Valentine for the dog and a brochure for the dog’s caretakers, explaining why the practice of chaining dogs for life is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals.
“We call these dogs the Forgotten Dogs, because they may technically have a home, but do they really? Left alone in the elements, enduring extreme heat and cold, often withstanding inadequate or no shelter, food, or water, there's no doubt that these dogs suffer, and suffer immensely. Winter is a critical time to reach out directly to the people who chain their dogs, and what better excuse than Valentine’s Day to send these forgotten animals a little love,” says Tamira Thayne, founder and director of the eight-year-old non-profit. “Every winter our rescuers see dogs that have frozen in the snow, suffered frostbite, or otherwise endured horrific living conditions because of the longstanding misperception that it is ok to chain a dog and let it out there for life. It isn't.”
“This is the perfect opportunity for people who pass chained dogs every day but feel powerless to help them to make a difference,” continues Thayne. “People anonymously provide us with the addresses of these dogs, or make us a batch of Valentines, and we do the rest.”
Schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations create the Valentines, expressing love and such unusual sentiments like "Chains Break Hearts" or "I Promise to Spread the Love, Not the Fleas." “Children have a natural affinity for animals and they enjoy making art projects,” says Thayne, an artist herself. "In this way we remind children of proper pet caretaking, and educate guardians as well."
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, states and cities have started to pass laws against the practice. So far four states have passed limitations on chaining: California, Texas, Connecticut, and Nevada. Hundreds of cities and counties have passed limitations or flat-out bans.
Meanwhile, countless backyard dogs are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in hole-riddled doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention.
Perpetually chained dogs often become aggressive from their constant confinement, thereby posing a danger to people, especially small children.
For more information about the Valentine’s Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2010.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
END
Contact: Tamira Ci Thayne • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Note: For hi-resolution photos, please visit the site at
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2010.html.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Thayne Receives Key to the City in Fort Pierce Florida Plus an Animal Control Ride-Along
Woman convicted of dog theft in Pennsylvania
Receives 'key to the city' in Fort Pierce Florida
for her compassionate act
Tamira Thayne, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, honored at ceremony in late February 2009
March 1, 2009, Altoona, PA — Tamira Ci Thayne, founder of the award-winning non-profit Dogs Deserve Better, was granted the Key to the City of Fort Pierce Florida by the Mayor's office at a ceremony in late February. Thayne, formerly Tammy Grimes, was found guilty of theft and receiving stolen property in December 2007 after a three-day trial in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The case, which pitted dogs as property against the inherent rights of animals kept as companions, made headlines nationally and was featured on Inside Edition and in a host of news publications and Internet blogs.
Thayne was presented the Key to the City by Mrs. Donna Benton, wife of Mayor Bob Benton, who commended Thayne for her actions in helping Doogie, telling the audience "When you see a dog in distress, take heart and give it some aid—because they should all have a home with a family."
Thayne was arrested September 11, 2006 after rescuing a dog that had lain on the ground in a yard in East Freedom, Pennsylvania for three days, unable to stand and pleading for help. A distraught neighbor tried repeatedly to convince humane agents to help the dog, but no officer ever returned calls or showed up. Finally, the neighbor turned to Dogs Deserve Better.
Thayne, touched and honored by receiving the key to Fort Pierce, was also amused by the contrast between the actions of Fort Pierce, Florida and the actions of those in power in her hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania.
"It's a night and day reaction," she explains with a grin. "In Altoona I am treated as a pariah, a criminal, and in fact was termed 'worse than his worst hardened-criminal' and 'a piece of trash' by District Attorney Richard Consiglio. Yet here, and in many other areas, I am honored for my efforts to help the aging shepherd, and people are able to recognize the truth for what it is.
"I want to thank Fort Pierce and Mayor Benton and his wife Donna for their courage in coming to stand behind me. No dog should be left outside for life, and no dog should ever be left to die there, unable to stand, still chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces.
"We are still working to bring private cruelty charges against the caretakers of this dog, and will be back in court in June to attempt to override the DA's denial of the case. We will always remember Doogie, and I never, EVER, have regretted for one moment my actions in helping him."
During the case, jurors were permitted to view photos of the dog’s emaciated condition on the day of rescue; however video taken at the scene, photographs of the dog’s much-improved condition post-rescue, and expert vet and investigation procedure testimony were barred from the courtroom. An appeal is still pending.
To learn more about the Doogie case, visit the website at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html.
Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award. The group has 130 area reps in 35 states as well as in Canada and Hong Kong. Thayne was also a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.
YouTube Video Link of Award Plus Animal Control Ride-Along
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_vyZp_zR8I
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tamira Ci Thayne • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • info@dogsdeservebetter.org
www.dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Receives 'key to the city' in Fort Pierce Florida
for her compassionate act
Tamira Thayne, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, honored at ceremony in late February 2009
March 1, 2009, Altoona, PA — Tamira Ci Thayne, founder of the award-winning non-profit Dogs Deserve Better, was granted the Key to the City of Fort Pierce Florida by the Mayor's office at a ceremony in late February. Thayne, formerly Tammy Grimes, was found guilty of theft and receiving stolen property in December 2007 after a three-day trial in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The case, which pitted dogs as property against the inherent rights of animals kept as companions, made headlines nationally and was featured on Inside Edition and in a host of news publications and Internet blogs.
Thayne was presented the Key to the City by Mrs. Donna Benton, wife of Mayor Bob Benton, who commended Thayne for her actions in helping Doogie, telling the audience "When you see a dog in distress, take heart and give it some aid—because they should all have a home with a family."
Thayne was arrested September 11, 2006 after rescuing a dog that had lain on the ground in a yard in East Freedom, Pennsylvania for three days, unable to stand and pleading for help. A distraught neighbor tried repeatedly to convince humane agents to help the dog, but no officer ever returned calls or showed up. Finally, the neighbor turned to Dogs Deserve Better.
Thayne, touched and honored by receiving the key to Fort Pierce, was also amused by the contrast between the actions of Fort Pierce, Florida and the actions of those in power in her hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania.
"It's a night and day reaction," she explains with a grin. "In Altoona I am treated as a pariah, a criminal, and in fact was termed 'worse than his worst hardened-criminal' and 'a piece of trash' by District Attorney Richard Consiglio. Yet here, and in many other areas, I am honored for my efforts to help the aging shepherd, and people are able to recognize the truth for what it is.
"I want to thank Fort Pierce and Mayor Benton and his wife Donna for their courage in coming to stand behind me. No dog should be left outside for life, and no dog should ever be left to die there, unable to stand, still chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces.
"We are still working to bring private cruelty charges against the caretakers of this dog, and will be back in court in June to attempt to override the DA's denial of the case. We will always remember Doogie, and I never, EVER, have regretted for one moment my actions in helping him."
During the case, jurors were permitted to view photos of the dog’s emaciated condition on the day of rescue; however video taken at the scene, photographs of the dog’s much-improved condition post-rescue, and expert vet and investigation procedure testimony were barred from the courtroom. An appeal is still pending.
To learn more about the Doogie case, visit the website at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html.
Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award. The group has 130 area reps in 35 states as well as in Canada and Hong Kong. Thayne was also a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.
YouTube Video Link of Award Plus Animal Control Ride-Along
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_vyZp_zR8I
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tamira Ci Thayne • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • info@dogsdeservebetter.org
www.dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Investigation into CT State Law Against Chaining Dogs for Life
I'm doing a TV interview here in Connecticut on Sunday about the chaining of dogs for life, in which case I decided to investigate how chaining is being addressed in Connecticut...in case you don't know it, there is a chaining law in CT which states that dogs cannot be chained for 'an unreasonable amount of time.' Granted, that's not the best law, it's very vague, but it certainly implies that dogs cannot be chained 24/7, right? Check out what occurred in only 1 hour of being in the state:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdzIvpAP0H0
I had already found the AC phone number this morning, and had it ready to call when I found this chow who I had received complaints about, only to discover at 3:43 p.m. I was already too late to actually get to speak to a Middletown, CT Animal Control officer! I then transferred myself to a policeman, who had no idea what the state law was, and found it much more prudent to argue with me about the fact that although I called at 3:43 my time, probably her time it was actually 3:45 p.m. and it was already 3:44 p.m. his time, which means that the AC was totally justified in closing up shop a few minutes early due to time differences...
He did say that the cops would 'go by there a few times tonight' looking for infractions of state law, and would inform the animal control officer of their findings. I asked him if the police would inform me of their findings if I left my number, but he told me that no, they indeed would not, and if I wanted any help to contact the AC again. I insisted he transfer me to the AC, where I left the following message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96yW-M93L4
I have not had a chance to edit yet or add photos and make a 'real' video of this, but check out these two videos of a dog chained in Middletown, CT on Friday, January 23, 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdzIvpAP0H0
I had already found the AC phone number this morning, and had it ready to call when I found this chow who I had received complaints about, only to discover at 3:43 p.m. I was already too late to actually get to speak to a Middletown, CT Animal Control officer! I then transferred myself to a policeman, who had no idea what the state law was, and found it much more prudent to argue with me about the fact that although I called at 3:43 my time, probably her time it was actually 3:45 p.m. and it was already 3:44 p.m. his time, which means that the AC was totally justified in closing up shop a few minutes early due to time differences...
He did say that the cops would 'go by there a few times tonight' looking for infractions of state law, and would inform the animal control officer of their findings. I asked him if the police would inform me of their findings if I left my number, but he told me that no, they indeed would not, and if I wanted any help to contact the AC again. I insisted he transfer me to the AC, where I left the following message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96yW-M93L4
I have not had a chance to edit yet or add photos and make a 'real' video of this, but check out these two videos of a dog chained in Middletown, CT on Friday, January 23, 2009.
Friday, January 16, 2009
I Had a Dream Dogs were Dying in the Forest
Last night I had a dream that I was in a lush forest with tall, tall evergreen trees. I could barely see the sky because the tops of the trees came together, forming a canopy, blocking out the distant but grey sky.
I could hear dogs scattered all throughout the forest, crying for help and begging for me to come for them; but I couldn’t see them. I knew they were gonna die.
I hated the feeling, and I rushed around the forest trying to find them, to no avail. It was useless.
Then I woke up, only to discover that my dream wasn’t much different than my reality.
Last night it was -5 degrees here in Pennsylvania, with a wind chill at -20. As I snuggled up cozy in my bed with my dog and foster dogs and cats reading Breaking Dawn for the millionth time, my guts wanted to rip out of my stomach. I couldn’t even focus.
I just wanted to go to sleep so I wouldn’t have to feel the stress of knowing they were out there dying. But I felt guilty that I got to sleep warm and cozy and they are left out there to suffer another endless night and another endless day of subzero temperatures.
I feel helpless and hopeless.
I know that careless caretakers really don’t care that the dogs are frozen to the ground outside or in their pitiful excuse for a doghouse.
My brain can’t process that mentality.
When they get up in the morning, they will see if the dog is dead or not. If so, they will toss it away quickly, get rid of the evidence, before whatever local and in most cases wretchedly pathetic humane agent actually gets a call from the neighbor and may show up later to find out why they left their dog outside to die last night.
You know, just curious and all.
But it really doesn’t matter why they did it, because it’s too damn late. The dog is already dead. The dog already suffered, looking for help that never came, and died, frozen to the ground right where he lay.
And there’s nothing I can do about it.
But maybe, just maybe, if we all get angry enough, we can rise up and make some kind of damn difference. Maybe.
I spent much of the last two days faxing press releases and begging for news stories from the local news stations and papers. I did hear that the Altoona Mirror actually ran an article about animals freezing, so that’s something. I know they didn’t bother to interview us, even though that is our specialty. Maybe the TV stations did a mention, but I do know that not one of them got back to me for an interview.
I’m only local news when I get arrested, just another criminal. It’s laughable.
It really is that time, people. Don’t you feel it? Can’t you hear it calling to you?
What will it take to put the dog lovers in action? How many atrocities have to occur in America before we say enough is enough?
STOP taking the abuse. When careless caretakers abuse their dog and leave it to die in their yard, they are abusing us as well. Their pain is our pain.
When we hear and know they are suffering, we suffer right along with them. Because we’re connected.
I’m tired of being abused.
I’m tired of uprising alone.
It takes a village, people. Go uprise!
If you see a dog suffering in your area, plant yourself in front of that damn house and don’t move until you are arrested or they are. It’s really that simple.
Sooner or later the cops will know we’re not taking the abuse anymore, and they’ll start arresting the right person.
Abusers abuse, that’s what they do. They abuse us, they abuse animals. As long as we take it without fighting back, we’re just as wrong as they are.
As long as we’re big cowards, the big bullies will win.
Stand up.
I could hear dogs scattered all throughout the forest, crying for help and begging for me to come for them; but I couldn’t see them. I knew they were gonna die.
I hated the feeling, and I rushed around the forest trying to find them, to no avail. It was useless.
Then I woke up, only to discover that my dream wasn’t much different than my reality.
Last night it was -5 degrees here in Pennsylvania, with a wind chill at -20. As I snuggled up cozy in my bed with my dog and foster dogs and cats reading Breaking Dawn for the millionth time, my guts wanted to rip out of my stomach. I couldn’t even focus.
I just wanted to go to sleep so I wouldn’t have to feel the stress of knowing they were out there dying. But I felt guilty that I got to sleep warm and cozy and they are left out there to suffer another endless night and another endless day of subzero temperatures.
I feel helpless and hopeless.
I know that careless caretakers really don’t care that the dogs are frozen to the ground outside or in their pitiful excuse for a doghouse.
My brain can’t process that mentality.
When they get up in the morning, they will see if the dog is dead or not. If so, they will toss it away quickly, get rid of the evidence, before whatever local and in most cases wretchedly pathetic humane agent actually gets a call from the neighbor and may show up later to find out why they left their dog outside to die last night.
You know, just curious and all.
But it really doesn’t matter why they did it, because it’s too damn late. The dog is already dead. The dog already suffered, looking for help that never came, and died, frozen to the ground right where he lay.
And there’s nothing I can do about it.
But maybe, just maybe, if we all get angry enough, we can rise up and make some kind of damn difference. Maybe.
I spent much of the last two days faxing press releases and begging for news stories from the local news stations and papers. I did hear that the Altoona Mirror actually ran an article about animals freezing, so that’s something. I know they didn’t bother to interview us, even though that is our specialty. Maybe the TV stations did a mention, but I do know that not one of them got back to me for an interview.
I’m only local news when I get arrested, just another criminal. It’s laughable.
It really is that time, people. Don’t you feel it? Can’t you hear it calling to you?
What will it take to put the dog lovers in action? How many atrocities have to occur in America before we say enough is enough?
STOP taking the abuse. When careless caretakers abuse their dog and leave it to die in their yard, they are abusing us as well. Their pain is our pain.
When we hear and know they are suffering, we suffer right along with them. Because we’re connected.
I’m tired of being abused.
I’m tired of uprising alone.
It takes a village, people. Go uprise!
If you see a dog suffering in your area, plant yourself in front of that damn house and don’t move until you are arrested or they are. It’s really that simple.
Sooner or later the cops will know we’re not taking the abuse anymore, and they’ll start arresting the right person.
Abusers abuse, that’s what they do. They abuse us, they abuse animals. As long as we take it without fighting back, we’re just as wrong as they are.
As long as we’re big cowards, the big bullies will win.
Stand up.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Seeking Crafty Kids to Create Canine Valentines
Sorry I have been blogging in a long while...I don't know what go into me! Besides Twilight, that is...man, where are all the gorgeous, hot vampire men in this world?
Anyway, we really need some action this year for Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week! As we're expecting to mail 12,500 valentines to chained dogs, we first and foremost need some kids and adults making the valentines...and then we need a ton of addresses of dogs to send them too...so please, please, crosspost this and help us get some action. Below is the press release, with links to the page on our site if you need more information...
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2009.html
Group Seeks Crafty Kids to Create Canine Valentines
Elementary School Students, Clubs, Groups, and Individuals Needed
to Make Valentines for Delivery to Chained Dogs Nationwide
Tipton, PA -- January 06, 2009 -- As Valentine’s Day approaches, non-profit organization Dogs Deserve Better is asking for help from dog lovers nationwide in a direct mail outreach campaign which pairs Valentines created by schoolchildren with America's chained dogs.
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering of perpetually chained dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to chained canines across the country during its Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week, February 7-14.
The group includes a brochure for the dog’s caretakers, explaining why the antiquated practice of chaining dogs for their lives is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals. Last year's campaign reached 10,435 dogs.
By the end of January, the group needs 12,500 Valentines to pair with addresses for chained and penned dogs. Each Valentine should measure no more than 4"x8.5"so that it readily fits into a mailing envelope.
"The creation of the Valentines is an ideal project for schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations because children have a natural love for animals, especially dogs, and enjoy making art projects,” says founder Tamira Thayne, an artist herself. "We receive thousands of heart-touchingly creative Valentines made by schoolchildren each year, sending the dogs good wishes and hopes for a brighter future."
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, states and cities have started to pass laws against the practice. California passed a law in 2006 and Texas followed suit in 2007. Hundreds of cities have passed, or are considering, similar legislation.
Meanwhile, countless “backyard dogs” are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in leaky, uninsulated doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention. Perpetually chained dogs can become aggressive or insane from their constant confinement, often posing a danger to people.
Dogs Deserve Better provides a variety of services to people who agree to take their dogs off their chains, including providing help with socialization, housetraining, and fencing.
For more information about the Valentine’s Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2009.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
Valentines, addresses and donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 23, Tipton, Pennsylvania 16684. For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
Anyway, we really need some action this year for Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week! As we're expecting to mail 12,500 valentines to chained dogs, we first and foremost need some kids and adults making the valentines...and then we need a ton of addresses of dogs to send them too...so please, please, crosspost this and help us get some action. Below is the press release, with links to the page on our site if you need more information...
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2009.html
Group Seeks Crafty Kids to Create Canine Valentines
Elementary School Students, Clubs, Groups, and Individuals Needed
to Make Valentines for Delivery to Chained Dogs Nationwide
Tipton, PA -- January 06, 2009 -- As Valentine’s Day approaches, non-profit organization Dogs Deserve Better is asking for help from dog lovers nationwide in a direct mail outreach campaign which pairs Valentines created by schoolchildren with America's chained dogs.
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering of perpetually chained dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to chained canines across the country during its Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week, February 7-14.
The group includes a brochure for the dog’s caretakers, explaining why the antiquated practice of chaining dogs for their lives is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals. Last year's campaign reached 10,435 dogs.
By the end of January, the group needs 12,500 Valentines to pair with addresses for chained and penned dogs. Each Valentine should measure no more than 4"x8.5"so that it readily fits into a mailing envelope.
"The creation of the Valentines is an ideal project for schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations because children have a natural love for animals, especially dogs, and enjoy making art projects,” says founder Tamira Thayne, an artist herself. "We receive thousands of heart-touchingly creative Valentines made by schoolchildren each year, sending the dogs good wishes and hopes for a brighter future."
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, states and cities have started to pass laws against the practice. California passed a law in 2006 and Texas followed suit in 2007. Hundreds of cities have passed, or are considering, similar legislation.
Meanwhile, countless “backyard dogs” are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in leaky, uninsulated doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention. Perpetually chained dogs can become aggressive or insane from their constant confinement, often posing a danger to people.
Dogs Deserve Better provides a variety of services to people who agree to take their dogs off their chains, including providing help with socialization, housetraining, and fencing.
For more information about the Valentine’s Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2009.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
Valentines, addresses and donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 23, Tipton, Pennsylvania 16684. For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Maria Daines "Chained to You" for Shepp, Proceeds to DDB
Please
Help get Justice for Shepp, a German Shepherd
left to Starve
on the End of a Chain
Maria
Daines, who is becoming known
as the Goddess of Animal Rights Music, has
written an incredibly moving song for Shepp,
and is generously allowing DDB to keep any money raised from downloads. The
song is now up, please listen and download at: www.indiestore.com/dogsdeservebetter or
listen and download it from this widget, below:
Details
of the case since DDB heard of it:
9/22/2008
After being dumped off at an abandoned
home in Corpus Christi, TX, a German Shepherd was found in horrific
conditions last week on 9/16/08. Parts of his bones were exposed
due to constant friction from trying to move. No arrests have been
made.
Laying on the concrete, unable to even get up from his side and
with what appeared to be a wound on his neck was a dog laying under
a carport. Barely within reach was an overturned bucket with some
dry food.
Shepp, a German Shepherd, squirmed in an attempt to move when
the Animal Control people arrived. The dog was unable to budge
but a few inches. His ribs were protruding through the skin due
to him weighing 43 lbs., less than half of what would be considered
a healthy weight. Skin was actually growing over his collar and
there were wounds all over his body. The skin and the muscle had
worn through due to the friction of him struggling on the cement,
with approximately one inch of shoulder bone exposed. It is being
labeled as the worst case of animal neglect that local officials
have ever seen.
A neighbour told reporters that
a man in a tan coloured Ford Ranger pickup dropped the dog off
about a month ago at a vacant home. She said in the news report
that she knew the dog was indeed thin but didn't know to what extend
until this past Monday when it had apparently gotten loose from
whatever means the individual had used to tie it up.
The pickup was found at another residence in Corpus Christi. The
owner of the residence claimed to know who owned the pickup but
couldn't remember his name despite it being her brother-in-law.
She said he found the dog, according to the KZTV news report.
Sadly, Animal Control director,
Kelli Copeland explained how this case and so many other animal
abuse cases fall short of proper investigation and prosecution
due to limited resources. When there is a child abuse case versus
and animal abuse case, current available resources go to the children.
Shepp was removed from the horrific conditions in which he was
found but he died in a local animal facility last Friday. The owners
have not been charged with any crime and police are not confirming
that they know who owned Shepp.
Here is a link
to the footage of Shepp by KZTV 10, but be warned,
it is graphic and very disturbing.
To sign a petition to bring justice for Shepp which will be sent
to local officials, please
visit this link.
10/01/2008
A major development
in the animal cruelty case of Shepp the Dog. TWO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED! A 44-year old man named
Daniel Luna, and a 45-year old woman named Norma Luna. Both charged
with animal cruelty. We will continue to update as we get more
information.
According to ACO Richard Golb, the DA who is prosecuting the case
is Deborah Rudder - here is contact info for that office :
PROSECUTORS' OFFICE
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00
p.m.
Physical Address: 120 North Chaparral, Room 240
Mailing Address: P.O.
Box 9277 Corpus Christi, Texas 78469-9277
Telephone Number: (361)
826-2530
Fax: (361) 886-2567
E-mail: Prosecutors@cctexas.com
A comparison of Shepp's
photos (graphic) to Doogie's photos
follows:
We are struck by the similarity
between photos of Doogie and photos of Shepp. Doogie
was lucky we found him when we did, and that the neighbor did not stop looking
for help when humane officers failed to respond. Yet, despite
vets best efforts, Shepp died of the cruelty bestowed upon him.
Why does it seem that when concerned citizens and neighbors do
the right thing and get help to save the dog before it's too late,
advocates are arrested for providing that help, and when they don't,
the poor creature dies and then maybe, maybe, cruelty
charges are filed? We maintain that these dogs have MORE rights
than to die BEFORE cruelty charges are filed. They deserve to LIVE!
And, where is the new
Texas law on this?
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
CHAIN-GE We Can Count On! Campaign at Dogs Deserve Better
As Election Day approaches, both candidates are filling the airwaves with talk of change...and here at DDB we're joining in by talking about some CHAIN-GE of our own!
Help us by using your spare Change to create some lasting CHAIN-GE for America's chained and penned dogs.
It's a simple but effective idea: Help Dogs Deserve Better through Election Day by taking all your spare change, tossing it in a jar, and saving it up through November 4th. If everyone on our e-mail list saved only $5.00 in change, an amount that won't be missed by ANYONE, we'd have over $25,000 dollars by November 4th! This would go a long way toward vetting dogs, building fences, and printing educational materials in preparation for the winter onslaught of dogs who are suffering and need our help.
So, on Election Day when you go out to vote for the Candidate you believe will bring the most Change, stop by your bank or grocery, change that change into dollar bills, and send it along to Dogs Deserve Better at P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA, 16684.
Make sure you let us know it's for our Chain-ge We Can Count On Campaign, so we can total the amount raised, and give the individual sending in the most money a free Puddles Pak of her/his choice!
Join us today in turning that Change into Chain-ge for Chained Dogs!
In a downward economy such as we're facing right now, it's the smaller nonprofits who really suffer and whose programs really suffer. Nonprofits without a 'nest egg' of bequests (DDB has not as of this date received any major bequests to enable us to build a nest egg) that have built up over time cannot hope to make it through hard times when donations dry up.
Dogs Deserve Better has always put our funding to use as it comes in month to month, expanding programs as possible, expanding vet care, and expanding educational programs whenever funding permits. We feel it's our obligation to put our donor funds to the best possible use, and sitting on it doesn't do our 'clients' any good.
I personally pledge to you that Dogs Deserve Better will keep going no matter what. Our programs are already suffering, and we will continue to cut back as necessary, yet we will not quit.
If you are not suffering financially, now is the time to step up your support for smaller nonprofits, and hopefully Dogs Deserve Better. Our monthly donor programs start as low as $5.00-$10.00 a month (we all can give that much!), and can be set up through our paypal account or through our merchant account by calling us at 814.941.7447. Monthly donations form the basis of our monthly budget, and without that money to count on, we start at square one each and every month.
Remember Dogs Deserve Better in your will or planned giving. Your gift can help our dreams come true by building a Rehab Center for America's Chained and Penned dogs and helping us expand our services exponentially.
Support our fencing or vetting programs, or give a donation to the general fund which covers our educational materials and costs of mailing to homes with chained and penned dogs.
There's so much we need, there's so much we do, there's so much this nation would lose if Dogs Deserve Better were not here. We deserve to be here, and we will not stop no matter how bad the economy becomes.
On a personal note, just this month alone someone dropped a black lab boy at my home, probably due to a foreclosure, and Sweetpea, a foster dog who was in a home for a year and a half, came back due to the economy. These are unexpected costs and unexpected guests, but I could not turn these dogs away. In tough times, our 'clients', the chained and penned dogs, are suffering even more and need our help even more. But without funding we cannot make that happen.
So continue to support the work of Dogs Deserve Better. Save your change, and help us make CHAIN-GE. Thank you.
Tamira Ci Thayne, founder and CEO, Dogs Deserve Better
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
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Dognamic Duo's 12/12/120 Tour: 12 Days, 12 States, 120 Dogs
March 27, Altoona, PA — What if someone wanted to prove that they could drive to any state and in the space of a few hours easily find, photograph, and videotape a minimum of 10 dogs spending their lives at the end of a chain? And what if they decided to test this theory by going on the road on a whirlwind 12 state tour, spending only 1 day per state, including finding the dogs, driving to the next state, securing lodging, possibly speaking, meeting media, and creating videos? And what if at the end of each day they uploaded pictures and videos of their findings in that state on that day for the nation to share in the truth of what is going on in our country’s backyards?
And what if one day two women decided to make all these ‘what ifs’ a reality? The result is The Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour.
The brainchild of DDB founder Tammy Grimes, the road tour idea has been festering for over a year; now she and DDB public liaison director Dawn Ashby have decided to put the plan into action under the tour name of The Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour!
April 5th Grimes will fly to St. Louis, Missouri, where she will meet up with Ashby. There they will pick up a car, drive into Missouri to a likely location, and commence the 12 state tour bright and early the morning of the 6th.
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 practice. They will be speaking to caretakers of chained and penned dogs, passing out treats, collars and leashes, educational materials and fencing applications, and seeking local help for situations that appear to be illegal, as well as engaging the public through speaking and media alerts.
The tour schedule is as follows:
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
For more information, a tip form, and to see video and photos once the tour begins, visit the website at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/dognamictour.html
Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award. The group has 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Warm Weather Will Bring Increase in Chained Dog Attacks on Children
For Immediate Release
Contact info: Tammy S. Grimes, 814.941.7447 • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684
www.mothersagainstdogchaining.org, Tammy@mothersagainstdogchaining.org
or Monica Schreiber: 510.418.5897 • monicahayde@yahoo.com
Warm Weather Brings Increase
in Attacks on Children by Chained Dogs
Group warns against danger of chaining dogs,
especially in springtime when attacks increase four-fold
(Altoona, PA March 20, 2008) Dogs that spend their lives on chains often become neurotic, aggressive and pathologically protective of the patch of dirt where they spend their lives. Frustrated and unsocialized, chained dogs pose a year-round danger to unsuspecting children who approach these dogs. However, children are especially vulnerable in the springtime, according to Mothers Against Dog Chaining, an initiative of non-profit Dogs Deserve Better. The groups are dedicated to ending the suffering endured by chained dogs and to educating the public about the dangers chained dogs pose to America’s children.
Since 2003, when Mothers Against Dog Chaining began monitoring attacks nationwide that result in serious injury or death, it has traditionally seen an increase every spring when the warmer weather beckons more children outside and chained dogs can be especially frustrated after another lonely, agonizing winter.
In 2007, Mothers Against Dog Chaining logged 81 serious attacks on children by chained dogs. Thirty of these attacks—more than one-third of the entire year’s attacks—occurred in April and May alone.
Of the 81 attacks logged in 2007, 8 resulted in the death of a child. “Our records include only those attacks serious enough to make the newspapers, and include only those we are able to locate,” explains Tammy Grimes, founder of Mothers Against Dog Chaining and Dogs Deserve Better. “There are many more attacks that unfortunately go unmentioned and unreported. We encourage any parents of children who’ve been attacked by chained or penned dogs to get in touch with our organization so we can log their info and include their story.”
The fact pattern leading up to the death in July 2007 of Tiffany Pauley, a 5-year-old Atlanta girl with Down Syndrome, is typical of many of these attacks: a child wanders into a neighbor’s yard and wants to pet the chained dog, but the angry, perpetually chained animal attacks when it feels its space is threatened. The dog’s caretakers then claim that there was nothing they could have done, unaware that the very method of confinement to which they subjected their dog led directly to the animal’s aggression.
“Children are dying because of the misguided belief in certain segments of our society that it is appropriate to chain a dog to a tree and leave it there to pace the same patch of dirt and excrement for years on end,” says Miranda Riane, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who was seriously mauled by a chained dog in November 2007. “My son did nothing but run past a dog that spent its life on a short chain. He paid the price for the owner having taken the negligent and ‘easy way out’ with regard to caring for her dog.”
In part because of the public safety issues posed by perpetually chained dogs, a number of states, cities and counties have started passing laws addressing how long people can chain their dogs. California and Texas recently passed statewide laws that put specific time limits on chaining and a number of other states, including Pennsylvania and South Carolina, are currently considering similar legislation.
For more information and the latest updates on attacks, please visit www.mothersagainstdogchaining.org.
About Mothers Against Dog Chaining
Mothers Against Dog Chaining is an initiative of the non-profit Dogs Deserve Better, which works on numerous fronts to end the suffering endured by dogs that are kept chained and caged. Mothers Against Dog Chaining was started by DDB founder Tammy Grimes and Crystal Sinclair, mother of Makayla Sinclair who was killed by chained Great Danes in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, in October of 2003.
Contact info: Tammy S. Grimes, 814.941.7447 • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684
www.mothersagainstdogchaining.org, Tammy@mothersagainstdogchaining.org
or Monica Schreiber: 510.418.5897 • monicahayde@yahoo.com
Warm Weather Brings Increase
in Attacks on Children by Chained Dogs
Group warns against danger of chaining dogs,
especially in springtime when attacks increase four-fold
(Altoona, PA March 20, 2008) Dogs that spend their lives on chains often become neurotic, aggressive and pathologically protective of the patch of dirt where they spend their lives. Frustrated and unsocialized, chained dogs pose a year-round danger to unsuspecting children who approach these dogs. However, children are especially vulnerable in the springtime, according to Mothers Against Dog Chaining, an initiative of non-profit Dogs Deserve Better. The groups are dedicated to ending the suffering endured by chained dogs and to educating the public about the dangers chained dogs pose to America’s children.
Since 2003, when Mothers Against Dog Chaining began monitoring attacks nationwide that result in serious injury or death, it has traditionally seen an increase every spring when the warmer weather beckons more children outside and chained dogs can be especially frustrated after another lonely, agonizing winter.
In 2007, Mothers Against Dog Chaining logged 81 serious attacks on children by chained dogs. Thirty of these attacks—more than one-third of the entire year’s attacks—occurred in April and May alone.
Of the 81 attacks logged in 2007, 8 resulted in the death of a child. “Our records include only those attacks serious enough to make the newspapers, and include only those we are able to locate,” explains Tammy Grimes, founder of Mothers Against Dog Chaining and Dogs Deserve Better. “There are many more attacks that unfortunately go unmentioned and unreported. We encourage any parents of children who’ve been attacked by chained or penned dogs to get in touch with our organization so we can log their info and include their story.”
The fact pattern leading up to the death in July 2007 of Tiffany Pauley, a 5-year-old Atlanta girl with Down Syndrome, is typical of many of these attacks: a child wanders into a neighbor’s yard and wants to pet the chained dog, but the angry, perpetually chained animal attacks when it feels its space is threatened. The dog’s caretakers then claim that there was nothing they could have done, unaware that the very method of confinement to which they subjected their dog led directly to the animal’s aggression.
“Children are dying because of the misguided belief in certain segments of our society that it is appropriate to chain a dog to a tree and leave it there to pace the same patch of dirt and excrement for years on end,” says Miranda Riane, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who was seriously mauled by a chained dog in November 2007. “My son did nothing but run past a dog that spent its life on a short chain. He paid the price for the owner having taken the negligent and ‘easy way out’ with regard to caring for her dog.”
In part because of the public safety issues posed by perpetually chained dogs, a number of states, cities and counties have started passing laws addressing how long people can chain their dogs. California and Texas recently passed statewide laws that put specific time limits on chaining and a number of other states, including Pennsylvania and South Carolina, are currently considering similar legislation.
For more information and the latest updates on attacks, please visit www.mothersagainstdogchaining.org.
About Mothers Against Dog Chaining
Mothers Against Dog Chaining is an initiative of the non-profit Dogs Deserve Better, which works on numerous fronts to end the suffering endured by dogs that are kept chained and caged. Mothers Against Dog Chaining was started by DDB founder Tammy Grimes and Crystal Sinclair, mother of Makayla Sinclair who was killed by chained Great Danes in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, in October of 2003.
Friday, February 22, 2008
If I have to hear the word HERO ever again!
Please, please don't ever call me a 'hero' again! Between the judge and the DA, they have taken a word that SHOULD make a person feel good and turned it into something so ugly, I can't even bear to hear it again! What is wrong with these people?
2/22/08. Today Grimes was sentenced to 300 hours community service for a 'people organization', because 'people are dogs too'. She was also ordered to pay for the cost of the trial. This was justified by the judge because she said that Grimes chose to go to trial over ARD, therefore she should have to pay for it. Isn't it every person's right to go to trial? Does that right come with a price tag? Interestingly enough, according to Grimes' attorneys, this is not only NOT OFTEN done, but RARELY done. The costs were around $1700.
She was also ordered within 10 days to take everything Doogie related off any any site she 'has control or influence over'.
We will be appealing most if not all of the sentencing asap.
The absolute worst part of it all was the way she was treated by both the DA and the judge. The saddest thing is that they actually seem to BELIEVE the horrible things they said about her. They seem to actually BELIEVE that the taking of Doogie was a publicity stunt by Grimes, so that she could be a 'hero'. That the Arnolds are 'victims' of her lies, and that 'the dog was just old'.
The DA said he was shocked this was her first offense, because her disrespect for the law and it's officials is like his worst hardened criminals. He also said that everything on the DDB site is a lie, twisted by Grimes to make people believe her. He was seriously ticked off that the Arnolds received Valentines and a brochure attempting to educate them this Valentine's Day. Yet, at trial he insisted DDB should try to educate them, so which is it? Do you want them educated or not?
She is now again not to have any contact with 'the victims'.
The judge said that Grimes was no Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr. That she has disgraced herself and her cause, as well as her supporters by her actions. That two wrongs don't make a right. (If she's admitting there were 'two wrongs', then why are the Arnolds still not being convicted of abuse?)
We are saddened by the state of affairs in Blair County, Pennsylvania. Saddened by the people 'in control', and saddened by the beliefs they put out into the world.
Pictures and video do not lie. If it were a he said/she said situation, we could understand how they would believe the Arnolds when they say the dog was just old. But with the abundance of evidence of neglect, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for the behavior of both DA Richard Consiglio and Judge Elizabeth Doyle. Pictures and video DO NOT LIE.
2/22/08. Today Grimes was sentenced to 300 hours community service for a 'people organization', because 'people are dogs too'. She was also ordered to pay for the cost of the trial. This was justified by the judge because she said that Grimes chose to go to trial over ARD, therefore she should have to pay for it. Isn't it every person's right to go to trial? Does that right come with a price tag? Interestingly enough, according to Grimes' attorneys, this is not only NOT OFTEN done, but RARELY done. The costs were around $1700.
She was also ordered within 10 days to take everything Doogie related off any any site she 'has control or influence over'.
We will be appealing most if not all of the sentencing asap.
The absolute worst part of it all was the way she was treated by both the DA and the judge. The saddest thing is that they actually seem to BELIEVE the horrible things they said about her. They seem to actually BELIEVE that the taking of Doogie was a publicity stunt by Grimes, so that she could be a 'hero'. That the Arnolds are 'victims' of her lies, and that 'the dog was just old'.
The DA said he was shocked this was her first offense, because her disrespect for the law and it's officials is like his worst hardened criminals. He also said that everything on the DDB site is a lie, twisted by Grimes to make people believe her. He was seriously ticked off that the Arnolds received Valentines and a brochure attempting to educate them this Valentine's Day. Yet, at trial he insisted DDB should try to educate them, so which is it? Do you want them educated or not?
She is now again not to have any contact with 'the victims'.
The judge said that Grimes was no Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr. That she has disgraced herself and her cause, as well as her supporters by her actions. That two wrongs don't make a right. (If she's admitting there were 'two wrongs', then why are the Arnolds still not being convicted of abuse?)
We are saddened by the state of affairs in Blair County, Pennsylvania. Saddened by the people 'in control', and saddened by the beliefs they put out into the world.
Pictures and video do not lie. If it were a he said/she said situation, we could understand how they would believe the Arnolds when they say the dog was just old. But with the abundance of evidence of neglect, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for the behavior of both DA Richard Consiglio and Judge Elizabeth Doyle. Pictures and video DO NOT LIE.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Grimes Requests Jailtime for her Actions in Saving Doogie
To view this statement on YouTube, visit this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI0xStNQSnU
On December 14, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property for coming to the aid of this dog, who lay chained, unable to stand, and suffering in an East Freedom, Pennsylvania backyard.
Despite overwhelming evidence of cruelty on the part of the dog's caretakers, no charges were ever brought against them by either the humane officer or the police. A private criminal complaint filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better languishes unaddressed on the desk of DA Richard Consiglio.
Both video evidence of the dog struggling to get up and after-photos and video of the dog walking were suppressed from the jury. These videos are currently available for viewing on YouTube and our site.
I am to be sentenced by Judge Elizabeth Doyle on February 22, 2008. I am expected to receive a fine and/or community service, as well as probation for this supposed crime. I am morally and ethically unable and unwilling to pay any fine that goes to pay the salaries of those who use power wrongly; those who punish citizens for helping animals and allow animal abusers to go free will not receive monetary support from me.
The DA has taken flack in the opinion columns of local newspapers for wasting Blair County taxpayer money on my trial. His solution? To charge ME for the cost of the trial, reported to be over $1000. He expects me to pay costs for a jury who knew nothing of jury nullification, and knew not that they were free to exercise their own judgment based on their consciences rather than follow the advice of those in power just because they said they had to. They were therefore railroaded into a conviction by the actions of the DA and Judge Doyle.
It is not enough for Mr. Consiglio to drag my name and the name of Dogs Deserve Better through the mud in order to distract our citizens from the fact that cruelty laws were already being broken, and that the humane officer and the police failed to do their jobs. He would have me foot the bill for it. As a taxpayer of Blair County, Pennsylvania, I have already contributed my share to this trial. I will contribute no more.
As founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, I do community service virtually ever day of my life. If fact, I was performing community service the day I picked an aged and dying dog out of the mud and got him the veterinary care he was entitled to by law.
I am a law-abiding citizen of both Pennsylvania and the United States of America. I have served my country as a top-secret cleared linguist in the U. S. Air Force, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant at my first available opportunity, and honorably discharged in 1988. I strive very hard to obey all laws that seem fair and do not cause harm to others. I stop short of obeying any law that would force me to watch a dog die in the dirt, just because he is considered mere property of another. I will continue to fight for better laws for man's best friend, as well as shine a light on the current lack of enforcement of existing cruelty laws.
This dog was not just another piece of trash that a Pennsylvania couple could allow to die unassisted, chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces in their yard. Doogie had the right to live or the right to a death free from cruelty, and the right to veterinary help by Pennsylvania law.
It is incumbent upon Blair County voters to remove from office anyone who by their actions or inactions condones animal cruelty and abuse and punishes those who seek to help these animals. This includes Judge Elizabeth Doyle and DA Richard Consiglio.
Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "noncooperation with evil is just as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." And Thoreau stated "Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison...where the state places those who are not with her, but against her—the only house in a slave state in which a free man or woman can abide with honor."
The only way for me to maintain a clear conscience is to choose prison as punishment for my crime. I hereby request that Judge Doyle jail me for however many days I should be imprisoned for the taking of a piece of property who's value, while stated in the misdemeanor charges at 0-$50, after vet fees was more like negative $960.65. However, as one of our supporters said, Doogie's freedom from abuse and restoration to health was truly more valuable than any precious gem; it was indeed priceless.
On December 14, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property for coming to the aid of this dog, who lay chained, unable to stand, and suffering in an East Freedom, Pennsylvania backyard.
Despite overwhelming evidence of cruelty on the part of the dog's caretakers, no charges were ever brought against them by either the humane officer or the police. A private criminal complaint filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better languishes unaddressed on the desk of DA Richard Consiglio.
Both video evidence of the dog struggling to get up and after-photos and video of the dog walking were suppressed from the jury. These videos are currently available for viewing on YouTube and our site.
I am to be sentenced by Judge Elizabeth Doyle on February 22, 2008. I am expected to receive a fine and/or community service, as well as probation for this supposed crime. I am morally and ethically unable and unwilling to pay any fine that goes to pay the salaries of those who use power wrongly; those who punish citizens for helping animals and allow animal abusers to go free will not receive monetary support from me.
The DA has taken flack in the opinion columns of local newspapers for wasting Blair County taxpayer money on my trial. His solution? To charge ME for the cost of the trial, reported to be over $1000. He expects me to pay costs for a jury who knew nothing of jury nullification, and knew not that they were free to exercise their own judgment based on their consciences rather than follow the advice of those in power just because they said they had to. They were therefore railroaded into a conviction by the actions of the DA and Judge Doyle.
It is not enough for Mr. Consiglio to drag my name and the name of Dogs Deserve Better through the mud in order to distract our citizens from the fact that cruelty laws were already being broken, and that the humane officer and the police failed to do their jobs. He would have me foot the bill for it. As a taxpayer of Blair County, Pennsylvania, I have already contributed my share to this trial. I will contribute no more.
As founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, I do community service virtually ever day of my life. If fact, I was performing community service the day I picked an aged and dying dog out of the mud and got him the veterinary care he was entitled to by law.
I am a law-abiding citizen of both Pennsylvania and the United States of America. I have served my country as a top-secret cleared linguist in the U. S. Air Force, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant at my first available opportunity, and honorably discharged in 1988. I strive very hard to obey all laws that seem fair and do not cause harm to others. I stop short of obeying any law that would force me to watch a dog die in the dirt, just because he is considered mere property of another. I will continue to fight for better laws for man's best friend, as well as shine a light on the current lack of enforcement of existing cruelty laws.
This dog was not just another piece of trash that a Pennsylvania couple could allow to die unassisted, chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces in their yard. Doogie had the right to live or the right to a death free from cruelty, and the right to veterinary help by Pennsylvania law.
It is incumbent upon Blair County voters to remove from office anyone who by their actions or inactions condones animal cruelty and abuse and punishes those who seek to help these animals. This includes Judge Elizabeth Doyle and DA Richard Consiglio.
Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "noncooperation with evil is just as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." And Thoreau stated "Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison...where the state places those who are not with her, but against her—the only house in a slave state in which a free man or woman can abide with honor."
The only way for me to maintain a clear conscience is to choose prison as punishment for my crime. I hereby request that Judge Doyle jail me for however many days I should be imprisoned for the taking of a piece of property who's value, while stated in the misdemeanor charges at 0-$50, after vet fees was more like negative $960.65. However, as one of our supporters said, Doogie's freedom from abuse and restoration to health was truly more valuable than any precious gem; it was indeed priceless.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Simple yet Truly Kind Gesture
This morning I was eating breakfast alone at my favorite breakfast establishment, Friendly's. I love them because they are always nice, but mostly because you can substitute home fries for meat, and garden vegetables for toast. Yummy and almost downright healthy if you don't count the deep-frying!
So there I was, one of only three customers in the place. My waiter, a cute 20-30ish boy with tattoos and a nice smile who I had seen in there before (and maybe I did think for a moment about getting a closer look at those tattoos), was pleasant but we didn't chit chat or anything like that. I tend to be on the shy side, which many people don't believe, but it's true.
I had no book to read because I'd inadvertently left it at the VA. (Apparently when I picked up my antiobiotic for possible Lyme's Disease...which I may or may not have gotten from the deer tick I found embedded in my head a week and a half ago, totally creeping me out...but as always when this happens, I figure God took it because someone else needed it more than me...the book, not the tick...so I just let it go.) Bottom line, I was done and kinda aimlessly sitting there waiting for the check cause I had nothing better to do.
The cute waiter comes over and tells me there's not going to be a check today. Now, this has never happened to me before and I'm thrown for a loop, so I say, 'what do you mean?' He says 'I'm getting it, you're not paying today'. Now even more confused, I say, 'why?'
And that's when he says the words that just may have changed my life, but I don't know how yet.
He says, 'I know who you are, and I know what you do.'
Wow. I'm not sure I've ever been so touched.
A simple gesture of kindness when least expected can truly change your world.
Thank you, cute tattoo waiter. Truly.
So there I was, one of only three customers in the place. My waiter, a cute 20-30ish boy with tattoos and a nice smile who I had seen in there before (and maybe I did think for a moment about getting a closer look at those tattoos), was pleasant but we didn't chit chat or anything like that. I tend to be on the shy side, which many people don't believe, but it's true.
I had no book to read because I'd inadvertently left it at the VA. (Apparently when I picked up my antiobiotic for possible Lyme's Disease...which I may or may not have gotten from the deer tick I found embedded in my head a week and a half ago, totally creeping me out...but as always when this happens, I figure God took it because someone else needed it more than me...the book, not the tick...so I just let it go.) Bottom line, I was done and kinda aimlessly sitting there waiting for the check cause I had nothing better to do.
The cute waiter comes over and tells me there's not going to be a check today. Now, this has never happened to me before and I'm thrown for a loop, so I say, 'what do you mean?' He says 'I'm getting it, you're not paying today'. Now even more confused, I say, 'why?'
And that's when he says the words that just may have changed my life, but I don't know how yet.
He says, 'I know who you are, and I know what you do.'
Wow. I'm not sure I've ever been so touched.
A simple gesture of kindness when least expected can truly change your world.
Thank you, cute tattoo waiter. Truly.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Just Another Piece of Garbage? I Don't Think So!
Online link to the article
Every week at Dogs Deserve Better we receive pictures of chained dogs that are obviously just another piece of trash, left and forgotten, in the caretaker's yard. The dog sits, day after day and year after year, amidst old junk cars, broken toys, rusted tools, and nameless and sundry other used up and broken paraphenalia, becoming too sad to even bark or make a fuss anymore.
I believe a good portion of the blame for the pervasiveness of this attitude rests upon the shoulders of this state's law enforcement agencies and judicial system. Three recent Pennsylvania cases not only support this argument, but were, in fact, what has led me to this conclusion.
Contrary to what many of us may think, Pennsylvania DOES in fact have anti-cruelty laws in place. They state: A person commits a summary offense if he wantonly or cruelly ill-treats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and keep it dry. A person convicted of a summary offense should pay a fine of not less than $ 50 nor more than $ 750 or to imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.
So why does Pennsylvania have so many cases of dead and dying dogs, oftentimes abandoned on the end of a chain or locked in a shed where they remain until death?
The problem seems to lie in the actual ENFORCEMENT of these laws. More often than not they are simply not enforced. The police feel it is not their job to enforce them, and the humane officers, few that there are, are both overwhelmed and beaten down by a judicial system that all too frequently sides with the abusers. They become lackadaisical about enforcement because they know whatever work they put into building a case, the judge may very well throw it out and let the abuser walk. There is no reward for their efforts on behalf of the animal, only loss after loss in the courtroom, leading to an eventual paralysis of both heart and mind.
Recently in Centre County, PA, Dogs Deserve Better volunteers twice tried to get a humane officer to go look at chained dogs to ascertain if laws were being broken. They were told both times that the officer had more than 30 counties to oversee, and there was no way she could get there anytime in the near future. What happens to a dog who is near death in these counties without adequate humane enforcement and police who feel it's not their job? I think we all know the answer to that. And I think it's happening daily, with no one held accountable for yet another death of another helpless companion.
The attitude that dogs in Pennsylvania are JUST PROPERTY, and can be treated as such, is archaic and in need of some serious overhaul. In a sad nod to the effects of this 'just property' notion, and in what may horrifyingly become a legal trend, is convicting animal abusers of 'scattering rubbish' instead of the actual crime of cruelty to animals.
Scattering rubbish, a dead dog? With insane verdicts such as these appearing in our state newspapers and other media, the court system and law enforcement agencies are putting forth and reinforcing the notion that dogs are just another piece of garbage; that it's ok to kill a dog as long as you dispose of it properly. This lends credence to the already prevalent notion amongst Pennsylvania's animal abusers that dogs are not living breathing creatures deserving of our respect and just treatment according to the law, but merely chattel, refuse, something worthless and of no value. That you can dispose of one and get another with no consequences and no thought.
On January 8, 2008 in Stroudsburg, PA, Arnold Wheeler was acquitted of animal cruelty charges in the 2006 shootings of three of his dogs. Wheeler use a .22-caliber rifle to shoot a 2 year old male dog 4 times, an 8-month-old female dog 3 times, and another female with puppies 1 time, and then dumped their bodies off along the road. For these crimes he walked, but was instead convicted of scattering rubbish for dumping the dog's bodies. He was ordered to pay a $200 fine and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Then on January 24th, 2008, Cheryl Magnotta of Smethport, PA was sentenced for 6 counts of animal cruelty, after pleading guilty to abandoning 21 Great Danes and leaving them to die of starvation on her property. She was initially charged with 44 counts of 'scattering rubbish' and 21 counts of animal cruelty, but she pled out of all 44 counts of rubbish charges and all but 6 of the animal cruelty charges. She received time served and probation.
On September 11, 2006, I helped a dog left to die on the end of a chain in a yard, a useless 'piece of refuse' who could no longer stand or even bark. Despite video and photo evidence of cruelty, as well as eye-witness and vet testimony, no charges were ever filed by either the police or the humane officer against the dog's caretakers. Private criminal charges filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better remain 'in limbo', probably in a 'let's avoid this' stack of charges on the DA's desk. Instead, I was arrested for 'stealing their property', and refusing to give it back when it was demanded of me. I was convicted and will be sentenced on February 22th...for standing up for 'just another piece of Pennsylvania garbage'.
Maybe, and that's a big maybe in East Freedom, Pennsylvania, if Doogie had died that day and been dumped along the road by the Arnolds, they too would have been convicted of 'scattering rubbish'. We will never know, because this one time someone stepped in and picked up the trash before it was all the way dead. With my conviction, the message being sent once again to the Pennsylvania public is that it's ok to kill your dog, because it's just another piece of junk laying in your yard; treat it as you see fit.
Just make sure you dispose of it properly when you're done.
Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better, www.dogsdeservebetter.org
Every week at Dogs Deserve Better we receive pictures of chained dogs that are obviously just another piece of trash, left and forgotten, in the caretaker's yard. The dog sits, day after day and year after year, amidst old junk cars, broken toys, rusted tools, and nameless and sundry other used up and broken paraphenalia, becoming too sad to even bark or make a fuss anymore.
I believe a good portion of the blame for the pervasiveness of this attitude rests upon the shoulders of this state's law enforcement agencies and judicial system. Three recent Pennsylvania cases not only support this argument, but were, in fact, what has led me to this conclusion.
Contrary to what many of us may think, Pennsylvania DOES in fact have anti-cruelty laws in place. They state: A person commits a summary offense if he wantonly or cruelly ill-treats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and keep it dry. A person convicted of a summary offense should pay a fine of not less than $ 50 nor more than $ 750 or to imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.
So why does Pennsylvania have so many cases of dead and dying dogs, oftentimes abandoned on the end of a chain or locked in a shed where they remain until death?
The problem seems to lie in the actual ENFORCEMENT of these laws. More often than not they are simply not enforced. The police feel it is not their job to enforce them, and the humane officers, few that there are, are both overwhelmed and beaten down by a judicial system that all too frequently sides with the abusers. They become lackadaisical about enforcement because they know whatever work they put into building a case, the judge may very well throw it out and let the abuser walk. There is no reward for their efforts on behalf of the animal, only loss after loss in the courtroom, leading to an eventual paralysis of both heart and mind.
Recently in Centre County, PA, Dogs Deserve Better volunteers twice tried to get a humane officer to go look at chained dogs to ascertain if laws were being broken. They were told both times that the officer had more than 30 counties to oversee, and there was no way she could get there anytime in the near future. What happens to a dog who is near death in these counties without adequate humane enforcement and police who feel it's not their job? I think we all know the answer to that. And I think it's happening daily, with no one held accountable for yet another death of another helpless companion.
The attitude that dogs in Pennsylvania are JUST PROPERTY, and can be treated as such, is archaic and in need of some serious overhaul. In a sad nod to the effects of this 'just property' notion, and in what may horrifyingly become a legal trend, is convicting animal abusers of 'scattering rubbish' instead of the actual crime of cruelty to animals.
Scattering rubbish, a dead dog? With insane verdicts such as these appearing in our state newspapers and other media, the court system and law enforcement agencies are putting forth and reinforcing the notion that dogs are just another piece of garbage; that it's ok to kill a dog as long as you dispose of it properly. This lends credence to the already prevalent notion amongst Pennsylvania's animal abusers that dogs are not living breathing creatures deserving of our respect and just treatment according to the law, but merely chattel, refuse, something worthless and of no value. That you can dispose of one and get another with no consequences and no thought.
On January 8, 2008 in Stroudsburg, PA, Arnold Wheeler was acquitted of animal cruelty charges in the 2006 shootings of three of his dogs. Wheeler use a .22-caliber rifle to shoot a 2 year old male dog 4 times, an 8-month-old female dog 3 times, and another female with puppies 1 time, and then dumped their bodies off along the road. For these crimes he walked, but was instead convicted of scattering rubbish for dumping the dog's bodies. He was ordered to pay a $200 fine and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Then on January 24th, 2008, Cheryl Magnotta of Smethport, PA was sentenced for 6 counts of animal cruelty, after pleading guilty to abandoning 21 Great Danes and leaving them to die of starvation on her property. She was initially charged with 44 counts of 'scattering rubbish' and 21 counts of animal cruelty, but she pled out of all 44 counts of rubbish charges and all but 6 of the animal cruelty charges. She received time served and probation.
On September 11, 2006, I helped a dog left to die on the end of a chain in a yard, a useless 'piece of refuse' who could no longer stand or even bark. Despite video and photo evidence of cruelty, as well as eye-witness and vet testimony, no charges were ever filed by either the police or the humane officer against the dog's caretakers. Private criminal charges filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better remain 'in limbo', probably in a 'let's avoid this' stack of charges on the DA's desk. Instead, I was arrested for 'stealing their property', and refusing to give it back when it was demanded of me. I was convicted and will be sentenced on February 22th...for standing up for 'just another piece of Pennsylvania garbage'.
Maybe, and that's a big maybe in East Freedom, Pennsylvania, if Doogie had died that day and been dumped along the road by the Arnolds, they too would have been convicted of 'scattering rubbish'. We will never know, because this one time someone stepped in and picked up the trash before it was all the way dead. With my conviction, the message being sent once again to the Pennsylvania public is that it's ok to kill your dog, because it's just another piece of junk laying in your yard; treat it as you see fit.
Just make sure you dispose of it properly when you're done.
Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better, www.dogsdeservebetter.org
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
DDB in Review on YouTube by Aubrie Kavanaugh
Hold On...A Look Back at DDB
This slideshow was put together by Aubrie Kavanaugh, a DDB supporter in Alabama. It's a look back at our origins and some of the dogs we've rescued, and it really does touch my heart to see how everyone has pulled together to take in so many dogs and give them the life they deserve.
Thank you, both to Aubrie for such a great production, and to every one of you who has reached out to a chained dog near you.
This slideshow was put together by Aubrie Kavanaugh, a DDB supporter in Alabama. It's a look back at our origins and some of the dogs we've rescued, and it really does touch my heart to see how everyone has pulled together to take in so many dogs and give them the life they deserve.
Thank you, both to Aubrie for such a great production, and to every one of you who has reached out to a chained dog near you.
10,000 Addresses? No Sweat...Just Get Me One Each!
Meet my newest foster, Delilah. (Rumor has it is considering me for her new mommy...she talks in her sleep when she's snuggled up to me at night, and I swear I heard her say it!)
She, like Riley who so many of you generously sponsored this Holiday Season, had been living on a chain without even the ability to see to relieve the daily boredom, loneliness, and yearly sojourn into Pennsylvania's winter cold. For she's blind.
Can you imagine even for a moment living your life on the end of a chain not able to see? How terrifying, so helpless to even defend yourself against intruders.
Thanks to a network of Pennsylvania volunteers, Delilah is now free and loving her inside home and family here with me, even sharing in the Christmas joys with her siblings.
Sadly, her beagle friend remains on a chain at the home where she lived; he's a 'huntin' dog', and they would not release him. I have sent them a special letter offering fencing if he could come into the home to live with them, but have not heard back yet. He will be one of the 25 new addresses I am personally pledging for our 2008 Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Campaign. But I know there are hundreds of thousands more of them out there across America and Canada!
I don't need you to pledge 25, but I am asking each of you to send us just 1 ADDRESS.
If everyone who reads this sends in 1 address, we will have well over 10,000 dogs receiving Valentines this year, and our 2008 HAVE A HEART FOR CHAINED DOGS campaign goal will be met and even exceeded!
To make it 'more anonymous' and easier than ever, I've put a form on the Valentine's page where you can submit your addresses simply and quickly, and include pertinent information such as how many dogs live there and whether they are chained, penned, or in some cases, both.
Drive by chained dogs Daily? Weekly? Please get those addresses today!
Truly don't see a chained dog anywhere near you? Consider making Valentines, sending coupons, or donating to cover the cost of the campaign.
Here's the link to our Valentine's page
Read this great article by Sandy Eckstein of the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the Valentine campaign:Some construction paper, glue and scissors could help a dog get a better life... Read More
She, like Riley who so many of you generously sponsored this Holiday Season, had been living on a chain without even the ability to see to relieve the daily boredom, loneliness, and yearly sojourn into Pennsylvania's winter cold. For she's blind.
Can you imagine even for a moment living your life on the end of a chain not able to see? How terrifying, so helpless to even defend yourself against intruders.
Thanks to a network of Pennsylvania volunteers, Delilah is now free and loving her inside home and family here with me, even sharing in the Christmas joys with her siblings.
Sadly, her beagle friend remains on a chain at the home where she lived; he's a 'huntin' dog', and they would not release him. I have sent them a special letter offering fencing if he could come into the home to live with them, but have not heard back yet. He will be one of the 25 new addresses I am personally pledging for our 2008 Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Campaign. But I know there are hundreds of thousands more of them out there across America and Canada!
I don't need you to pledge 25, but I am asking each of you to send us just 1 ADDRESS.
If everyone who reads this sends in 1 address, we will have well over 10,000 dogs receiving Valentines this year, and our 2008 HAVE A HEART FOR CHAINED DOGS campaign goal will be met and even exceeded!
To make it 'more anonymous' and easier than ever, I've put a form on the Valentine's page where you can submit your addresses simply and quickly, and include pertinent information such as how many dogs live there and whether they are chained, penned, or in some cases, both.
Drive by chained dogs Daily? Weekly? Please get those addresses today!
Truly don't see a chained dog anywhere near you? Consider making Valentines, sending coupons, or donating to cover the cost of the campaign.
Here's the link to our Valentine's page
Read this great article by Sandy Eckstein of the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the Valentine campaign:Some construction paper, glue and scissors could help a dog get a better life... Read More
DDB to Pair 10,000 Valentines with Chained Dogs
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
tammy@dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Group set to pair 10,000 valentines with chained dogs
during "have a heart for chained dogs" week, Feb. 7-14
Seeks Elementary School Students, Clubs, Groups, and
Individuals to Make Valentines for Delivery to Chained Dogs Nationwide
Tipton, PA -- January 01, 2008 -- As Valentine's Day approaches, non-profit Dogs Deserve Better is asking for help from dog lovers and others in an unusual direct mail outreach which pairs Valentines created by schoolchildren with America's chained dogs.
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering endured by perpetually chained dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to chained canines across the country. The group includes a brochure for the dog's caretakers, explaining why the antiquated practice of chaining dogs for their lives is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals.
By the end of January, the group needs 10,000 addresses for perpetually chained dogs, volunteers to make the Valentines, and donations of coupons for dog treats or dog food.
"Winter is a critical time to reach out directly to the people who chain their dogs, and what better excuse than Valentine's Day to send these forgotten animals a little love," says Tammy Grimes, founder and director of the five-year-old non-profit. "Every winter our rescuers see dogs that have frozen in the snow, suffered frostbite, or otherwise endured horrific living conditions because of the longstanding misperception that it is appropriate to chain a dog outside in any kind of weather."
"This is the perfect opportunity for people who pass chained dogs every day, or who live next door to these poor animals, but feel powerless to make a difference," continues Grimes. "People can anonymously provide us with the addresses of these dogs, or perhaps make a batch of Valentines, and we do the rest."
Dogs Deserve Better sees success stories every year from its grassroots direct mail campaign. "Of course, we get angry calls from people who are mired in habit or tradition and don't see anything wrong with chaining a dog for 10 or 15 years. However, on the flip side, we always learn of situations where the recipients of our Valentines take the opportunity to think about the suffering they are causing and either bring the dog inside or find the dog a better home."
The creation of the Valentines is an ideal project for schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations. "Children have a natural affinity for animals and they enjoy making art projects," says Grimes, an artist herself.
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, states and cities have, in recent years, started to pass laws against the practice. California passed a law in 2006 and Texas followed suit in 2007. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and South Carolina are among the states currently considering laws that would put reasonable limits on how long a dog may be chained outdoors. Hundreds of cities have passed, or are considering, similar legislation.
Meanwhile, countless "backyard dogs" are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in leaky, uninsulated doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention. Perpetually chained dogs can become aggressive or insane from their constant confinement, often posing a danger to people.
Dogs Deserve Better provides a variety of services to people who agree to take their dogs off their chains, including providing help with socialization, housetraining, and fencing.
For more information about the Valentine's Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
Valentines, addresses and donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 23, Tipton, Pennsylvania 16684.
For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
END
Note: For hi-resolution photos, please visit the site at
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html.
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • www.dogsdeservebetter.org
tammy@dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Group set to pair 10,000 valentines with chained dogs
during "have a heart for chained dogs" week, Feb. 7-14
Seeks Elementary School Students, Clubs, Groups, and
Individuals to Make Valentines for Delivery to Chained Dogs Nationwide
Tipton, PA -- January 01, 2008 -- As Valentine's Day approaches, non-profit Dogs Deserve Better is asking for help from dog lovers and others in an unusual direct mail outreach which pairs Valentines created by schoolchildren with America's chained dogs.
Dogs Deserve Better, a national rescue and advocacy group dedicated to ending the suffering endured by perpetually chained dogs, annually sends Valentines and dog treat coupons to chained canines across the country. The group includes a brochure for the dog's caretakers, explaining why the antiquated practice of chaining dogs for their lives is a form of abuse. The materials encourage people to bring their dogs into the home and family or to find better homes for the animals.
By the end of January, the group needs 10,000 addresses for perpetually chained dogs, volunteers to make the Valentines, and donations of coupons for dog treats or dog food.
"Winter is a critical time to reach out directly to the people who chain their dogs, and what better excuse than Valentine's Day to send these forgotten animals a little love," says Tammy Grimes, founder and director of the five-year-old non-profit. "Every winter our rescuers see dogs that have frozen in the snow, suffered frostbite, or otherwise endured horrific living conditions because of the longstanding misperception that it is appropriate to chain a dog outside in any kind of weather."
"This is the perfect opportunity for people who pass chained dogs every day, or who live next door to these poor animals, but feel powerless to make a difference," continues Grimes. "People can anonymously provide us with the addresses of these dogs, or perhaps make a batch of Valentines, and we do the rest."
Dogs Deserve Better sees success stories every year from its grassroots direct mail campaign. "Of course, we get angry calls from people who are mired in habit or tradition and don't see anything wrong with chaining a dog for 10 or 15 years. However, on the flip side, we always learn of situations where the recipients of our Valentines take the opportunity to think about the suffering they are causing and either bring the dog inside or find the dog a better home."
The creation of the Valentines is an ideal project for schools, scouting troops, and other similar organizations. "Children have a natural affinity for animals and they enjoy making art projects," says Grimes, an artist herself.
Although the practice of 24/7 chaining is pervasive in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, states and cities have, in recent years, started to pass laws against the practice. California passed a law in 2006 and Texas followed suit in 2007. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and South Carolina are among the states currently considering laws that would put reasonable limits on how long a dog may be chained outdoors. Hundreds of cities have passed, or are considering, similar legislation.
Meanwhile, countless "backyard dogs" are spending yet another winter in the cold. Often, they shiver day and night in leaky, uninsulated doghouses, suffer from thirst because their water is frozen, and pace neurotically from lack of exercise and attention. Perpetually chained dogs can become aggressive or insane from their constant confinement, often posing a danger to people.
Dogs Deserve Better provides a variety of services to people who agree to take their dogs off their chains, including providing help with socialization, housetraining, and fencing.
For more information about the Valentine's Day outreach, go to http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html or email info@dogsdeservebetter.org.
Valentines, addresses and donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 23, Tipton, Pennsylvania 16684.
For general information about Dogs Deserve Better go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
END
Note: For hi-resolution photos, please visit the site at
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2008.html.
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