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Get
your
Chain Off 2007 Attire!
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Trish
Lane, St Frances Animal Rescue & Refuge, Oakland See the article on the Best Friends Network page
Unleashing
a cause: Local volunteers chain themselves Christina Morgan/The Millington Star In an effort to protest the chaining of dogs, several members of area pet rescue organizations spent Sunday, July 1 holding signs and wearing chains. Members representing organizations, such as Rainbow Ridge Pet Rescue and West Tennessee Animal Alliance, both based in Tipton County, and Pets 4 You Animal Rescue from Millington, volunteered in the 2007 Chain Off sponsored by the national organization, Dogs Deserve Better. Jacque Willis of Rainbow Ridge was one of several people who traveled to Bumpus Harley-Davidson on Kirby-Whitten Road to spend four hours in the Memphis sun and sometimes rain with a chain around her neck."We're only doing this for four hours," she said. "Imagine doing this all day, every day." Pets 4 You representative Kathleen Vasquez, who sat atop of a doghouse with chains on, said she is supporting the cause for many reasons, one which stems from her childhood. "I was 9 when I was walking past a collie tied to a tree with a circle of dirt around him," she said. "And I guess I got too close to his property, because, when his chain finally broke he jumped on me and bit me." She had to receive stitches because of the incident. "It was pretty dramatic," she said. "I'm 50 now, and I still remember it like it was yesterday." Vasquez said chained dogs become aggressive, and she wants to keep that from happening to someone else. Concurring, Willis said keeping children from being bitten is one of the greatest benefits of getting the dogs off the chains. According to a flyer handed out at the event, chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite. And aggressive behavior is due to confinement and lack of socialization. Gina Thawett, who represented Fayette County Animal Rescue, chained herself to a 50-pound tow chain she found in an actual rescue case. "Using this chain is very common, and it can cause neck wounds," she said. Thawett said that in most cases, she sees that dogs do not have adequate food or water. Both Willis and Vasquez noted that dogs are "pack animals" and need socialization. And the most they usually get is when the owners bring out food and water. Vasquez referred to the circle of dirt around a chained dog as their "circle of life," because all they have is located within this perimeter. The chaining of dogs is already banned in West Memphis, Willis said. And there is legislation in the works for Tennessee to see the same law go into effect, along with one that would define "tethering" as animal cruelty. For more information about the unchaining of dogs, visit dogsdeservebetter.com. Dog Day: Animal activists chain off at motorcycle dealership BY CHERIE HEIBERG | JULY 5, 2007 AM Memphisflyer.com Bumpus Harley-Davidson on Whitten Road may be known for its motorcycles, but last weekend, it was all about dogs, not hogs. As part of the fifth annual Dogs Deserve Better Chain Off, a small group of people spent Sunday chained to telephone poles and doghouses in front of the dealership. The event, which is held around July 4th each year nationwide, strives to bring attention to what organizers call the inhumane and unethical practice of chaining dogs. "We're trying to bring attention to a national problem," said Ona Cooper, a representative of Animal World, a free monthly publication. "We want people to start thinking about this." The state recently passed an anti-chaining law, which went into effect July 1st. The law states that any person who knowingly ties, tethers, or restrains a dog in a manner that is inhumane, detrimental, or injurious to the dog's welfare and prevents a dog from getting adequate access to food, water, or shelter commits an offense. The Memphis City Council will also consider a citywide version of the state law July 10th. If approved, that ordinance will take effect September 4th. At the protest, one woman tied herself to a telephone pole with a heavy chain used to tow cars. After linking the end of a towing hook to the chain to create a dangerous loop, she attached the chain to a collar around her neck and explained that she'd once found a dog tethered that way. Overturned food and water bowls surrounded a doghouse and the chained humans. Cooper said this was to re-create situations in which dogs have been found. Dogs Deserve Better says that chaining is detrimental to the welfare of dogs because they are pack animals. In the absence of other canines, humans become the dog's pack, but a chained dog is essentially "rejected" from its pack. It then becomes very territorial, and according to Dogs Deserve Better, a chained dog is more than twice as likely to bite someone. "People are tired of [chaining]," said Cooper. "What we're doing will bring awareness now and legislation later. It's time for things to change." It's
a Dog's Life: JUNE 30, 2007 - 08:24 AM Memphisflyer.com Thousands of dogs spend everyday chained to trees or poles in backyards across the nation. Some have no shade. Others cannot reach their food or water bowls, and all are denied the chance to move around. As a part of the national Dogs Deserve Better campaign, several local humane animal groups will be chaining themselves to a giant doghouse at Bumpus Harley-Davidson this Sunday to encourage irresponsible dog owners to unchain their pets. Communities across the nation are beginning to ban tethering and chaining of dogs. At a recent Memphis City Council meeting, member E.C. Jones raised the issue in response to a pit bull attack. City public services director Keenon McCloy said a committee is reviewing the possibility of outlawing tethering, which she said, makes dogs more aggressive. The event is sponsored by The Animal World newspaper, St. Francis Animal Rescue Refuge, and Rainbow Ridge Pet Rescue. --Bianca Phillips
"Just a few pics. I brought 7 chains and they were all used. I even had to give mine up. People stayed out in the rain and later in the day, the hot hot sun. Fox13 TV came out and interviewed us. After the interview, he agreed to be chained too!— Ona"
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