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I BIt A Child Today - A Poem From Dogs Deserve Better

I bit a child today.

I spend my life at the end of a chain, so to me this thing called "child" is nothing more than prey or an underling I neither love nor respect. Maybe it squeaks like an animal, or makes quick movements that I don't understand or frightens me and triggers my flight or fight instinct.

I cannot flee. I'm chained. Fleeing is therefore not an option for me, so I must fight.You never taught me how to live in your world, yet you expect me to abide by its rules.

I bit a child today.

You got me as a puppy and I chewed something up. You tossed me outside with a doghouse and chain. I'm a big dog. What breed am I? Doesn't matter. Wait, I know my breed: the chained dog. We come in all shapes and sizes, but I'll tell you one thing we're not: the beloved family pet.

I bit a child today.

I am unsocialized with humans. I don't recognize a small child as human, at least not one I am beneath in pack order. I sit on this logging chain day in and day out, come sun, rain, sleet, or snow. I am male, unneutered, and chained, and am more likely to be aggressive than any other dog. I am full of pent up energy from never getting to run or stretch my legs, pent up sexual frustration from a constant and unfulfilled urge to mate, and pent up anger from living a solitary life when I'm meant to live as part of your pack.

I have been domesticated by man to be a partner to man, a companion to man, a helper to man. Yet man is now so disconnected from himself that he sees nothing wrong with chaining me to this doghouse and abandoning me here to rot.

I bit a child today.

This is my territory. I have no life except to guard my solitary patch of dirt. If you cross into my territory despite my warnings, there is a good chance I will attack you to protect myself and the dirt I see as mine.

I bit a child today. Now they've come with a big pole, they're taking me away; I'm scared, and I don't know what I did wrong.

I bit a child today, and now I will die. You have made me thus, and now both the child and I have paid your price.

Chained dogs DO attack and kill children. On Monday, August 9, a toddler was attacked by a chained dog that broke free in Philadelphia, PA. We need laws limiting chaining to better socialize our dogs and better protect our children from aggressive dogs.

Warm Regards,

Dogs Deserve Better

www.dogsdeservebetter.com

Chain Off 2010

Chain Off has been held annually around the 4th of July since 2004, highlighting the reality that while Americans are celebrating their own freedom, there are tens of thousands of Man's Best Friends in every state who are still not free: America's chained and penned dogs. These dogs are found in backyards stretching from Delaware to Alaska, from Maine to Hawaii, throughout the provinces of Canada, and in countries around the world.

Chain Off has evolved from one woman chaining herself to a doghouse in 2004 for 33 hours, to over 100 people chaining themselves in over 52 locations including Canada and Romania during last year's 2009 Chain Off to raise awareness for chained dogs.

Be The Change

"Be the Change" Challenge - Strength in Numbers

They say there is strength in numbers. Today, pet bloggers and pet enthusiasts around the web are uniting to make a change. "Be the Change" has been buzzing around the pet blogoshpere for a while now - have you heard of it? Are you up for the challenge?

We're asking everyone to work together as one huge, amazing, animal-loving group to make an effort to raise some money for Pets Without Parents, a no-kill animal shelter located in the Clintonville area of Columbus, Ohio. They were chosen at random during the "Be the Change" session at BlogPaws 2010, first annual Pet Blogger Convention.

If you're thinking: "Oh man, I really want to help animals but I'm broke and really busy." We say: "Who isn't!?" There are lots of ways you can help that may seem really small but if enough people join the effort it can make a huge difference.

20 Ways to Help a Chained Dog

If you are reading this, then you are concerned about a chained-up or neglected dog. Maybe the dog is your own and you want to better his life. Maybe you are worried about a dog in your neighborhood. 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 dirt day after day, year after year. Dogs want to be inside the house with their "pack": you! Read tips on housetraining and behavior modification to help your dog be a good “inside” dog. Did you know that inside dogs make the best guard dogs?

Puppy Scams & Cons

Puppy Scams & Cons

Buyers Beware: Debunking Puppy Scams

Luckily, many animal lovers are becoming aware that purchasing a dog—or any animal, for that matter—from a pet store is a big no-no. Almost all puppies sold at pet stores come from

backyard breeders or puppy mills, where dogs are housed in cramped, filthy conditions without sufficient veterinary care, food, water and socialization. Furthermore, the breeding stock at puppy mills—the moms and dads—are bred as often as possible, for as long as possible, in order to increase profits. But a growing trend among commercial puppy breeders is to cut out the middleman—the pet shop—and use online retailing to get their dogs directly into your homes.

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