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If you are reading this, then you are concerned about a chained-up or neglected dog. Perhaps the dog is your own and you want to better his life. Perhaps the dog is one in your neighborhood whom you are worried about. There are many things you can do to help end this form of animal cruelty!
- Bring your dog inside!
Dogs get bored and lonely sitting on the
same patch of packed dirt day after day,
month after month, year after year. Dogs
want to be inside the house with their
"pack": their human family.
- Get to know the dog’s guardian
if you are concerned about someone else’s
chained dog.
- Call your local animal control
office, humane society, or police department
if you see a dog who is: consistently
without food, water or shelter; sick or
infested with parasites; too skinny.
A city/county official or animal control officer is required to investigate the situation if the dog guardian is breaking your community’s animal cruelty law. In most communities, it is considered cruel to leave a dog without food, water or shelter; to not provide medical care to a sick dog; and to keep a dog undernourished. Once you report the situation--don’t be afraid to follow up! Keep calling the authorities until the situation is resolved. The dog is counting on you to be his voice.
- Offer to buy the chained dog
from the owner. Just say something
like, "I saw your dog and have always
wanted a red chow. Would you sell him
to me for $50?" You can then place the
dog into a good home. Although some chained
dogs are aggressive and difficult to approach,
many are very friendly and adoptable.
Do NOT offer to buy the dog if you think
that the owner will just go right back
out and get another dog.
- Put up a fence. Fences
give dogs freedom and make it easier for
owners to approach their dogs, since they
won't be excitedly lunging at the end
of a chain. Fences don’t have to be very
expensive if you are willing to do some
work yourself. You can attach mesh fencing
to wooden or metal posts for the cheapest
fence. Chain link is easy to install,
too.
Workers at home-improvement, hardware and farm supply stores will tell you exactly what materials to buy and give you advice on putting up all types of fences. Check with fencing companies to see if they have leftover materials for donation.
- Put up a trolley system
if you can't put up a fence. A trolley
system is cheap and will give the dog
much more freedom of movement than a chain.
- If your dog can escape your
fence, do one or more of the following:
Install a 45-degree inward extension to
the top of your existing fence. Most home
improvement stores can help you with this.
If your dog can climb over a short fence, extend the height of the fence with mesh fencing. You can also purchase inexpensive bamboo or reed fencing, which comes in 6-foot rolls. Attach the bamboo fencing to the existing fence. It is difficult for a dog to climb this slick fencing.
Install an electric fence. At pet supply
stores you can buy electric fence kits
for both fenced and unfenced yards. Some
electric fences attach to an existing
fence. Other electric fences are buried
underground.
Install a "hot wire" to the top of your existing fence for around $40-$50. Call a farm supply store for advice on putting up a hotwire. Hotwires are commonly used to contain cows and horses. They are a good deterrent to burglars, too!
To stop diggers, bury chicken wire to a depth of one foot below where the fence meets the ground (be sure to bend-in the sharp edges) or place concrete blocks around the bottom of the fence. You can also dig a trough under the fence and fill it with concrete (along the full length of the fence or only in "trouble spots").
- Purchase a 15, 20, or 30 foot
lightweight tie-out if a fence
or trolley aren’t possible. Attach the
tie-out to a strong stake that screws
into the ground. Place the stake in a
central location so that the dog can move
around all sides of the stake. You can
order these materials from your local
pet supplies store.
- Spaying and neutering a dog
will help him to calm down and stay closer
to home. A sterilized dog won’t try to
escape to find a mate! Sterilization is
healthy for your dog: it reduces his or
her risk of contracting certain types
of cancer. Sterilization won't change
your dog's personality. Sterilized dogs
can still make great guard dogs and hunting
dogs.
- Replace ill-fitting, old collars
with a new nylon collar. You should be
able to easily fit two fingers between
the dog's neck and the collar. If you
need to add a hole to a collar, hammer
a thick nail through it, or (carefully!)
heat a pick and poke it through.
- Provide food and fresh water
EVERY day. Every day that you
eat, your dog needs to eat, too. You can
place a water bowl inside a tire or in
a hole in the ground to keep it from tipping.
You can also attach a water bucket to
a wooden doghouse or fence. Stretch wire,
a small chain, bungee cord, or twine across
the bucket and secure the wire on either
side of the bucket.
- Provide proper shelter for the
dog. Dog igloos can be purchased
pretty cheaply from discount stores, farm
supply stores, and hardware stores. If
you can’t afford to buy a doghouse, you
can make one.
Doghouses should be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around comfortably, but small enough to retain the dog's body heat.
Wooden doghouses should be raised a few inches off of the ground to prevent rotting and keep out rain. Flat concrete blocks are an easy way to raise a doghouse.
Dogs enjoy having soft bedding to curl up on. The New Brunswick SPCA suggests you use a thick layer of clean straw which not only insulates, but also ensures that your pet stays dry. Towels and carpet can get wet and freeze and should not be used for bedding.
- Give your dog toys and rawhides.
Dogs need the stimulation provided by
toys, just like kids do. A big rawhide
will occupy a dog for several hours (dog
toys and rawhides are available at grocery
stores). Even a knotted towel or ball
can provide hours of entertainment. Toss
toys over the fence if the dog belongs
to someone else.
- Take your dog on walks!
It will mean the world to your dog to
be able to get of the yard, see new things,
and smell new smells. Walking your dog
is great exercise for both you and your
dog.
If the dog is very strong or large, you can use a prong collar or harness to make walking easier on you. Ask pet store workers to help you get the dog fitted for a collar or harness.
If the dog belongs to someone else, offer to walk the dog yourself.
- Take your dog to school!
Obedience training can solve behavior
problems and help the dog learn how to
be a good “inside” dog. Most pet stores
offer inexpensive dog training.
- Provide your dog with flea treatment,
heartworm preventative, and annual worming.
Read a fact sheet on parasites and how
to treat them. Most farm supply stores
sell wormers and vaccinations at much,
much cheaper prices than vets.
- Protect your dog from winter
cold. Dogs get cold in the winter
just like we do, especially short-haired
and small dogs. Dogs can even get hypothermia
and frostbite. If it is too cold for you
to sleep outside, your dog is going to
be cold outside, too.
If you can’t bring the dog inside in icy
winter, fill doghouses with hay or cedar
chips to help your dog retain body heat.
(Cedar chips are preferable because they
are less likely to rot and don't contain
mites.) You can get cedar shavings and
hay at farm supply, hardware, discount,
and home improvement stores.
To keep cold air from blowing through the doghouse, the door should be covered with a plastic flap. You can use a car mat, a piece of plastic carpet runner, or even a piece of carpet.
Dogs need more food in winter, as keeping warm consumes calories. Check your dog's water bowl daily to be sure it isn't frozen.
- Provide shade in the summer.
Sitting in the hot sun all day is miserable
for a dog. Bring your dog inside during
heat waves if possible. Plant trees to
provide shade. You can also create shade
with tarps and pieces of plywood.
- Fill up a plastic kiddie pool
for hot summer months. Dogs enjoy
cooling off in a pool as much as we do.
What a cheap way to ease those hot summer
days for a dog!
- Change the law in your
community to ban chaining!
- Educate people about chaining!
Keep some educational brochures and flyers
in your car. If you see a chained dog,
you can put a brochure in that person’s
mailbox. You can find downloadable brochures in our "Chained Dog Material" section.
Click on the links below for more information, frequently asked questions, resources and downloads.
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