Chained dogs ?

[Wahoo]

It seems cruel to me to have a dog chained . South Carolina and many other states have banned the practice . Cumberland County to our south has banned the practice .When do you think Chatham or the State of NC will follow banning the chaining of animals?

[belle]

it is county-by-county. I am torn. I agree in principle. but I have lots of fencing, and it is pricey.

[Beckysews]

Not torn here. It is cruel.  Should be banned.

[djkelly]

I have a problem with the total bans that some areas have.  Some town nearby recently enacted a ban that had exceptions with length of time dogs could be kept out.   That was the best approach I've seen.

I think when people hear chained dog they think of the dog that's always left out on a chain and neglected and I fully agree that's wrong.  If you're going to do that why bother getting a dog.

However some people may have dogs that are primarily kept inside and only left out for relatively short lengths of time.  A proper fence can be expensive and some dogs are escape artists.  Having to always walk the dog can be difficult at times.

Of the five dogs we've had, four were perfectly happy in our fenced in back yard.  One we have now unfortunately is an athlete and jumps the fence any chance he gets.  We finally resorted to tying him when he's out because when he gets loose he's gone for hours if not overnight and that's definitely not safe.  They spend most of their time inside but we do leave them out at times when we're home so they can nose around the yard or snooze on the porch.

[mamacash2]

I have a problem with the total bans that some areas have.  Some town nearby recently enacted a ban that had exceptions with length of time dogs could be kept out.   That was the best approach I've seen.

I think when people hear chained dog they think of the dog that's always left out on a chain and neglected and I fully agree that's wrong.  If you're going to do that why bother getting a dog.

However some people may have dogs that are primarily kept inside and only left out for relatively short lengths of time.  A proper fence can be expensive and some dogs are escape artists.  Having to always walk the dog can be difficult at times.

Of the five dogs we've had, four were perfectly happy in our fenced in back yard.  One we have now unfortunately is an athlete and jumps the fence any chance he gets.  We finally resorted to tying him when he's out because when he gets loose he's gone for hours if not overnight and that's definitely not safe.  They spend most of their time inside but we do leave them out at times when we're home so they can nose around the yard or snooze on the porch.

I agree one this also...we had a 165 lb Rottie who was a big baby BUT there was no fence that could hold him if he decided it was time to go for a "walkabout" ....we had a bull chain for him that allowed him to go outside...as he was also an inside dog...go figure?....he broke it 3 times before I found a clasp that could hold him...he loved visitors so when someone came to the house it looked like he was "charging" them but he really just wanted to play...165 lbs of play is hard to handle with out proper chaining...this should be more of an individual issue than a blanket cover of NO CHAINING. He basically stayed in the house most of the time.

[ritarene]

We have a Beagle that stays outside on a chain during the day but comes in and sleeps in the house at night. Beagles are incredible diggers and climbers. There is no fence that will hold them. Even on a chain, he has managed to escape 87 times since we rescued him from the pound in Dec. 2002. We have to have a special type of harness & put it on him upside down. For a while, we even had to padlock the harness to the chain, because he figured out how to unlatch it himself (He now has a new chain with a different type of latch). Every so often, he still figures out how to get out of his harness. Just the other day, I came home to find he already had half of the harness behind his front legs. He got loose again about a week ago, and I spent four hours bathing & picking ticks off him.

We live in town near a local shopping center and grocery store. I love my dog and would be devastated for him to be hit by a car. Its because I love him so much that I keep him chained in the daytime. He has a big Magnolia tree and a lovely dog house. He's not mistreated by being on a chain (he's on a chain because he can break those cable dog ties). I think its responsible dog ownership to keep your animal safe, even if that means chaining them.

[Wahoo]

To see dogs full of life when they are first chained then to see them after a couple weeks laying there in the mud ,hot water "if it is not turn over",and the chained wrapped up to the pole with little or no room to run is plain torture. I am sure that hundreds of dogs right now here in Chatham or going through the torture process as I write this topic. It needs to change!

[WolfpackFan]

To see dogs full of life when they are first chained then to see them after a couple weeks laying there in the mud ,hot water "if it is not turn over",and the chained wrapped up to the pole with little or no room to run is plain torture. I am sure that hundreds of dogs right now here in Chatham or going through the torture process as I write this topic. It needs to change!

Unfortunately, this is the scene I envision as well.  I know there are special circumstances, but overall, I just feel it is wrong.  When I wrote the covenants for a small subdivision I built, I stated that anyone with a outside dog must a have a fence and dogs could not be chained.

[blondie99]

I too have an escape artist - we should have named her Houdini. We have a 20 x 20 fenced in area that is beautifully shaded with roomy doghouses and plenty of fresh water for our 3 dogs. Before we rescued "Houdini" the other 2 dogs were very content in their pen. Only upon her arrival and subsequent digging under and pulling at the fencing to let herself and 1 of the others out did we have issues. I'm still not sure whether the 3rd dog was too smart to go along - or too dumb to realize the possibilities  . The 2 got out a number of times no matter what we did.

The final fix - now the 2 are tied up inside the pen. Houdini has managed to get off the tie out a few times, but seems to stick around better since her cohort is unavailable. I'd rather not have to do it this way, but it's unavoidable. They are loved and played with and well fed/watered.

Not all "chained" dogs are neglected.

[tack4sale]

I also have an esacpe artist. He's a big 95 lb Lab. He has taken the gate off it's hinges on those chain link dog pens & taken apart the chain link. I now leave him tied at the end of my covered porch, he goes under it, or on the porch as he sees fit. He's in the shade & has a 5 gal bucket of water. he's happy, & gets let loose when we get home. The 3 others I have are in chain link dog pens & come out when we're out & about outside.

A blanket "No chaining" is not the answer. The dogs sitiation & condition should be taken into account. A dog in a pen alone 24/7 with little contact is no better off than  a dog chained all day with no interaction.

[mork_huntman]

How would a blanket NO CHAINING law be enforced?  Most likely by concerned neighbors calling in their own neighbors.  If your neighbor knows you and know that your dog needs a chain and is being chained "humanely," perhaps they won't call you in.  If you're neglecting your dog, hopefully they would call you in. 

When I got my dog from a rescue, I made sure I could accommodate him.  He's inside all day, and takes 2 long walks everyday, always on a leash (he likes to bolt when off leash).  And I heard from the rescue he is an escape artist, so we never leave him in a fenced-in area w/o some sort of supervision nearby. 

[woodsy]

A blanket "No chaining" is not the answer. The dogs sitiation & condition should be taken into account. A dog in a pen alone 24/7 with little contact is no better off than  a dog chained all day with no interaction.

Agreed. I hate hate hate hate hate to see neglected dogs on chains, but I understand that some dogs that are sometimes chained are still regularly cared-for. My brother keeps his dog on a sliding "run," and thinks it's OK because it offers some space to run short distances ... more room than a pen would, certainly. However, the dog doesn't get anywhere near enough attention, and that is just as important as food and shelter. He lives in Wake County, and I was thrilled when Raleigh passed their anti-chaining law, because I was going to report my brother. However, he's in the county, not the city, and is not covered by the new law. I've been offering to help build a fence for 3 years now, but he keeps saying it's not high enough on his priority list. If it were costing him fines, though, the priority for the fence would get bumped up there.

But it's a hard problem. Is it abuse when people let their untreated dogs get and die of heartworm? Is it abuse when people let their unspayed and unneutered dogs run around the neighborhood making more and more unwanted puppies? I think so. But with not enough homes to adopt dogs like these, the only societal alternative is euthanasia for these unfortunate animals, and man, that's sad, too. Taxpayers don't want to pay for huge no-kill animal shelters, huge protective enforcement agencies, and huge spay/neuter subsidizations, and I understand that. Fines, IMHO, will make some dog owners more responsible, but others will just kill or dump the dog.

I don't know if there *is* a good solution. Some people suck, and animals are vulnerable. But I think that  *flexible* anti-chaining/anti-neglect laws that enforcement officials can intepret and use judgement with, are a good middle road.

[mary51802]

I would like to see a ban too for the crule ones. I know also that some dogs need to be for a few hours but with shade and water. The trouble is I see a lady on Russels Chapel road who ties her puppy in the bright sun, on 2 feet of rope, and no shade at all. I have tried talking to her nicely but to no avail. I fear that puppy will be dead someday.

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