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Independence, MO —
Serious dog lovers will do just about anything for their dogs. Dogs are such special pets: They love you no matter what. Dogs always listen to us and sit with us when we are sad. They are quick to forgive, understanding when we can’t spend time with them and ready at a moment’s notice when we can spend time with them. These characteristics make dogs very special animals. Humans rarely hold more than one of these personality traits.
One thing that hurts and angers dog lovers is the way some people treat dogs. There are the extreme acts of torture, abuse, and dog fighting that are thankfully illegal, but there is another abuse that hurts dog lovers to see. It is painful to see a dog chained or tethered outside 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Chaining or tying a dog outside is an injustice to the dog. Dogs are social animals and they need to have contact with others. Isolating a dog can cause extreme psychological damage. A dog that was friendly and loving when it was first chained out becomes an aggressive, neurotic mess after a long time on a chain. Dogs will tug and pull when they are on a chain and these actions can cause sores which will stay raw and become infected. If a collar is too tight it can become embedded in the flesh of the dog’s neck, adding to its misery. The Humane Society of the United States has a quote on its website a comment, which was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the July 2, 1996, Federal Register, against tethering:
“Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog’s movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog’s shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog’s movement and potentially causing injury.”
Another thing that irritates real dog lovers are these “so-called” dog runs that are chain-link pens on concrete slabs. These are usually not bigger than 100 square feet. For those who struggle with math, that is a 10-by-10-foot cell, which is not much room. These pens are just another way of isolating your dog. The only exercise dogs get in these “runs” is jumping and running in a circle, which is not real exercise. You wouldn’t put your children in a pen in the backyard; why put your dog there? Why have dogs if you’re going to keep them in a pen outside?
Serious dog lovers will do just about anything for their dogs. Dogs are such special pets: They love you no matter what. Dogs always listen to us and sit with us when we are sad. They are quick to forgive, understanding when we can’t spend time with them and ready at a moment’s notice when we can spend time with them. These characteristics make dogs very special animals. Humans rarely hold more than one of these personality traits.
One thing that hurts and angers dog lovers is the way some people treat dogs. There are the extreme acts of torture, abuse, and dog fighting that are thankfully illegal, but there is another abuse that hurts dog lovers to see. It is painful to see a dog chained or tethered outside 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Chaining or tying a dog outside is an injustice to the dog. Dogs are social animals and they need to have contact with others. Isolating a dog can cause extreme psychological damage. A dog that was friendly and loving when it was first chained out becomes an aggressive, neurotic mess after a long time on a chain. Dogs will tug and pull when they are on a chain and these actions can cause sores which will stay raw and become infected. If a collar is too tight it can become embedded in the flesh of the dog’s neck, adding to its misery. The Humane Society of the United States has a quote on its website a comment, which was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the July 2, 1996, Federal Register, against tethering:
“Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog’s movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog’s shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog’s movement and potentially causing injury.”
Another thing that irritates real dog lovers are these “so-called” dog runs that are chain-link pens on concrete slabs. These are usually not bigger than 100 square feet. For those who struggle with math, that is a 10-by-10-foot cell, which is not much room. These pens are just another way of isolating your dog. The only exercise dogs get in these “runs” is jumping and running in a circle, which is not real exercise. You wouldn’t put your children in a pen in the backyard; why put your dog there? Why have dogs if you’re going to keep them in a pen outside?
Dogs are social beings that need to be part of a pack which can be made up of humans, cats, dogs or a combination of the three. Humans domesticated dogs more than 100,000 years ago. Dogs were used to help herd livestock at first, then they became companion animals. That relationship has evolved into the close, family type of connection that many of us have today with our dogs.
Dogs are special!
We domesticated them, so we need to take proper care of them. They love us unconditionally and hold traits that all humans should have. We should respect them, give them dignity, and treat them right.
