Help Get Dogs Off the Chain and Out of the Cold
Many places in the U.S. are experiencing bitter cold now, and yet, dogs remain chained or tethered outside.
In Pennsylvania Dogs Deserve Better points out "dogs freeze in below-zero wind chills as they await a Pennsylvania law against tethering".
Pennsylvania bill, H.B.1254 remains stuck in the state legislature while just yesterday in Altoona "a 25-lb. black and white foo foo dog of indiscriminate breed, stands in the snow outside his doghouse. The temperature overnight is 7 degrees, with a wind chill of -11, yet his caretakers fail to bring him inside."
There is another report of a "black dog," an "underweight lab mix, shivers involuntarily while he eats food brought by Dogs Deserve Better volunteers. He has ice on his head and buttocks from attempting to stay warm in a doghouse with no floor and holes in the sides. How he's survived the night is unknown."
Dogs Deserve Better says, "This scenario repeats itself in towns all across Pennsylvania, as dogs await passage of HB1254, a bill which would limit the chaining of dogs. As winter storms ravage the state, bringing below-zero wind chills and arctic temperatures, dogs hold on as best they can. Those that freeze to death are rarely reported, quickly disposed of by owners looking to avoid legal consequences."
Dogs Deserve Better reports it "has received hundreds of calls this winter of dogs freezing and even dying outdoors as bitter cold sweeps the nation."
"I have personally advocated for 'Little Dog' for the past seven years, and have gotten nowhere. This small dog who should be sitting on a lap somewhere or enjoying family trips in the car instead grows older and sadder with each passing year. Before this, I watched as the old shepherd who was chained next to Little Dog grew frailer and frailer, eventually dying at the end of his/her chain, never having known human companionship or kindness," says Tamira Ci Thayne, founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better. "Sadly, only better laws will ensure humane treatment of dogs and end continual tethering. We are asking all Pennsylvania citizens to join our coalition at UnchainPADogs.
In New York state where frigid temperatures also mean suffering for chained dogs, there is a bill pending as well that could change that.
New York's proposed tethering restrictions, AB 6046, has been in the Agriculture Committee since February, 2009. The bill was introduced by Assembly Members William Magee and Joan L. Millman. Mr. Magee is the Chair of the Agriculture Committee.
This bill would limit chaining of dogs, including use of a running cable or trolley, to no more than 6 hours a day.
The bill also requires any tether to be at least 15 feet long that must be attached to prevent injury or strangulation or entanglement with other objects. There have been incidents, for example, of dogs climbing a fence while chained and hanging themselves. The bill, AB 6046, would ban the use of choke type or prong collars for chaining and require any tether or chain to be attached to a properly fitted collar, harness or like device made for that purpose.
In the introduction to the bill, it is stated, "We should be doing everything we can to decrease the number of aggressive, non-socialized dogs. That will most certainly translate into fewer dog bites, healthier children (as they are most often the ones bitten).... [A] large part of that is ensuring that our dogs are not unduly and unnecessarily chained for long periods of time thus providing them with the exercise and social outlet that they want and need."
So, it's time to move this bill out of committee and onto votes by the Assembly and Senate. Winter is here and there is no reason we shouldn't do everything in New York state to save dogs left on chains to freeze to death.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Find Assembly Agriculture Committee members here and write or call each one and urge them to vote yes to AB 6046 to restrict cruel chaining and save the lives of dogs chained continually right now in freezing weather.
Go here to find your New York state Assembly member and urge him or her to support restrictions on chaining dogs, AB 6046.
Other State Laws on Chaining/Tethering Dogs
In 2009 Nevada joined 12 other states in placing restrictions on tethering or chaining: California (Health & Safety Code Sec. 122335), Texas (Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 821.077), Connecticut, (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22-350a), Tennessee (Tenn. Code §39-14-202), Delaware (7 Del. C. § 1704), Maryland, (Md. CRIMINAL LAW Code §10-623), Michigan (Mi. Comp. Laws § 750.50), Vermont (13 V.S.A. § 365), Maine (M.R.S. § 4015), North Carolina (N.C. Gen. Stat. §14-362.3); Virginia (Va. Code §3.2-6500) and West Virginia (W. Va. Code § 61-8-19(a)(1)(H)).
Nevada, California and Texas limit the number of hours dogs can be chained each day.
Why Chaining/Tethering of Dogs Should be Banned or Restricted
Chained dogs tend to be neglected and can be dangerous, straining animal control resources and endangering the community.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and United States Dept of Agriculture (USDA) also oppose chaining dogs.
The Center for Disease Control has said chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite adults. Chained dogs are nearly 5 times more likely to bite children. The National Canine Research Council reports that almost 30% of all fatal dog attacks involve chained or penned dogs. The ASPCA reports 81% of fatal dog attacks involve dogs that are isolated. Go here for more information.
Nicholas Dodman, DVM, Professor, Tufts University, says, "Chaining dogs makes them more aggressive. They are natural social animals and [chaining] induces 'isolation-induced aggression' and creates a 'junkyard' dog effect. They basically go mad."
