Cousin of 2-Year-Old Who Was Killed by Chained Dogs Joins Suffolk Residents in Call for a Ban on Tethering
For Immediate Release:
March 18, 2013
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Suffolk, Va. -- As the Suffolk City Council prepares for Wednesday's vote on a proposed ordinance that would regulate the continuous chaining of dogs, local resident Alice Conner—who made a public service announcement for PETA after her 2-year-old cousin was fatally mauled by chained dogs in Suffolk in 2005—has sent a letter on PETA's behalf to the City Council in support of the ban. PETA responds to more chained-dog cases in Suffolk than in any other city in the area, and as Conner knows from personal experience, chained dogs present a threat to public safety since dogs who have been forced to spend their lives on a chain are more likely to become aggressive and attack people—especially children.
"It is too late for Jonathan and those who loved him, but ever since the horrific attack that took him from us, I have felt an obligation to prevent similar tragedies in the future," writes Conner. "Being trapped would drive anyone crazy. The dogs who killed Jonathan belonged to his own family—it didn't make any difference that they knew who he was. They had gone mad from confinement and neglect."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Alice Conner's letter to the Suffolk City Council follows.
March 18, 2013
The Honorable Linda T.
Johnson, Mayor of Suffolk
The Honorable Charles F.
Brown, Vice Mayor of Suffolk
Members of City Council
Suffolk Municipal Building
441 Market St.
Suffolk, VA 23434
Dear Mayor Johnson, Vice Mayor Brown, and Council Members:
My name is Alice Conner, and I live in Virginia Beach. In October 2005, two dogs who had spent most of their lives chained up outdoors attacked and killed my beloved 2-year-old cousin, Jonathan, in Suffolk. Jonathan loved dogs. He had no idea how dangerous they can be when chained up. It is too late for Jonathan and those who loved him, but ever since the horrific attack that took him from us, I have felt an obligation to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Last September, Portsmouth enacted a law that limits the tethering of dogs to no more than three hours in any 24-hour period, and Hampton has banned tethering completely. Would you, on behalf of little Jonathan, help make Suffolk safer for children and for animals by voting for an ordinance that bans or drastically restricts chaining?
Chained dogs are a threat to the public. Since losing Jonathan, I've learned that his death was not an isolated incident. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that chained dogs are nearly three times as likely to attack humans as are dogs who are not kept chained. Since an 8-year-old Hampton boy was killed by his family's dog in 2000, hundreds more Americans have been injured or killed by chained dogs. Most of those victims were innocent children like my little cousin, including toddlers in Orange and James City counties.
I am a dog lover, and I share my home with a mixed-breed dog named Zoey. She lives indoors with me. She is part of my family, and I wouldn't dream of chaining her up outside like an old bicycle. Dogs are social pack animals who need more than just food, water, and a doghouse (and even those basics are often withheld from chained dogs, who tend to be "out of sight, out of mind"). They thrive on interacting with people and other dogs, exercise, praise, companionship, and simple pleasures, such as tummy rubs, scratches behind the ears, and watching TV on the sofa next to their human companion.
So it's no wonder that dogs who have none of the things that they need and crave become frustrated, territorial, and dangerous—they can't even escape or hide from a perceived threat! Being trapped would drive anyone crazy. The dogs who killed Jonathan belonged to his own family—it didn't make any difference that they knew who he was. They had gone mad from confinement and neglect.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely yours,
Alice Conner