Wednesday, June 16, 2004

PETA asks county to outlaw chaining dogs

Jane Moorman News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jmoorman@news-bulletin.com

A national animal rights group has appealed to Valencia County's administration to remove chaining of dogs from its animal control ordinance.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said in a press release Monday that it had written to County Manager Michael Trujillo and the county commission regarding the group's belief that chaining dogs deprives them of social interaction that they need and crave and drives them mad.

The organization recommends that the county follow the lead of many other jurisdictions, including Bernalillo County, that have passed anti-chaining legislation.

PETA plans to place a new billboard showing a chained dog next to a tagline saying "To Keep Your Family Safe, Chain Your Doors, Not Your Dogs," to alert Valencia County residents to the dangerous consequences for humans and dogs alike for keeping dogs chained.

The group's action comes after a pit bull dog attacked and badly injured a 5-year-old Los Chavez girl last week.

"People who relegate man's best friend to a chain are planting ticking time bombs in their yards and risking their families' lives, said PETA Director Daphna Nachminovitch in the release. "Dogs are members of the family, not lawn ornaments or furry alarm systems."

The organization said it maintains an extensive file on children who have been mauled and even killed after wandering into chained dogs' reach or encountering dogs who had broken free from chains.

The group says that, according to animal behaviorists, dogs on chains often become agitated, frustrated and — unable to flee from perceived threats — aggressively protective of their tiny territories.

PETA argues that chaining dogs, highly social pack animals, is cruel. The press release said, "Forced to endure weather extremes and spend their entire lives eating, sleeping and eliminating in the same few square feet of space, chained dogs are also easy targets for cowardly abusers who would shoot, poison or steal them."

Trujillo said that the commission will be reviewing the entire animal control ordinance in the next two or three months and that, at that time, the commission will decide whether this might be one of the issues they discuss.

"At the present time, animals running at large are prohibited in the county," he said, "which means animals must be confined to the owners' property by either a fence or leash. The ordinance also requires that the animal be protected from the weather and properly fed."

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version