Free Fences For Chained Dogs

In the past few years several children in our area have died after being attacked by a chained dog. In 2003, 2 year old Makayla Sinclair was killed after she wandered into a neighbor's backyard and was attacked by 2 of her dogs. A year later 17 month old Isaiah Smith died when his family's pit bull mix bit him on the back of the head. The dog had been chained for 2 years. PETA got involved in 2005 when 4 year old Asia Turner was killed by her family dog that had been chained. These deaths prompted mothers across the nation to form a group called Mothers Against Dog Chaining to educate cities and staes on why they should ban dog tethering. Animal Welfare groups say keeping the dog on a chain or tether makes the animals aggressive and dangerous.
Now a local woman says she plans to stop chaining and she has a solution. She'll build you a fence. Mikael Hardy has come back to see her success story, a big brown fluffy mix named Cletus. Once chained in the yard all day he now enjoys more room and shade in his new fence. She's planning to help his friend Joe, the Chow mix, as well.
She says, "Chaining a dog might arguably be the single worst way to confine a pet. They become bored, depressed, anxious, aggressive, hostile." Hardy started PAWSitive Effects a year ago to stop the chaining of dogs in the Upstate, because as she says it is abusive and a public threat. It's a non-profit that will build fences for people who can't afford it.
According to Hardy, she often finds dogs with15 pound towing chains around their necks and they have no more than 10 feet of space to move in. Not only do animal welfare groups consider it abuse, but a study done in Denver shows a chained or tethered dog is almost 3 times more likely to bite. Hardy says, "Here in South Carolina, Spartanburg specifically there were three children that were killed since 2003 by chained dogs. It is senseless, needless and it doesn't have to happen." Because the dog has such limited space to move, experts say the dogs first instinct is to fight and defend because they can't run. It is called fight or flight.
Hardy says many times the owners just don't know how bad chaining can be. That was the case with Cletus and Joe's owner. 72 year old Margaret Snow says, "The traffic got so bad I had to chain them." Snow says it never crossed her mind tethering the dogs outside would harm them. She adds, "He seems content. He just barks when it is time to eat." However, Hardy says not everyone is receptive to the idea. She claims, "There are times when people tell me no. Part of the deal with the fence is your dog gets spayed or neutered. We are not building a fence for you to breed and I lose a lot of people that way." She says that won't stop her or PAWSitive Effects from creating better conditions for animals and the people they live with.
Currently it is not illegal to chain or tether a dog but each county has its own restrictions.
PAWSitive Effects is a non-profit group that operates solely through donations.
Hardy says it cost about $400 dollars for them to put up a fence, spay and neuter the dog and make sure it has its shots.
If you need the help of Pawsitive Effects or know of a dog that does click on this link.
If you would like more information on chaining or tethering click on this link.