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Get
your
Chain Off 2007 Attire!
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Edwardsville Fund-raiser will put focus on dog chaining By
ANN NICCUM, aniccum@edwpub.net The local animal rescue group Hope Animal Rescues has planned a unique event to bring awareness about dog chaining. The group is hosting an adoption and benefit barbecue from from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 18. at LaBest, Inc. in Edwardsville. During the day there will be an opportunity to meet some of the animals at the rescue available for adoption, as well as enjoy some food and drinks. The public and their pets are welcome to attend. The day is in honor of National Homeless Animals Day. But the local rescue will also start a Unchain Your Dog Campaign that day. The group along with many volunteers will be chaining themselves to a dog house for 24 hours. Co-founder Kim Lee said the event is to raise awareness for the plight of the chained dog. "Dogs are pack animals and when in a family they see the humans as part of the pack too, so they do not understand why they have been shut out. Dogs need exercise, discipline and love according to the experts, and a chained dog gets none of these. So, we would like to shed some light on that and help educate the public on what chaining your dog really does to him/her. We are hoping that by doing this more cities will get involved in the "no tether law" (no chain) such as other cities have done," Lee said. The rescue will also make a difference at the same time. Co-founder Jackie Spiker said the rescue will be raising money to build a fence for a local family who said they would unchain their dog if they had a fence. "Not only do we want to raise awareness but we want to make a difference too. All volunteers that are chained up will be raising money for the cause and at the end we hope to install a fence for a family that cannot afford one so that we can unchain their dog," she said. Lee said the idea for the event came from a volunteer. "One of our volunteers, Lisa Shaw introduced us to dogsdeservebetter.org a group dedicated to unchaining the 50 states. We decided to do our part by holding this event and starting the process in our own community." Spiker said she hoped increase the event will raise awareness about dog chaining. "Our community is a diverse one, so we are hoping that by reaching out with this vigil and event we can educate people those who do not know the bad side of chaining a dog. For instance, did you know that when a dog is scared there are two ways to respond -- one is to fight and the other is to fight. By chaining your dog you only leave them one option and that is why a chained dog is 2.5 times more likely to bite than an unchained dog. Public safety is important to every man, woman and child in our community, and this alone should make them think twice about chaining a dog." According to the The Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org), "Dogs are naturally social beings who thrive on interaction with human beings and other animals. A dog kept chained 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." On a lighter note, Spiker said the day will have many other activities for all to enjoy. "We are holding this vigil in conjunction with National Homeless Animals Day so there will be lots of activities such as dog adoptions, hot dogs, beverages and games for the visiting pets too. We will have a musical matts game, bobbing for hotdogs race and a kissing contest for all the pets to enjoy with their humans. We will be speaking to people and educating the public on the importance of spay/neuter, training and socializing of pets." Lee added the day is to not only educate but to have some fun too. "To celebrate the relationship between mankind and their best friend, educate the public, raise funds for chained dogs in our community and to have fun. Everyone is welcome to come and bring their pet," she said. LaBest is located at 4933 Indian Hills Road in Edwardsville. For more information about the event or to participate, call 463-9983 or e-mail admin@hoperescues.com. Volunteers interested in being chained must be 18 years or older. Also, the rescue is looking for volunteers to help put up the fencing that will be purchased with the money raised. For more information on the Dogs Deserve Better Campaign, go to www.dogsdeservebetter.org. To learn more about Hope Animal Rescues, visit www.hoperescues.com.
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