Unchain Cleveland County

The above video is photos from different areas in Cleveland County.  The video is 4:45 long and we could have made one over an hour long.  That is truly how many photos we have of dogs in this condition in our area.

Above is reason after reason not to chain your dog.   Dogs are social and need to be with their humans.  So the next question seems to be, how many dogs will die if tethering is banned?      It’s a hard question to answer, but with a non profit, working with the people who really want to keep their dogs, having a resource to get fencing, ( and their dog vaccinated, altered, chipped), having supervised tethering for a short period of time ( those who may tether their dogs to go to the bathroom), and having ACO’s not go out and immediately take dogs, but talk to owners, give them options, and allow time to pursue those options,could not only eliminate the suffering these dogs are enduring, but also help with the unwanted animals being born by some of these dogs.   Also included in the plan should be good relationships with all rescues, so that if there is a time that an unusually large number of dogs would be scheduled to come in, rescues can be made aware, with all details, ahead of time.  That way a plan can be in place to get dogs out before the shelter is full.

Austin Texas, with a population as large as the whole state of Florida, one of the largest open intake shelters in the country, not only has a ban on tethering, but has  95 percent live release rate.

We need to educate our county on the horrors of chains and the reasons this is not healthy for the dogs.  We truly need to be the voice of the voiceless and help those who cannot help themselves.  Please do not profess your love of animals if you do not want to protect them.   While they may be “considered” property, they are living creatures who deserve to be treated as such.

Cleveland County speak up.  Now is the time.

Below is a video from Austin Texas Animal Services.  Also note this video is from six years ago. That is how long they have been protecting those with no voice.

In June of 2017, I was asked to check out a small dog in the bite quarantine at CCAC for possible rescue. While in the quarantine building, I noticed the dog next door to the one I went to visit.   There stood a GSD, barking his head off, and as usual I immediately looked at the former rescue coordinator and said, ” What’s his story?”.   Here is where the story gets different.  Where perception and training truly becomes life or death for so many animals dumped at shelters across the country.   Her response was, ” That is the meanest dog I have ever seen.  We can’t get near him. He won’t stop barking.”     What did I see?   Well first let me say, I am no expert, but I did grow up with GSDs and being in rescue for almost nine years now, I do try to sponge up any and everything I can.  So I saw a very frightened and nervous  GSD.  One that was trying to take the flight instead of fight, but being in a kennel could only flight so far.   And I also knew I was coming back with help with a mission to save this boy, because sometimes you just know.. and I just knew that this emaciated boy was scared to death and needed out of that confined kennel.

Once home, I called GSD eval expert and good friend Aliceia Atkinson  and enlisted her help.  Shelly and I met her over at Animal Control, and of course the staff was convinced this boy was aggressive so with a staff member in the building, but as much out of the dog’s site as possible, Aliceia went to his kennel and went to work.  Check out the videos in the kennel which took her maybe five minutes?

Then Reckless and Aliceia came out of the kennel and walked around outside and everyone met this sweet boy.  Well most all, I think there was maybe one staff member that was still a little frightened of him but most realized he was as frightened of them as they were of him.

The amazing Shellinda Fisher-Hardie with Jericho’s Wish pulled him and he was off to the vets for his skin and everything else needed.   Awesome Jan Lineberger Young stepped up to foster Reckless while he was in Cleveland County until transport.  The Army was at full force, and this boy was safe!

Reckless did wonderful in his foster home.  He had previously lived on a chain where no one really checked on him.  His skin started to heal, he started to gain weight and he showed what a wonderful dog he was.  He then transported up to New Jersey to Shellinda where he landed in his failed foster/forever home with the Craft family.  He has two GSD siblings and he is so very happy.

I do believe everything happens for a reason, and he was the true reason I was suppose to be in the bite quarantine that day. He was crying for help with his barks and frightened trying to flight or fight in a kennel.  Reckless is one of many many examples as I said, that happen daily at shelters across the country. Dogs die labeled as  aggressive, feral, and other terms when it is simply fear.   Put yourself in their place.  Dumped, taken out of the only place they have known as home, and in a frightening place to them.    Shelters need to get their employees training to be able to not only identify these issues correctly but to be able to work with the dogs on them.   We as animal advocates should be trying to save as many as possible and shelters should be hiring animal advocates, people who care and people who want to learn how to help these poor precious souls who are being dumped daily at the shelters.

So the next time you hear a dog barking, or think a dog huddled in a corner in fear makes the dog aggressive or feral, take a moment to think about it , truly think about what that dog is going through.  You may just change your mind.