Best Friends Animal Society supports Dogs Deserve Better in "Chain-Off 2007: Unchain the 50"
Kanab, UT (06/25/2007) - Best Friends Animal Society is throwing its support behind an ambitious effort to get dogs "off the chain" by urging people from all 50 states to chain themselves to dog houses over July 4th weekend (June 3 - July 1).
The goal of "Chain-Off 2007: Unchain the 50" is to illustrate the cruelty and danger of keeping dogs chained. Best Friends is encouraging its members across the United States to get involved in this campaign, which was initiated by Dogs Deserve Better www.dogsdeservebetter.com. People can either chain themselves to dog houses in their community or participate in planned events in Atlanta or Seattle.
Best Friends is headquartered near Kanab, Utah. On Saturday, June 30, there will be one big man chained to a dog house in front of Laid Back Larrys coffee shop. Tom Corrigan, the town manager and president of the Humane Society of nearby Fredonia, just across the Arizona border, has volunteered to be Best Friends representative for Chain Off 2007.
"I figured I could handle being chained for one day if it will help these dogs who spend their whole lives on a chain," Corrigan said.
Julie Castle, director of Best Friends community programs and services, said, "As humorous as it may appear to have people chained to dog houses, all of this is to draw attention to a very serious problem. Chained dogs lead a tortured life. We know from the American Veterinary Association and the Center for Disease Control that chaining or tethering a dog can contribute to aggressive behavior. A chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than an unchained dog.
"We know that the dogs most likely to bite are male, un-neutered, and chained. About two-thirds of attacks by chained dogs involve children. Chained dogs can choke when their chains become entangled and they can develop infections and severe wounds when their collars become embedded in their necks.
"Our hope is that this Chain-Off event will help people see that chaining their dogs is inhumane. If 50 more dogs get to come into the house this 4th of July weekend, that will be 50 small steps in the right direction," Castle said.
For more information on Best Friends involvement in Chain-Off 2007, please visit www.network.bestfriends.org.
###
About Best Friends Animal Society
Located on 33,000 acres in Kanab, Utah, Best Friends Animal Society operates the country's largest sanctuary for homeless animals and is home, on any given day, to about 1,500 dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds and other animals. Best Friends works globally with animal shelters and rescue groups to bring about a time when there will be no more homeless pets. Best Friends advances initiatives nationwide that promote community approaches to make the world a better place through kindness to animals, including adoption, spay/neuter, and humane education programs.
"Kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us."
