Day One, Operation Fido's Freedom: Thayne's on a Chain. A-Gain (pronounced with a long A there, you know, for rhyming purposes.)

Seems like I just got off a chain. I guess Chain Off was about a month ago now, though…it just sticks in your mind.

Well, we all know why I'm here, if you read my Open Letter to PA State Senators and House Reps…and you all know what I want.

And a big part of why I'm here is to inspire YOU ALL to take action on behalf of chained dogs…so please, please, please contact your reps, and contact them again, etc. They don't come back to session until September, but if we all pitch in, we can get them ready to take action by then.

First things first, though, let me just tell you that I made it eleven hours without peeing today! I know, that's personal information that you really were happier not knowing, but how can I not share a record like that? If you knew me, you'd indeed know how much of a miracle that really is!

Granted, I know it can't really be a good thing for my kidneys and bladder. But still, there it is, and now you know.

And, I want to know who's pea-brained idea it was for me to fast for the dogs who are starving on a chain with no way to get food for themselves as I type? I know it was mine, but still…now I'm starving (well, very hungry at least, I know I have a buffer that the chained dogs don't have before starvation sets in) too and I don't like it. Not one bit.

I'm on the record as against keeping up the not-peeing thing, which is problematic given that I shouldn't abandon my 'stuff' for the time it takes to tinkle, and can't see myself dragging a doghouse and chain into the nearest bathroom. The dogs have it made over me in that area, what with their ability to cop a squat wherever they damn well please…as long as it's within the 10 square feet of their doghouse, of course.

Right across the street from my doghouse (hey, maybe I could get an address for my house? Like on Harry Potter…Tamira Thayne, the doghouse in the shadow of the Capitol, Harrisburg, PA) there's two establishments, the Caffeine Connection and Sammy's Authentic Italian Restaurant. Maybe one or both of them will give me bathroom privileges in exchange for mentioning them repeatedly in my blog? Which won't be hard to do, given that I'm thirsting and starving to death, and I just stare longingly and with drool hanging down my chin across the street at their tantalizing signs all day.

Anyway, I hope I don't get a bladder infection. I got this dog off a chain once who was peeing blood in the snow. The vet said he'd just gone too long without enough water and it messed him up pretty bad in the kidney zone. He was one of the lucky ones who got off the chain, into rescue, and into a home where he was able to know love and live as part of the pack.

Each day I will sit for different dogs, dogs in different counties, etc. Today I started off for all those that have died on the end of a chain, and there are many that I know of—at least 5 I can think of right off the top of my head—that got old, and then just disappeared from this earth. Poor things. They never knew love, never knew laughter or hugs or a family to call their own. Rest in peace babies, we're fighting for you. We won't give up until others don't have to suffer the same fate that you did.

Odd or funny observations from today's chaining:

1. I sat down at numerous and sundry times on the oh-so-hard granite wall, but I'm confessing because it felt like cheating. But I don't think I can stop. My feet hurt too bad, and I can only pace for so long.

2. I wondered why the flags were at half-mast. I'm sure one of you smarty pants has an answer to this.

3. People were taking their lunchtime walks, going to Sammy's, and just taking their freedom for granted. Chained dogs deserve this too.

4. I didn't explain this one right in my 140 character tweet, so have to try again. Three foreign people, older people, came up and asked me in a heavy accent if I had quarters for parking. I said "No, I'm chained to this doghouse." They wanted to know why, so I explained it. The woman agreed with me, and took a paper. Then she said, "It would be good if you had coins too." lol

5. Note to self. Obviously, wearing white shirts in the rain isn't a good policy. Granted, Weatherbug said only a 30% chance today, but obviously the bug was wrong.

6. Really, really, REALLY not looking forward to that all day rain. I couldn't sit down at all, so I had to pace the whole time, and I think it rained for half hour…what am I going to do in the all day rain?

7. Joe came up and took pics for me, and I just wondered if I ever mentioned how much I love that man?

I'm SO glad I don't have to go back tomorrow…oh, shit, wait!

(If you want to follow my daily tweets during the chaining, follow me @tamirathayne. If you want to see more pics, etc., every evening, fan the campaign on facebook at Operation Fido's Freedom.

Why Chain Off Matters

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

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

"Scream Like Banshee" Book for Dog Foster Parents Now Available!

With 29 Days of Tips and Tales for Animal Rescuers
who Struggle with Foster Dogs from a Leading Animal
Activist and Non-Profit Founder

March 2009, Tipton, PA — Termed “A really insightful book and a no-bullshit diary,” Scream Like Banshee: 29 Days of Tips and Tales to Keep your Sanity as a Doggie Foster Parent hits the market with a unique edge over other animal-related books.

The book combines not only tips for both adequate training and containment of foster dogs, but also tips for the rescuer’s mental health, as well as pleas to those who have not yet stepped up to foster a dog.

Says Cherie Smith of SmithVirtualOffice.com: “I finished reading your book and all I can say is WOW!!! You are an inspiration…you had me crying, laughing, and then crying again! The story of Banshee had me on edge the entire book.

I liked how you incorporated wellness; this book is not only for those who foster or want to foster but for everybody because it is a ‘feel good book.’ It has joy, love, sadness, grief, and how to love yourself.”

Thayne combines seven years of foster knowledge gained from housing America’s formerly chained or penned dogs with an M.S. in Naturology, the study of the body/mind/soul connection, to send a positive message of hope for mental stability while fostering.

“Fostering dogs is one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences an animal advocate will ever have. Many of us struggle with it, and many of us feel we are failing because we are not doing it perfectly. Screw perfect! I say just do it, and I hope the tips and tales of my own struggles will inspire those who haven’t yet fostered to step up, and those who overdo to take a sanity break because their own health is important too,” states Thayne.

The book is available from lulu.com and soon will be available at all online booksellers. Dogs Deserve Better will receive $2 per every book sold on lulu.com, and—as a fundraiser for chained and penned dogs—signed and dedicated books can be purchased on the DogsDeserveBetter.org website for an additional $9.99. All additional funds will go directly to Dogs Deserve Better’s work.

For more information, visit the website at http://www.ScreamLikeBanshee.com.

About the Author

Tamira Ci Thayne is founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better, an award-winning national nonprofit working on behalf of America’s chained and penned dogs.

Thayne holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. and M.S. in Naturology (study of the Body/Mind/Spirit connection) from American Institute of Holistic Theology.

She has written articles for nationwide publications including American Dog, and has been the subject of articles in magazines such as Bark, Animal Sheltering, The New Barker, and Dog’s Life, which won a Genesis Award Honorable Mention.

She has created over 30 animal advocacy art pieces, available for viewing and purchase on littlegirllooking.com, and illustrated Puddles on the Floor for Dogs Deserve Better, a humane education book written by Lorena Estep.

Scream Like Banshee is Thayne’s first book.

Thayne is available for interviews, author visits, and book signings. Please contact her at 814.941.7447 or Tami@littlegirllooking.com to request an appearance.

"Scream Like Banshee: 29 Days of Tips & Tales to Keep your Sanity as a Doggie Foster Parent" Seeking Sponsors

Tamira Ci Thayne, DDB founder and CEO, is publishing her first book in February, entitled "Scream Like Banshee: 29 Days of Tips and Tales to Keep your Sanity as a Doggie Foster Parent". She is now opening the field to a limited number of book sponsorships. Each sponsorship will get you: your logo or name/business name printed on the back cover and listed as a sponsor, as well as either a 1/2 page (measured at 5"x4") or full page ad (measured at 5"x8"). Books will be sold and available at all online booksellers, as well as via the DDB website and at all DDB booths and events. To learn more or grab one of the few sponsorships available, contact Tamira at Tami@littlegirllooking.com.

One-Woman Art Shows in Pittsburgh and Philly to Feature Piece Censored by Judge

Artist Insists Censorship Violates First Amendment Rights and Will Exhibit "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" in both Shows.

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September 18, 2008, Tipton, PA - Artist Tamira Ci Thayne, formerly known as Tammy Grimes and founder of Dogs Deserve Better, will be featured in two one-woman art shows during Pennsylvania Week for the Animals. During the exhibits at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and The Rotunda in Philadelphia Thayne will exhibit a piece entitled "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All", a work which a Blair County, PA Judge has attempted to censor.

"When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" has previously won an Honorable Mention at the Blair County Arts Festival.

Thayne created the piece based on her experience in rescuing a dog who lay chained and unable to stand, flailing about in the mud and his own feces. When police refused to charge the owners with cruelty and insisted Thayne (then Grimes) return the dog to its abusive situation, she refused, and was thereafter convicted of theft for helping him.

Video of the dog was withheld from the jury by the judge as well as 'after' photos and video of him standing and walking again. The judge subsequently ordered Grimes to remove all images of the dog from the Dogs Deserve Better website and her art. The case is currently in appeal.

Thayne has removed the dog's photos from items for sale on the Dogs Deserve Better site, but has refused to remove the dog's images from its history of the case page or her artwork, citing violations of first amendment rights.

Thayne states, "Doing what any concerned citizen should have done for a suffering animal was not wrong and will never be wrong—no matter what a corrupt 'justice' system says. I feel this in my gut. I have been subjected to what amounts to emotional torture as a result of helping Doogie—yet I could have done no other.

Creating a piece of art based on my experience which speaks to a time when animals will be treated with the reverence they deserve is my right as a human being and an American citizen. I will continue to show "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" on my website and at any shows where I am able. I am no criminal."

20 pieces of Thayne's work will be shown Saturday, September 20th from 4-8 p.m. at Eddy Theatre at Chatham University, Woodland Road, Pittsburgh. The show runs with three films shown, I Am Unseen by Dogs Deserve Better, The Witness by Tribe of Heart, and Uncaged, Second Chances for Puppy Mill Breeders by Ann Metcalf and Chris Shaughness.

The works will show in Philadelphia from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23, at The Rotunda, Walnut Street, also in concurrence with I Am Unseen and Uncaged.

To view Thayne's art, visit her website at http://www.littlegirllooking.com. 20-50% of all proceeds from sales of Thayne's art benefit Dogs Deserve Better.

Thayne can be reached at 814.941.7447 or Tami@littlegirllooking.com for comment, and is available for art shows, commissioned works, or interviews. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Naturology from the American Institute of Holistic Theology.

Dogs Deserve Better was founded in 2002, is an international nonprofit with 140 area reps in the U.S. and Canada, and works to bring dogs out of the backyard and into the home and family. The site can be viewed at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org.