Animal Advisory Committee Is Stalling While Dogs Suffer and Public's Safety Is Put at Risk, Says Group
For Immediate Release:
July 26, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Tampa, Fla. -- Holding signs that read "Chaining Makes Dogs Miserable," PETA members will protest at the site of Wednesday's meeting of the Hillsborough County Animal Advisory Committee because the committee has been dragging its feet for more than a year on submitting to county commissioners a law that would restrict the chaining of dogs. Although a growing number of Florida cities and counties—including neighboring Pinellas County—have enacted tethering bans with overwhelmingly positive results, Hillsborough County has done little more than pay lip service to a law that would help stop animal suffering and enhance public safety.
When: Wednesday, July 27, 5:30 p.m.
Where: County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. (E. Kennedy Boulevard and N. Morgan Street), Tampa
"'Man's best friend' deserves better than to be chained up like an old bicycle," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "Hillsborough County officials would do a good deed for their constituents—and for dogs who are suffering in record heat—by banning this cruel, dangerous practice."
Chaining dogs—who are highly social pack animals—is dangerous because it deprives them of needed exercise and social interaction, resulting in aggression, boredom, and depression. Dogs need companionship and room to run. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that chained dogs are nearly three times as likely to attack as are dogs who are not chained. PETA maintains an extensive list of incidents in which children have been mauled or killed after wandering within reach of chained dogs or encountering dogs who have broken free from chains.
Dogs who are chained outside are forced to endure all weather extremes, and they spend their entire lives eating, sleeping, and eliminating in the same small space. Chained dogs are also defenseless, which makes them easy targets for thieves, dogfighters, cruel teenagers, and neighbors who are annoyed by the dogs' barking.
For more information about PETA, please visit PETA.org.