CRUEL CHAINS

            

Holiday season is a reason for many of us to throw caution to the wind with our diet and exercise.  A New Year’s resolution also flashes a carrot for our shady refuge.

But I’m a lucky guy to have my ‘Buddy’, a seven year old Doberman, a health freak and more a loafer, who faithfully drags me out for walks.  Ours is a quiet neighborhood with independent houses and compound walls. Last week this peaceful and quiet locale was shattered by a heart wrenching incidence

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Not far from my house, my neighbor’s boxer dog got loose by breaking his chain.  A five year old boy who spotted the boxer tried patting him but instead was ferociously mauled.  He underwent an emergency operation and is recovering but sadly lost his vision in one eye.  This became a medico legal case and it was ruled to euthanize the boxer. Who is to blame? Is it the little boy, the dog or the owner?

Tragic news stories and statistics of this nature are cropping up often and they make a sad finding to make a connection between tethering or chaining dog with no social connection.  It is we humans, who are responsible of creating monsters out of these lovable friendly animals.

It is up to caring people like you to improve the lives of chained dogs.  Some think, ‘It's none of my business.’  But it is the business of compassionate people to speak up when living creatures are treated like objects.  You will feel good about yourself for helping a chained dog!

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR OF CHAINED DOGS.

It shouldn't happen to ‘man’s best friend,’ but it does.  Take a drive down many country roads and city streets, and you’ll see them - dogs left to spend their entire lives in ‘solitary confinement,’ trapped at the end of a chain or in a small pen.

We can’t think of a crueler punishment for these social pack animals who want and deserve companionship, scratches behind the ears, walks around the block, and the opportunity to curl up at their guardians’ feet at night indoors.

Kept ‘out of sight, out of mind’ in the back yard, chained dogs are often deprived of adequate food, water, and veterinary care, in addition to having their emotional and social needs completely ignored.  Many are denied proper shelter and have nothing but an overturned trash bin or plastic barrel or nothing at all to shield them on freezing winter nights. Countless chained dogs have frozen to death during cold snaps or died of heatstroke on sweltering summer days.

Chained dogs are also totally vulnerable to other animals and cruel people, and many chained dogs have been stolen, set on fire, shot, stabbed, tortured, or poisoned by cruel passersby or neighbors who were annoyed by their barking.

DISTURBING BEHAVIOR OF CHAINED DOGS

Given these cruel living conditions, it’s no surprise that chained dogs often become aggressive and attack children or other people who approach them. Chained dogs are more likely to bite because they are usually not socialized, their living space is reduced to a few square feet, which while some lucky animal companions are treated as members of the family (as they should be), many others experience nothing but suffering, abuse, and sadness.  Some forms of abuse and neglect of animals are illegal, but in many states, animals have no legal protection from ‘standard’ practices such as being chained to a post all day and night, having their toes, ears, or tails cut off for human convenience or preference; or being forced to wear collars that deliver painful shocks in response to perfectly normal behavior such as barking!

Would you be happy living in one room all your life, with no one to talk to and nothing to do? Of course not.  Just as humans enjoy having family and friends, so do dogs. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE TO A CHAINED DOG.

A dog kept chained alone in one spot for hours, days, months, or even years suffers immense psychological damage.  An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious, and often aggressive.  In many cases, the necks of chained dogs become raw and covered with sores, the result of improperly fitted collars and the dogs' constant yanking and straining to escape confinement.  Some chained dogs have collars embedded in their necks, the result of years of neglect at the end of a chain. Chained dogs frequently become entangled in their chains too, and unable to access food, water, and shelter.
 

A chained animal is caught in a vicious cycle, frustrated by long periods of boredom and social isolation, he becomes a neurotic shell of his former self, further deterring human interaction and kindness.  In the end, the helpless dog can only suffer the frustration of watching the world go by in isolation, a cruel fate for what is by nature a highly social animal.  Any city, county, or state that bans this practice is a safer, more humane community.

Owners often say that they leave the dog outdoors for a perceived benefit for the dog.  They see that the dog initially really enjoys being out there, watching the world go by.  Fresh air, outside, what could be better for a dog, they think.  Maybe the owners go to work for 8+ hours a day and can’t trust the dog in the house during that time, and they decide to leave the dog outdoors for the whole day.  Gradually the dog is spending most of its time on the tie-out.  Probably the dog sleeps indoors and spends part of the evening inside.  But the dog’s life, essentially, is outdoors and restrained.  MOST OF THEIR WORLD is seen from the end of that tie-out.

If this is your idea of keeping your dog happy by keeping him chained outside and protecting your valuable house, think again.

BACKYARD DOGS MAKE LOUSY GUARD DOGS. 

As a dog becomes naturally protective of where he lives (his territory or turf), he will only defend the place he lives in.  If he is never allowed in the house, then the house will not become a place to protect.  Most people keep their valuables inside their houses, so why wouldn't you want your dog to protect the inside of your houses?  Unless allowed to live inside, your dog will not develop that sense of territory.  He will not sound the alarm when someone tries to invade your house.  It not uncommon to hear stories of families being robbed while their backyard dog snoozed through. 

If you keep your dog outside for the purpose of guarding your home, it is important to note that the dog who is inside the home is more likely to deter an intruder than a dog chained in a yard.  Also, there are strong chances the intruder can immobilize your dog by feeding him food laced with poison.. 

When dogs are left on a tie-out, there are several things the dog ‘accidentally’ learns.

HE LEARNS: FRUSTRATION BY STIMULATION.

Over and over again, the dog sees people passing by, other dogs, crows raiding the garbage, cars passing, etc.  A dog has the natural tendency to be curious and would want to investigate things and over and over again, he cannot.  Because he is tied on, he is forced to watch while exciting things pass him by.

TO STRUGGLE, BARK AND GO CRAZY

He is unable to reach the things he is interested in, and gets frustrated.  At first, any dog’s natural response will be interest, attempt to investigate, straining at the end of the tie-out, and eventually maybe barking a time or two depending on the intensity of the stimulus.  But after only a few weeks, the dog starts to have a conditioned response on seeing or hearing stimulus.  He becomes extremely excited at first sight or sound.

Because the dog is usually straining at the end of a leash, and feeling frustration, the dog starts to associate the feeling of being restrained or held back with extreme excitement. 

Dogs have a natural instinct to pull against restraint and to become excited and frustrated.  It’s Mother Nature’s way to help the dog want to get itself out of something when it’s caught up!  If you’re stuck, struggle and pull and vocalize until you’re unstuck! 

GIVE YOUR DOG A CHANCE TO BE YOUR BEST FRIEND

Don't kick him out because you think he is untrainable, unruly, or because it is good for him to be outside. Instead, take the time to make him a part of your family, a part of your pack.

The ideal situation for any dog is to be part of the family and live indoors, but some people, for various reasons, don't bring their animals inside. Please make a difference for outdoor dogs and make sure they have adequate shelter

GIVING YOUR DOG PROPER SHELTER AND PROTECTION.

In addition to safe confinement, dogs need adequate shelter from the elements. Dogs kept outside may be unintentionally exposed to bitter cold temperatures in the winter and scorching heat in the summer.

To protect your dog from harsh weather, provide a well-constructed doghouse. However, keep in mind that some breeds with very long or short coats cannot tolerate extreme outside temperatures even when provided with proper shelter.

MAKE IT COMFY:

To provide your dog with a comfortable doghouse, consider these suggestions:

·         The house should be large enough to allow the dog to stand up and turn around comfortably, but small enough to enable the dog to retain body heat.

·         The house should have a slanted, waterproof roof to allow rainwater to run off.

·         If the doghouse is made of wood, it should be raised off the ground at least two inches to prevent the floor from rotting.

·         The door should be just large enough for your dog to enter easily.

·  During the winter months, to protect your dog from cold wind, the door should be covered by a flexible plastic flap—such as a floor runner that doesn't have spikes on one side. A piece of carpet can work in a pinch, but it can get wet and freeze.

·         Clean, dry bedding such as hay, straw, or cedar shavings should be provided. The bedding should be changed weekly to prevent mold and to keep the doghouse sanitary.

·         In warmer months, the dog should also be provided with shade such as a tree or tarp. A doghouse in direct sun becomes an oven and will not keep a dog cool.

·         Finally, anytime your dog is kept outside, be sure to provide fresh water in a tip-proof bowl or large bucket. Make sure the water doesn't freeze during colder months.

Also remember that if you have more than one dog, you need to provide a doghouse for each one.

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Every state has laws prohibiting animal cruelty, however, a law is only as good as its enforcement, and that's why animals rely on you to protect them by reporting animal abuse. It can be very upsetting to see someone beating or physically attacking an animal, but it's important not to turn away.  Some animal welfare agencies have the power to obtain and serve warrants; other agencies work closely with local police who execute the warrant on their behalf.

If you suspect animal cruelty is occurring in your neighborhood, please don’t be a silent witness and walk away. There are many organizations in every country and state who work tirelessly to help animals live a better life, contact them.

                 
       I’m Nobody Important….. Barbara E. Rowan

                 

           The sun spirited away my last drop of water,

           Fed it to an already-fat cloud.

           I run 'round the pole once to shake my rage.

           My paws pound my own stink into the already putrid earth.

           But I'm nobody important.

           I'm just a chained dog.

           A kid threw a big stone at me as he passed by.

           Only attention I've had all day,

           But even gladder that he missed.

           I run again 'round that pole,

           A second whirl to let off steam.

           The chain catches my leg

           And I'm down.

           "SHUT UP!" they yelled from the big house.

           I still won't stop crying.

           The heat covers me

           Like a blanket covers a fire.

           But I'm nobody important.

           I'm just a chained dog.

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           Save a Life, adopt a homeless dog.