June 24, 2007 : 12:00 AM
by Laura Allen, Best Friends Animal Society

This year Best Friends Animal Society is joining Dogs Deserve Better in its 5th Annual Chain Off beginning June 30, 2007. This year the event is called Unchain the 50. It is hoped people from all 50 states and Canada will chain themselves from 8-24 hours sometime between June 30, 2007-July 8, 2007.

The two main locations are Atlanta and Seattle. But people are organizing their own Unchain the 50 events all across the U.S. and Canada.

Best Friends is a sponsor and is also participating in this event to raise awareness about the cruelty and danger of chaining or tethering dogs. Best Friends will be present at both of the main locations in Atlanta and Seattle and will also put on an Unchain the 50 event near its sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. The Best Friends event will run from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 30, 2007 at Laid Back Larry’s in Kanab. Tom Corrigan, manager of nearby Fredonia, Arizona and president of the Fredonia Humane Society will chain himself for the event!

We need your help to make this event a success and help tethered or chained dogs around the country and in Canada. The details of the main events and how you can help are at the end of the article.

It’s surprising there are so many places where tethering or chaining dogs is still so prevalent. The danger to the public alone justifies banning this means of restraining or confining dogs. After all the American Veterinary Medical Association has stated:
"Confine your dog in a fenced yard or dog run when it is not in the house. Never tether or chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior.” (May 15, 2003)

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than an unchained dog. The CDC has also found, “The dogs most likely to bite are male, un-neutered, and chained.” Chained dogs can become aggressive from the confinement and lack of socialization. They also feel trapped, unable to escape from noises, people or animals that frighten them.

About two-thirds of people killed in attacks by tethered or chained dogs are children.

Certainly, chaining is a favored technique of those breeders, trainers and dog fighters who want dogs, primarily pit bulls, that will attack or fight. It is these people who are contributing to enhanced aggression in dogs, particularly in pit bulls, breeds which so many communities are trying to ban.

Tethering or chaining dogs is also cruel. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced: “Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane.” (Federal Register, July 1996)

Tethered or chained dogs tend to be ignored, given inadequate care and socialization, nothing more than a fixture in the yard. Even if they are given adequate care, tethered or chained dogs suffer intense boredom, anxiety, and even neuroses.

Dogs are social animals; they should be treated as part of the family. 81% of fatal dog attacks are by dogs that were isolated and not part of the family. (Karen DeLise, Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics)

For more on why banning this cruel, dangerous practice is so important and the states and communities that are leading the way in stopping or restricting tethering or chaining of dogs, click here. The Anti-Tethering Movement

Unchain the 50: How you can participate

1. Chain yourself to promote awareness. During the chain off, this year called Unchain the 50, participants will chain themselves to dog houses (or other objects) for 8-24 hours during the June 30-July 1, 2007 weekend. The goal is to have at least one person from each state participate! You can chain yourself in your own community, or at one of the two main event locations (listed below). Best Friends will be at both of the main locations:

East Coast Unchain the 50 - Atlanta, Georgia
Location:
Piedmont Park, Atlanta GA
400 Park Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
404-875-7275

West Coast Unchain the 50 - Seattle, Washington
Location:
King County
Marymoor Regional Park
6046 W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy. NE
Redmond, WA 98052
206-205-3661

If you will be joining us in Atlanta or Seattle and want to represent your state there living chained for 8-24 hours, please e-mail Dawn Ashby at Dawn@dogsdeservebetter.org to let her know your details.

2. Help organizers with set up or clean up at one of the sites. Contact Dawn Ashby at Dawn@dogsdeservebetter.org to volunteer

3. Come out and support the events in Atlanta or Seattle – or in your own community (visit http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/chainoff2007.html to find an event near you). While it may seem simple, this is a great way to help increase media coverage; the press will take notice if the events draw a crowd.

4. Help spread the word about Unchain the 50! Send this link to everyone you know.

5. Help pass legislation in your state or community to end tethering or chaining. Click here for a look at pending laws in several states and how you can help! The Anti-Tethering Movement

For more information on how you can participate in Unchain the 50 - or sponsor a participant, visit this site. http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/chainoff2007.html

Click here for a word from Dogs Deserve Better’s founder, Tammy Grimes, about the cause of ending tethering or chaining dogs and her pending trial on charges of theft and receiving stolen property that stem from her rescue of a chained dog. Every Life Matters

Tammy Grimes is pictured here with Doogie, the dog she rescued in 2006 as he lay dying on a chain.