Day Fourteen: Closing Ceremonies & Award of Chevy Aveo

Channel Six, Johnstown Tribune, and Jim Lauffer of Mainline News were all present for the closing ceremonies, which were held out on the field where contestants lived for two weeks. Approximately 30 people attended, including 4 of the 5 contestants who made it to elimination rounds.

Tammy spoke from the center of our field, now empty of all but forlorn doghouses. She introduced each of the four contestants, who spoke a bit about their experiences. All of their journals will be made into a book and sold online very shortly, and we hope to include contact info there as well.If you'd like to bring them onto your show, please contact us at 814.941.7447

Tammy's speech:

Today we conclude Chain Off 2006, our inaugural year for an event that we've already seen change lives--of both humans and dogs.

Our eleven contestants proved to be strong...they endured up to 13 days chained to doghouses, living as blind and deaf dogs, depending on others to take care of them, and surrendering all that seemed normal in their lives, first and foremost their freedom.

They did this each for their own reasons, but for Dogs Deserve Better it was done all for the chained and penned dogs.

I believe that what we accomplished here fits the realm of a social experiment, one where we put ourselves into the experience of another being in order to understand how that being lives, develop more empathy for his/her plight. In this case our contestants put themselves into the place of our nation's chained dogs. They came from all over the U.S., not only from Pennsylvania, but also from Illinois, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, and New York.

As you look around at these empty doghouses, they now contain not only the ghosts of chained dogs past, but also the ghosts of those humans who stood for them.

To say I am proud of each and every one of them would be a severe understatement. To say I am grateful to each and every one of them does not do justice to the gift they have given me and the dogs. I will never forget them and will forever honor them through our website and our journal of the event.

Before I bring up our finalists who came back to share with us today, I would like to thank Rocky Shepheard. This contest idea was Rocky's, and expanded on what I and others had done for the past two years in chaining ourselves to doghouses. But Rocky did so much more, for he stuck it out until the end with me. He was heavily involved in the planning and implementation of the project, and he stayed here and took care of our contestants all the way through to the end, no matter how ugly it got. And believe me, it got pretty ugly at times! Rocky, my deepest gratitude to you. I can truly say I could not have done this without you.

Now, of the five contestants who made it to this week's eliminations rounds, four of them are here. I'd like to introduce them, and have them each answer a question or two about what this event did for their lives.

First, there is Stephen Port, of Altoona, PA. Stephen, you were the first of our contestants eliminated this week, and it was very emotional for all of us. Can you share with us, now that you've had time to reflect on it, what this event has done for you? [Stephen speaks, and talks about how he can now really identify with the dogs.]

We also have our third place winner here, Thomas Frank of Bellefonte, PA. Thomas, you proved to be a very tough competitor, and were one of the top two many thought would go to the end. What do you take home with you as a result of this experience? [Thomas sends a plea to everyone to really think about how you are keeping your dogs.]

Our final two contestants proved to be our youngest and our oldest competitors, an 18 year old woman, Aija Gillman from Illinois, and a 52 year old man, Don McKendree of Johnstown, PA. To say that it was hard to come up with elimination contests that did not favor one or the other of them would be an understatement. She was the hands down winner of any memory or testing contests, and he was the hands-down winner of any throwing contests.

Don McKendree turned out to be our second place finisher, but he was still a big winner to us! Don's dog Nikki lived on a chain much of the time, for she has issues that need to be dealt with. For Don, putting himself in her place proved to be incredibly life-changing, and I would be honored if he'd come up here and tell you what he learned as a result of this contest, and perhaps share what we did yesterday after we concluded. [Don told how he plans to use his journal to reach others, to explain to them how he lived and what it taught him. He also told how we released Nikki the day before, and that he was going to make sure she got a fence and whatever she needed.]

Now, to introduce the winner of our first ever Chain Off contest, Aija Gillman. Aija, for me, was the dark horse of this event. I would not have picked her to win, given that she'd just turned 18 and in many ways seemed a typical teenager: she hated the food, missed her friends, and didn't even like the car, all of which she put in her journal. I could never figure out what her motivation was for sticking it out, but I can tell you that she sure proved me wrong, and I am today humbled and in awe of her abilities! In every day of eliminations, she came out on top, seemingly effortlessly. She may not have always been happy sitting there, but still she sat. She may have wanted to leave, but she stuck it out through thick and thin. Having accomplished such a feat at the young age of 18 gives me incredible hope for our future, and the future of the chained dogs in America. If Aija is any example of what other young people are able to accomplish today, I say bring it on! Our country desperately needs young people to stand up and make a difference.

Aija, I'm very, very proud of you, as a young person and a woman, to have accomplished so much. I think that your future is incredibly bright, and I look forward to a year of you representing Dogs Deserve Better, as our Chain Off 2006 Champion! [Aija really cried her eyes out while speaking of her experience, and felt that this issue deserves much more attention. She cares deeply about animals, and wants to be a voice for those who have none.]

Aija was, finally, awarded with the keys to her new Chevy Aveo, and Tammy's artpiece entitled "Make Chain-ge Happen", based on her first year of chaining herself. The contestants spoke to the press, and a reception was held immediately following.

Thanks so much, again, to all of you who donated to make this possible! We've proven we can do it, and plan to go even BIGGER next year, in a major city! If you have contacts who can help, please let us know. We also will be releasing a book of the event and the contestant photos and completely journals, as well as a video of the event.

Special thanks go to the following for their help in making this happen. Eagle Chevrolet of Johnstown, New York, who gave us money off a car and drove it down to us; Todd Sneath and Condrin who helped get the car on the road back to Illinois with temporary plates; Jackson Township for allowing us to use the beautiful Leidy Park, and the Jackson Township EMT staff for their wonderful assistance throughout.

Contest-Day One/Two & Synopsis, Photos: First to Go
Contest-Day Three/Four & Synopsis, Photos: Who Left Next?
Contest-Day Five/Six & Synopsis, Photos: And Then There Were Six...
Contest-Day Seven/Eight & Synopsis, Photos: Now Down to Five
Contest-Day Nine/Ten & Synopsis, Photos: Eliminations Begin
Contest-Day Eleven/Twelve & Synopsis, Photos: Only Two Left
Contest-Day Thirteen & Synopsis, Photos: And the Winner Is...

Contest-Day Fourteen & Synopsis, Photos:
Closing Ceremonies and Award of Chevy Aveo

Event T and Water Bottle Combo Sets, Only $11.75!
Don't miss out on this amazing deal! When they're gone their gone...Select from Green as worn by Aija, Stephen, Shawn, and Susan, or Cream, as worn by Don, Tom, Jacqueline, Mikael, Heather, Jacob, and Corey.

If you'd like to help, please donate to our cause today! We need your help.

Visit our volunteer page for more ideas of how you can get involved.
Also, consider buying an item from our store. By doing so, you will be providing us with dollars to support our efforts and at the same time spreading the word in an uplifting, fun, and beautiful message.

If you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail,
please send to P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684
or you may call 1.877.636.1408

Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit education/legislation/rescue organization. Your donations are tax-deductible according to IRS guidelines.