As the days become years, many chained dogs sit, lay, eat, and defecate within the same 10-foot radius. Chained by the neck, they exist without respect, love, exercise, social interaction, and sometimes even basic nourishment. They live as prisoners, yet long to be pets.  Chaining is not only inhumane for dogs, but has taken a severe toll on this nation’s children as well. According to Dogs Deserve Better, from 2003 to 2008, 291 children were killed or seriously injured by chained dogs across the country.

Chained dogs, unsocialized with humans, can become very territorial of their tiny space, and any small child that wanders into this space can be attacked and killed before adults can intervene. A recent attack in Arkansas in October 2009 left a two-year old dead from head and neck wounds. He was attacked and killed by an unspayed female chained in the backyard, with puppies.

The Impact of Chaining on Quality of Life

• Dogs suffer from boredom, stress and loneliness on the end of a chain.
• Dogs are pack animals who want and need socialization and companionship.
• Chained dogs are associated with crime and are used to guard drug houses and in dog fighting rings.
• The American Veterinary Medical Association warns that chaining a dog can contribute to aggressive behavior.
• The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture prohibits chaining as the primary means of confinement under the Animal Welfare Act.
• The Center for Disease Control states that chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite than unchained dogs.
• Nearly 100 state and local jurisdictions ban or severely restrict dog chaining.

Would you for one second choose to live the life of these dogs? No matter what reason is given, the bottom line is that it is inappropriate and inhumane to chain a dog for life. Dogs should not have to live chained or penned as prisoners, yearning for a place in a family, craving acknowledgement, respect, and love. They deserve better, but their owners need our help. POI DOGS & POPOKI wants to help.