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Kim Jayne, Finally Home Holistic Recovery and Adoption

Chained in Chicago, 24 Hours, June 27-28

 

Hello friends,
 
As you know, the big event that you so kindly chose to support has ended, though our fight continues on.  I wanted to share with you all my experience.  Thank you for all the inquiries...that just shows me that the word I am spreading is actually being heard...THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. 

My life on a chain didn't start off so bad.  The sun was shining and I was able to RELAX, which you all know is a word NOT in my vocabulary.  I had so many visitors that day....God Bless you all.  That support meant more to me than you will even know.  But as the day grew long and the reality of what these poor pups have to endure settled into mind, I felt more than ever how horrible it must be for them.  My body grew stiff from not being able to move more than 6 ft.  The clouds grew darker above and you knew what was to come in the minutes ahead.  My doghouse could have shelterd only my head.  The rest of my body had to put up a fight against the soaring winds, rain and hail.  It fell dark, and even though I had company around me, I felt the great pain of loneliness and imagined the pups out there in much worse condition. Frightened, lonely, cold....and no one around to even give them a warm thought to take them through the night.  For me and my fellow chainers, we sat through sharp winds, pounding cold rain and yes, even hail.  NOT ONE OF US GAVE UP.  Some of us had shelter over our heads, some of us didn't.  Most pups don't either.  We had food and water...most pups don't.
 
If you haven't already taken some time to read about Dogs Deserve Better and what this organization stands for, please do.  Awareness is key.  If you can learn what is going on right in your own backyard, then you can make a difference yourself.  When you see a dog chained to a tree or a fencepost, or locked in a pen no bigger than a chicken crate, you can potentially save that life....just by speaking up for the poor soul that can't speak for itself, and getting some help.
 
Below is a very real poem written by one of my fellow chainers.  Tammy Grimes, the founder of DDB and my friend, read this during her opening speech at the event.  There were hearts breaking all over the grounds and many tears shed.  This is reality.  Thank you Gordon.
 
 
TOUGH   LOVE /   Chained 
 
I am a dog with a story to tell
A dog on a chain, my life a living hell.
 
I was unlucky enough to be born in a “mill”
Though they passed new laws, it’s probably there still.
  
I was born in a small wire pen
Along with my brothers, six of us kin.
  
We were not kept together for very long
Before taken to auction and sold for a song.

Sold to a pet store, my home a glass cage
I was one of those designer dogs, “all of the rage.”
 
So again I was sold in about a week
Little did I know it was “up the creek.”
 
I was bought for a Christmas present for the kids
But that didn’t last long before I hit the skids.
 
At first it was a happy and playful time
I lived in a big house, everything was fine.

Played with two children, my master and his wife
This was the greatest, this was the life.
 
 But then all of a sudden things got real hard
I was thrown outside to live in the yard.
 
Maybe it’s because I do shed a little
Or once on the rug I did a little piddle.
 
No explanation and no reason why
All night alone I would whimper and cry.
 
When the sun came up I barked all day
But no one, not even the kids, came out to play.
 
I’ve grown a little older now living on a chain
They say I’m too big for the house, too much trouble to train.
 
This is my story, and my lament
I'm nothing more than a lawn ornament.
 
I’ve been waiting for my master for close to 15 years
Tied in the back yard, choking back my tears.

I hope you think of me when you see a dog on a chain
And know that dog is lonely, hurting, and in pain.

Maybe you’ll even stop a while and pat him on his head
Or just sit beside him and talk to him instead.

If you stay long enough to say a friendly word
It’s sure to be a kindness that for years he’s never heard.
 
\When you see a chained dog and know of his plight
You'll know in your heart and mind, it just ain’t right.
 
By Gordon Bakalar, erikabak@msn.com