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Off 2009 Greenville, South Carolina
Personal Account Coming Soon Dog activists in Greenville send message GREENVILLE, SC -- Animal-rights advocates shed their chains Sunday after spending two straight days tethered to doghouses in one of downtown Greenville's most visible venues. Advocates said that chaining dogs is legal in many areas but takes away their ability to run away, making them more likely to bite people. At least two Upstate child deaths have been blamed on chained dogs since 2003. Advocates said children are particularly at risk because they often don't recognize dogs' warning signs. “When you realize you are no longer able to flee the scene, you're just always amped up for the fight,” Mikael Hardy said. “And dogs don't distinguish between a cat, a squirrel and a 2-year-old toddler.” Being chained also is painful for the dog. Some people buy a puppy, chain it and as it grows, the collar becomes embedded in its neck. One alternative to chaining is to keep dogs inside fences, Hardy said. Her Greenville-based group, Pawsitive Effects, helps build 600-square-foot fenced enclosures for dog owners who can't afford them, she said. About 120 people chained themselves in demonstrations throughout the country, but the main Dogs Deserve Better event was in Greenville, Thayne said. Six demonstrators kept themselves chained for about 28 hours, starting Saturday morning and ending Sunday afternoon, Thayne said. They spent their days at Piazza Bergamo to draw attention to their cause and slept under a barn overhang at a local farm, Thayne said. Several others tethered themselves part of the time, she said. It takes a dog lover to give up so much time and comfort, and Hardy fits the profile. She has nine dogs, all rescued animals, in addition to two children and a husband. There is plenty of room for all on their three-acre spread, she said. Of the nine dogs, she said, three are pit bulls and two of those, Martha Goldfinch (a male) and Seymore (who is blind) had been chained. When she put Martha on a leash to take him for a walk, he went in a circle. She finally had to put him on a treadmill so he would walk forward. Even for dog lovers, being chained made for a grueling, exhausting weekend. When Thayne finally threw off her chain, she said she had “the best shower of the year.”
Group Asks Dog Owners To Unchain Pets
GREENVILLE, SC -- An Upstate animal rights group said Sunday that dog owners should not chain up their pets. Organizers with the advocacy group “Dogs Deserve Better” held an event in downtown Greenville on Sunday called “Chain Off.” The group said they hope people walking past their display would think their pets at home. “These dogs supposedly have homes, but they don’t have homes,” said Tamira Thayne with Dogs Deserve Better. “They’re stuck in the backyard and ignored their entire lives and it’s not right.” The group said that anyone who sees a dog chained up can e-mail the address to them and they will mail some informational material to the owner.
If
you'd like to sponsor via regular USPS mail, send
this
sponsor form or you may call 1.877.636.1408 to use Visa/Mastercard/AmEx Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit education/legislation/rescue organization. Your donations are tax-deductible according to IRS guidelines. |
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