Dawn Delph, Carolyn Forsman, Maryland, Chained

Carolyn Forsman, Dawn Delph
Waldorf
July 7, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.
On the corner of Taylor court
in the Bannister neighborhood
301-638-5182
sagittarianvegetarian@comcast.net

Living a dog’s life ... for half a day
Woman to protest by being chained to doghouse

Friday, June 29, 2007
By Sara K. Taylor
Staff Writer, Southern Maryland News

For about a year and a half, Dawn Delph has been re-examining her life.

The 29-year-old Waldorf woman and single mother of a 9-year-old leads a vegetarian lifestyle and strives to be a vegan, while serving as an environmental and animal advocate.

‘‘We can sit here and complain about all the horrible stuff in the world, but until you do something about it, you have no right to complain,” Delph said.

On Sunday, Delph is walking the walk, or she would be if she weren’t spending July 1 chained to a doghouse on the corner of Taylor Court and Bannister Circle.

Part of a national event developed by the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Dogs Deserve Better, ‘‘Unchain the 50” is a protest against the chaining and penning of canines for most of their lives.

During the 12-hour protest, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Delph will have literature available and a petition for signatures from those wanting stricter laws against the abuse of animals.

Founded by Pennsylvania resident Tammy S. Grimes, Dogs Deserve Better pushes for legislation that would make owners provide better treatment for pets.

In 2006, California was the first state to pass a law limiting the amount of time a dog could be tethered to an object, according to a press release from Dogs Deserve Better.

During the Fourth of July holiday, more than 70 people throughout the country will chain themselves to doghouses in an effort to raise awareness.

‘‘Living chained to a doghouse for 24 hours will be grueling and unimaginable for those of us who are so used to coming and going as we please,” said Dogs Deserve Better representative Susan Hartland, in a press release. ‘‘But the discomfort we will endure is nothing compared to the daily suffering of many of our nation’s dogs who spend their entire lives at the end of a chain ... baking in the summer sun or freezing in the winter cold.”

Although Delph doesn’t own a dog herself, her boyfriend, Jason Richardson, has a brindle boxer named Caesar that does not spend any long amount of time outdoors.

Richardson is slowly coming around to Delph’s way of thinking.

He doesn’t adhere to the vegetarian diet as strictly as his girlfriend, but he is respectful of it, and he is by her side for protests, whether advocating for humans — as they did when raising awareness of the Darfur genocide — or shedding light on issues of animal cruelty.

‘‘I think the majority of people are good,” Delph said. ‘‘If they knew what was going on, they wouldn’t be OK with it.”

Delph doesn’t shy away from voicing her opinion, and she doesn’t let jeering or bullying bother her too much. As a mother, she is concerned about retaliation for her protests, yet it doesn’t stop her from continuing. And Sunday she’s going to the dogs.

‘‘They’re our responsibility,” Delph said of dogs. ‘‘We domesticated them. I’m [acting as] their voice, and I have to talk.”

E-mail Sara K. Taylor at staylor@somdnews.com

Carolyn Forsman's Chain Off Writeup

I read about “Unchain the 50” on the Dogs Deserve Better website. When I read that Dawn Delph in neighboring Charles County would be participating, I was inspired and decided that I would too.

I told many people about the event, including Lynne Gillis who was a DDB rep for 4 years. Lynne ceased being a rep after someone intentionally killed one of her dogs in retaliation for the work she’s done. Niko was a formerly chained pit bull puppy she was fostering; he was poisoned with antifreeze on February 16, 2007. He died on February 17, 2007. There is an active and ongoing investigation taking place. Lynne established DDB in Southern Maryland and has gotten approximately 25 dogs off of chains. She is also responsible for laws being changed in Calvert County, is a founding member of Justice for Dogs which recently got a new state law passed, has spoken to numerous people and teaches high school kids about the problems with chaining. She started with DDB in October of 2003.

Like so many others, I have the deepest respect and admiration for Lynne and for all that she’s done to help dogs in Southern Maryland. You can imagine that everyone was delighted when she stopped by to lend her support and share stories about rescuing dogs.

A woman we didn’t even know, Judy Caswell also stopped by and chained herself too. She used a chain that had tethered a dog she had rescued; and sometimes he was kept in a rabbit cage for very long periods of time. When she got him, he had serious medical problems and could hardly walk, but after vet care, daily food and water, exercise, and Judy’s TLC, in time he was even able to run. It took 4 years before his care takers surrendered him but Judy’s efforts paid off. He’s now passed but had six years free from being confined to that chain or the cage. Instead he was able to be around other people and Judy’s other dogs; able to play, run, and able to come inside the house.

I hope Judy’s experience gives hope to those trying to help chained or penned dogs. Once people realize that DDB and their reps aren’t giving them literature about chaining or knocking on their door to point a finger of judgment; but genuinely only want the dog to have the best life possible and be as comfortable and safe as possible. I think at some point they understand that being off of a permanent chain is best for the dog; and either start making changes for the dog themselves or surrender him to someone who will not continually chain. And DDB can assist people with those changes with crate training, fencing, and spaying and neutering. But if individuals don’t want their dog, they can still contact DDB or give them to local rescue groups, many are listed on the internet.

My husband Ed also lent his support that day; he helped man a table with literature. He also helped Dawn write a petition to limit tethering (we got about 50 signatures).

Dawn’s boyfriend, Jason Richardson also helped man the table, set up equipment, get signatures for the petition and ran much needed errands.

The Humane Society of the United States sent a reporter, Adam Goldfarb to interview and take pictures of Dawn. That story and another one about "Unchain the 50" are posted on their website.

Please build a fence or bring dogs inside before putting them on a run. Dogs can and do hang themselves on a trolley/dog run, and this also happens to dogs on fixed chains attempting to jump over fences or objects near them. A run is still a chain but is better than a fixed chain; it gives them more freedom of movement and they’d stand a much better chance of not becoming aggressive like many chained dogs do. According to the DDB website, since October 2003 until just days ago, 143 people – many of them children - have been killed or seriously injured by chained dogs across the country. Just 12 days after the Unchain the 50 event held in Atlanta, a chained rottweiler killed a 5 year old girl near the site where 15 people stood against the practice of chaining.

Remember, if you know of dogs that are kept chained or penned permanently, you can contact DDB and remain anonymous. They will send literature and follow up with a visit to the caretaker’s home if there is a local rep. But there are many other ways you can help these dogs. Please visit the DDB homepage for more information and help make change happen!

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