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Published: September 1, 2009
A dog is not meant to spend its life on a chain.
Both short- and long-term chaining poses serious dangers to dogs and humans.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) defines chaining as the practice of fastening a dog to a stationary object or stake, usually in the owner’s backyard, as a means of keeping the animal under control. According to the HSUS, the practice is both inhumane and a threat to the safety of the confined dog, other animals and humans.
The ideal situation for a dog would be to live indoors with its owner with outdoor exercise provided. If this is not possible, a dog should be given a proper outdoor shelter contained in a pen or kennel or fenced in yard.
Dogs are social by nature, and their lives are jeopardized by prolonged chaining and/or tethering due to the isolation.
“What we know is that your dog wants to be with you more than anything in the world. Your dog is lonely on a chain,” according to Dawn Ashby, public liaison for Dogs Deserve Better, a national anti-chaining group.
Dog owners use chaining for different reasons. Some do not have a fenced in yard or pen and, therefore, elect to chain their dogs for a limited amount of time daily. This occasional use of chaining may limit exercise, but it does provide the dog with some time outdoors.
However, even if they are only chained for short periods of time, all dogs on a chain are at risk of being attacked by other wandering dogs, harassed by insensitive humans or stolen by passersby. There is also risk of entanglement, as chains can become hooked on nearby objects, possibly causing a dog to accidentally hang itself.
Other dog owners chain their dogs to serve as outdoor guard dogs or simply non-household pets. A dog, such as this, chained for extended periods of time runs the risk of developing dangerous behaviors. Continuous chaining creates anxiety and extreme aggression in dogs, as they strive to claim ownership of their confined territory. Dog bites occur more frequently, particularly in children, when dogs are chained.
These dogs are exposed to extreme weather conditions, do not always have proper food, water, or shelter, and rarely receive veterinary care. Infection and disease are common with extended chaining because over time, the ground in which they dwell can become worn-free of grass, and they are left to eat, sleep, and defecate in the same small area, which is frequently muddy.
Embedded collars and raw necks pose additional threats for dogs when owners either fail to mind the growth of their dog, the collar is not properly fitted, or the dogs’ pulling to escape confinement results in infection to the neck.
Awareness is crucial to the survival of chained dogs. Insightfully stated, Victoria Stilwell, host of Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog,” recently reported to USA Today, “The key is to see the world from the dog’s point of view if we want to understand why dogs behave as they do. Only then can we truly identify the root cause of the behavior and humanely solve the problem using positive reinforcement.”
Unfortunately, there is no ordinance against chaining in Lynchburg. For additional information, please contact Lynchburg Animal Control (434) 847-1602 or visit:
-www.dogsdeservebetter.com
-‘The End of the Chain?’ by James Hettinger http://tinyurl.com/nsv6le
-‘The Facts about Chaining or Tethering Dogs,’ Humane Society of the United States, http://www.hsus.org
Elliott is a board member of the Lynchburg Humane Society.
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Reader Reactions
Scorpious, it’s great that you don’t have a problem with dogs wandering away from your property. However, many people do. Growing up we had BCs and other herding dogs that generally stayed on the property, but I’ve got a beagle mix right now who WOULD run off given half a chance. Fortunately I have a securely fenced yard and the resources to maintain it.
In most communities except rural areas, there are leash laws; dogs anywhere but in a fenced yard are to be leashed. Any dog found at large in my city will be impounded by AC if caught (neighbor below did have to get a dog out of the pokey on one or two occasions). If one happens to have a dog that won’t wander off the porch, great, but for those that do, you risk having a dog end up being hit by a car or impounded and possibly euthanized. For Houdini dogs who climb fences, the only way to keep them and the community safe is to tie them out when they are outside.
While I certainly don’t condone leaving a dog tied up 24/7 in the backyard, the idea that time-limited tethering of a dog is inhumane is a serious stretch.
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com
That like saying that: water-boarding is fine, as long as it is executed in a humane
way!
Tethering, done correctly, is a humane, appropriate form of confinement for companion dogs. For any of you who have questions concerning appropriate tethering, I would like to direct you to a website with information on the issue. The website address is: www.workingpitbull.com/housing2.htm
Neglect is cruelty, tethering done correctly is not.
(canineperson), first of all let me assure you that YOU are by no means a ....canine-person….you speak of:humane groups, as if we are some sort of newe formed group of ppl.! We sir/or what-ever, are not just a fleeting fad, you speak of ....tethering in , pleasant weather, can you say,...rain, snow, sleet, extreme heat, and lonely??? As for “working homes” why on earth would anyone where both ppl. work, would ever have an animal in the place?? And for your info: it is a proven fact that dog’s chained for the total of their lives, when free, will and DO become aggressive! (DDB) DOGS DESERVE BETTER! Look it up and stop with the so , eloquent words that mean sh-t here!
Canineperson, be one before you speak for one!!!!!!!!!
A few “humane” groups have begun providing one-sided information which presents all tethering of dogs as cruel, making no attempt at providing a balanced viewpoint. Their biased views often lead uninformed people to believe that anyone who tethers a dog in anyway is inhumane - guilty of neglecting their dog. We find this over-broad view not only inaccurate, but alarming - the welfare of dogs can actually be damaged by anti-tethering legislation.
This zealous attitude against any form of tethering is the latest fad in “humane” circles. Certainly no one wants to see neglected dogs, but for an organization to equate absolutely the tethering of dogs with neglect is untenable. Anti-tethering information, without exception, presents tethering of companion animals in the worst possible light. No mention is made of dogs allowed to enjoy pleasant weather on tethers of adequate length with proper shelter available. Surely it must be agreed that this is as much a reality as dogs provided with inadequate shelter.
Rarely is any advice given as to where the dog should be kept, except “in the house”. One is left to infer that a dog would always be better off inside the house, garage, or more likely than not, if one reads between the lines, locked in a shipping crate. Most young dogs are far better off outside on a proper tethering setup than left in a house, when unattended.
Today most homes are working homes, and a pet dog is going to spend some time alone. Do we want to raise a generation of children who look upon dogs as inanimate objects, like a toy, “put away” in a shipping crate when “not in use” and taken out at their leisure when they are ready to attend to its needs? Realistically, are we to assume that all young dogs can be “in the house” all day when the family is away? At the same time, we do need to educate owners that long-term, day in, day out, nonstop tethering is just as inappropriate.
How many dogs, should anti-tethering legislation pass, are going to be dumped at shelters for “destruction of property” if left in a home? Or escape from inadequately fenced yards? Today most people understand that the statement “chaining makes a dog mean,“ is a myth in its purest form. Without doubt, a certain percentage of tethered dogs are neglected, and a certain percentage are aggressive, but there is NO evidence that tethering is the cause of aggression.
It is of course my own opinion, but, it is unusual for a dog to run when “finally” allowed to roam , and explore their territory, I have NEVER had a animal that would go any distance from their own yard,
of course I have never had one of my family members tethered , nor will I. Now grant it, their are a few “human” family members that I would chain in a heart-beat, just to keep the rest of us safe! lol
From the article: “Both short- and long-term chaining poses serious dangers to dogs and humans.“
I think it’s dangerous and unfair to make such a blanket statement. My neighbor has a dog who cannot be contained in his very large yard with a 5-6 ft stockade fence. The neighbor is routinely seen running around the neighborhood looking for his dog; the dog was missing for two days last week and. We live 1/4 mile from a very busy six lane thoroughfare. It would be much safer for this dog to be humanely tethered with shelter and water WHENEVER it is let out in the yard.
Also, I have friends without fenced yards (some neighborhood associations forbid visible fencing) who safely tether their dogs while the owners are outside keeping an eye on the dog. My mother lives in the county on a farm with no fence and sends her dog out to relieve itself on a long line from the back door so the dog doesn’t wander off the property.
scorpius -
We as humans have the option to take care of ourselves, and a resposibility to take care of those who are helpless.
We don’t need Obama’s health care plan to do that. Matter of fact, I think that a “socialized” healthcare system will degrade the level of care for ALL, once the government starts mismanaging it, so I don’t support it.
In any case, our companion animals can NOT care for themselves, and so are not like people. Wild animals are something else; if they are attacked by a predator or starve due to overpopulation, there’s not much we can do about that.
But our dogs and cats depend on US. And anyone who would tie an animal out and leave it, or deny it care if it needs it, or let it run out in the road, should NEVER be allowed to have an animal in the first place.
Go for it; name names if you must. I used to live on Bear Creek road, near the mill. There’s a lot of new people there who think that now that they live out in the “country” (as it used to be), they should have a dog, then leave it tied up in the yard or stuffed into a tiny box ....
Imprimis, so be it! Yes, there are numerous people that desire to help animals and have not even the means to help themselves, that is why we must vote for OBAMAS health care plan, so that we can not only help the animals but ourselves also: ok: I digress a little, lol
LOL, I can even name names of those who live on bear creek, that torture their animals! Now, if I must ...I will!
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