Group Targets Burlington Because City Has No Law Against Chaining Dogs Outdoors—Even in Bitter-Cold Winter Weather
For Immediate Release:
January 19, 2012
Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382
Burlington, Vt. -- PETA has sent a letter to Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss with an offer that the group hopes he won't refuse: PETA will help the city save money by clearing all the sidewalks around City Hall after the city's next snowstorm if the mayor grants the group permission to stencil its anti-chaining ad on the sidewalk. The ad shows a sad, chained dog and reads, "Chained Dog? A Chilling Tail." PETA picked Burlington because despite the city's cold winters and abundant snowfall, it has no anti-chaining law. PETA hopes that the stencil inspires council members to ban the chaining of dogs, as legislators in many forward-thinking towns and cities across the U.S. have already done.
"'Backyard dogs' are subjected to everything from temperature extremes to attacks by abusers to mind-wasting loneliness," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "We urge the mayor to accept our offer, and we implore residents to allow dogs indoors—not just when it snows but year-round."
For these highly social pack animals, life at the end of a chain is no life at all. Deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, chained dogs often go insane from frustration and lack of exercise. Often, all they have to live on is a tiny patch of land, and they must defecate in the same area in which they eat and sleep. Chaining dogs can also be deadly for humans. A study authored in part by two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physicians found that "[b]iting dogs were significantly more likely … to be chained …." According to the study, chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to attack than dogs who are not tethered.
Every year, PETA receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs outdoors in the cold. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for "backyard dogs," who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.