September 27, 2007
Stop The Abuse: Dogs
Today, bloggers everywhere are blogging against abuse. Some have chosen to focus on child abuse, spousal abuse, or elderly abuse. If you are a blogger, it isn’t too late to join us. Please post about stopping abuse and join us in our mission to become a more humane, caring society.
Michael Vick has been in the news once again regarding the Pit Bull fighting charges against him. Now he’s facing possible federal charges as well as the state charges. I don’t know how this is going to play out but I will be watching. I’m football fanatic. I love Pit Bulls. This story captivates me.
Beyond that, though, there is dog abuse going on every single day, in virtually every town and neighborhood. And the abuse that goes on is not illegal. That, perhaps, makes it more sad and even more challenging. That abuse is the constant chaining of dogs to an outside space.
I realize that the law considers a dog “property” and not a family member. Just ask anyone with a beloved canine companion to describe their dog, though, and you’d be hard pressed to hear the word “property” in those descriptions. Dogs are living creatures with very distinct natural instincts. Specifically, a dog is a “pack” animal. It thrives when living with others, either four-legged or two-legged. Dogs were never meant to be tied up and left alone, away from the rest of the “pack” or family.
Most dog attacks in this country are from chained dogs. Chaining a dog continuously, even with adequate water, food, and shelter is still contrary to their natural habitat. It’s abusive, plain and simple. It’s no different than providing food, water and shelter to a baby with no love, cuddling or human interaction beyond the basics. Each of these scenarios are abusive in their neglect to these living creatures and produce a dangerous situation for the society in which they live.
Our own family does use a chain for Belle when she goes outside. Belle, however, doesn’t spend more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time outside without us. And as all Pit Bull owners know, Pit Bulls are excellent jumpers. For that reason, when Belle needs to relieve herself quickly, we chain her for those few minutes so that a stray cat doesn’t grab her attention and lead her astray. That kind of chaining is not an issue. Chaining on a leash for walks, likewise, is not a problem but rather is responsible pet ownership. Our own bike and walking trail runs along a 4 lane highway so putting Belle on a lead while walking is for her safety most of all.
The abuse of chaining is when a dog spends many hours tied to a tree or post, often with no more than 10 square feet of area, for indefinite periods of time. Dogs do deserve better and if you really care about dogs and the abuse so many of them suffer, please join the fight to end this “accepted” practice. Please consider reporting any dog that you see chained outside for long periods and speak out against the acceptance of this practice in our legal system.
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You bring up an important point. Dogs have even gotten imbedded collars and suffered other injuries from being chained up for too many hours.
I also blogged about animal abuse at:
http://healthplansplus.blogspot.com/2007/09/animal-abuse-and-mental-health.html
[...] Stop The Abuse: Dogs [...]
Dogs chained up for hours at a time always look so sad and lethargic to me. and have you heard Vick tested positive for pot use now? Probably not something that going to look favorable when the sentencing finally gets handed down.
Nice entry Marisa.
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I didn’t realize this blog campaign was going on. I guess I’ve been preoccupied with all the Burma stuff as of late. Here in Thailand, dogs aren’t so much abused as they are allowed to run wild.
I dont mainly blog about pets or specifically about dogs. But I have pet dogs as well since I was younger. I love dogs so I guess, I’ll dedicate a post about this in my personal blog.
The sled dogs who are forced to run in the Iditarod are also forced to live at the end chains when they aren’t hauling people around. Dogs who don’t make a musher’s main team aren’t taken off chain.
For more information, visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition webpage: http://www.helpsleddogs.org/remarks-abuseinkennels.htm#chaining
Bloggers On Patrol, Blogging About Abuse: United We Blog…
BlogCatalog has initiated another meaningful blogging spree and, this time, bloggers across the globe are writing against abuse. Whether you want to talk about animal abuse, child abuse, ozone abuse or elderly abuse, the choice is yours! Step up to…
Very enlightening. Well done and good luck with your advocacy.
You’re right most dog attacks are from chained dogs. I know they feel bad and mad when they have chain, that’s make them wild and angry that will cause dog attacks.
Thanks for choosing chained dogs as part of your Blogging Against Abuse day, much appreciated, and for pointing the direction to our website. We do help people with chained or penned dogs bring them into the home and family, and also offer fencing for those who can use it successfully. We can also send a brochure to a chained or penned dogs’ caretakers near you, so visit us today at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org. Tammy Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better
this is a very good topic.
i watched the news last week, and i felt bad about these dogs that were shot to death.. because this country was having problems with rabies in 1 of their province.
because of this rabies problem.. many have died due to dog bites… thats why they resorted in killing stray dogs.
I own a dog for almost 11 years (not a pit), and he is a member of our family. He has a name and a passport. Why should he receive less care or love than me or my brother? I cannot understand people that abuse animals (or any other living creatures). And also, I prefer not to use the word “animal” to describe the inhumane actions of a person. Animals are not as cruel as humans, so comparing a douche or a criminal to an animal, that is simply unfair.
Much love to all animal lovers!
I support blogging against the abuse, dogs are man’s best friends, so we should not abuse them by chaining them 24 hours and giving them little space to move around. Imagine yourself being chained and living in a small area.
people who abuse their animals are lame and deserve to have the same treatment they give their animals.