Helping get dogs ff the chain

We often refer to someone who is extreme or out of control in their behavior, such as from anger or rage, as being off the chain. In the animal world, if they are so unfortunate to live their lives on a chain, they may have extreme behavior actually because of the chain.

My nonprofit animal welfare group, Central Georgia CARES, has always been concerned about any animal who lives a solitary life at the end of the chain. It can be any animal who’s chained but it’s typically a dog who is a highly social animal.

Dogs are by nature pack animals or companion animals, meaning they thrive on interacting with humans and need to spend extended quality time with people as well as other animals. Chained dogs tend to be isolated away from their family with the only visit being when food and water are brought to them. This makes the restrained animal very sad.

That’s why my group, CARES, has had an initiative for years called Unchain Macon to get dogs off chains. This program allows qualified families to borrow a kennel from CARES for the life of the dog. But the limited families who receive kennels must realize the kennel is only a partial solution that allows the dog freedom of movement without being tethered.

The family must still provide attention and spend quality time with the dog, exercising him and playing with him. Dogs need interaction daily and families should be providing love and affection daily. If the family does not become engaged and spend time with the dog, a kennel is simply another form of restraint and a different kind of tether. It’s just a little more comfortable way of isolating and confining the dog besides the chain.

Whether they’re chained or kenneled in isolation, the continual separation from humans or other animals causes great psychological damage. Being alone watching the activities of the family from a distance with the tether restricting them from being allowed to participate and physically become part of the family is very depressing for a dog.

Over time, being continually left alone on a chain, an otherwise happy, friendly, well-adjusted social dog will become despondent, withdrawn and possibly even aggressive. They are also at risk for physical injury from any other unrestrained animal that comes into the area of the tethered dog.

You see a chain only keeps the dog from being free. It doesn’t keep him safe. There have been cases where other unrestrained dogs have attacked a chained dog who cannot fend for himself because he’s chained to a tree. It doesn’t usually end well for the chained dog.

If the chained dog is an unspayed female the problems are even greater. She has no way to escape the numbers of male dogs who will appear and violate her. This is a terrifying experience for a female dog who has no way of getting away from the unwanted guests.

Another risk of trauma to chained dogs is the chance of the chain becoming entangled in something or around a tree thus shortening or tightening the tether itself. There have been cases of dogs choking to death or hanging themselves as they try to untangle the tether from the object.

There are many more reasons not to tether dogs that we’ll chat about in the coming weeks. But in the meantime, realize dogs are companion animals who want to be part of your family and participate in family activities with you. They’re not designed to watch from afar. They want to be in the middle of it all loving you, showing you affection and building relationships that last a lifetime.

This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Helping get dogs ff the chain."