This is one of the worst winter storms I and many others have witnessed in a long time. My thoughts truly go out to the elderly and sick who need help during this time. Please don’t forget to check in on them. And my heart goes out to all of the dogs and cats stuck outside in this cold, snowy weather. I can’t begin to imagine how dogs are handling this snow which is probably as high as their dog houses. How they are surviving this blizzard is beyond me.
So I guess “Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week” seems appropriate this week leading up to Valentine’s Day. This program enacted by Dogs Deserve Better (DDB) is designed to mail cards and dog treat coupons to dog owners across the country in the efforts of shedding light on the topic of chained dogs and abuse.
Dogs Deserve Better is pleading with owners to bring their pets indoors or give them up so they may have a better life than being chained 24/7.
Seriously, think about it. A dog who is chained to a dog house for his/her entire life. That’s the dog’s life. A tiny area to call “home”. Many don’t have human contact on a daily basis. Some don’t even get fed or have fresh water. Oh sure, they may have frozen water…..but that is of no use to a dog in this cold weather. And please think about the dogs who are literally stuck out in their dog houses in this record snow!
It has been proven and veterinarians and animal psychologists agree that dogs become unhappy, distanced from others, bored and become aggressive when tethered. I should know. When I was growing up my family had a dog that was chained to a dog house. While Prince was allowed to roam around the yard supervised, he was still always chained to that box when we weren’t around. I was young so I didn’t understand.
Prince did become aggressive. He bit me. Not only me, but a few others. No serious damage was done to anyone but he did bite me very close to my left eye. I am very fortunate he didn’t puncture my eye.
Nevertheless, no matter what you think, I didn’t want to get rid of Prince. Other family members did. Even though I had done nothing to provoke the attack I still felt it wasn’t his fault.
Through a stroke of luck, Prince became ill with pneumonia and the vet told us he had to be brought into the house. And everything changed. He still was let out during the day…….but no more dog house. Prince and I became closer. Even snuck him into my bedroom. He and I became close and he lived to be 16 yrs. old.
Prince was one of the fortunate ones in the end. Finally being able to interact with humans and have fun! Many chained dogs are not so lucky.
If you are interested in what you can do for “Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week”, you can call Tamira Ci Thayne, founder of DDB at 1-877-636-1408. You can also email her at tddb@dogsdeservebetter.org.
One more thing- with Valentine’s Day this Sunday, please remember to keep the chocolates away from your pets. It is toxic and lethal to them!!!