Chaining dogs

[She_Wolf]

Uhhh...some people! Right next to my school there is a family who owns a dog (not sure what breed, looks pit bull-ish to me) and they keep it on a chain all the time. It's a short chain, maybe ten feet, and all he has is a doghouse. GRRR!!!

[AlaskanKristen]

Personally, I support chaining if it's done properly (dog is let off at least once a day, dog is fed and watered daily, dog has proper chain, clean area, etc.). I do not agree with keeping a dog on a chain 100% of the time, but I do keep my guys on chains most of the day (well, my new guys have been on them all of the time except when we're running and going for leashed walks because I cannot trust them yet).

Really, you have to look at the reason for chaining to see if it's cruel or not. If the dog just isn't trained and the owners are sick of it inside, I consider that cruel. If the dogs are working dogs that prefer to be outside, I don't find it cruel at all. It allows the dogs to run, socialize with their neighbors, and keep them safely confined (my guys have been known to dig over a foot and jump 6-7 feet just to escape!!). Personally, I will stick to chains. They make more sense to me than a little inside dog run where a dog can only bang its feet on a door inside a box with no fresh air and sunlight.

[princessjodi]

I agree with AlaskanKristen. I have had several pitties and one of them needed to be chained up for his own safety and that of other neighborhood dogs. Big long story...

Anyways...he was let off the chain and in the house just about once a day and allowed to roam the yard for a bit every day. He also had plenty of shelter, food, water, etc. There are good reasons and bad reasons to chain a dog and as long as the dog is taken care of, I see no reason not to chain...esp if there are reasons that are not immediately obvious. There could be reasons unknown to you why the dog is chained.

[Rip's Girl]

I don't like chaining. I would prefer outdoor dogs be kept in kennels or dog runs instead of being tied up. Not only are the runs more secure for keeping the dog IN, but they keep other animals that could harm the dog OUT.
I can understand dogs preferring to stay outside, but I don't feel that chaining is a safe way to contain an outdoor dog. I would never do it.

[CTDog]

I do not like chaining. Rarely there are good reasons... and there are some good pet owners that still give their dogs lots of attention while it is outside. However, I think far too often the chain is abused and dogs are left to rot 24/7 in the backyard. It is a sad, sad life for a dog that only gets a 10 foot circumference to stretch its legs. I'm sure many pine outside at night wishing and longing to be indoors with their "pack." How unnatural and lonely it must feel to a dog to be alone all the time.

[Odetoadream]

I do not like chaining either. I'd rather the dog be in a kennel, then on a chain. It keeps dogs safe, allows them to move freely and not get tangled up and hurt themselves. Not to mention keeps other animals and children from being hurt. Some dogs that are chained can become aggressive because they are put in a vunerable position. Fight or flight reaction. Where if another animal threatens them, they must fight, because they cannot move away. As if they was kenneled, they would at least be more secure and they couldn't be hurt by whatever was threatening them.

However, a dog being tied out for a few hours as a last resort is alright so long as they are suprivised. I'd perfer the dog never spents more then 8 hours on a chain or tie out a day. In some states that's the law, hopefully more states will follow suit.

Too many dogs watch the world go by on a chain, prisoners of love. What is truly sad are the dogs that are never allowed off of it. Once on the chain the owners put no more thought into them, only to complain that when they go to feed and water them or give them attention that the dog jumps on them or sweeps their legs out from under them with the chain, so that is why they don't let them go or give them more attention. If they only knew the dog only does that because the owner won't train them and they are starving for attention. A neverending sad cycle, which the dog pays for in the end.

[linnie]

i am totally against chaining personally.
Although many in our area have working dogs and they are chained and kennelled. I think the real problem arises when people chain their dogs and dont allow exercise or time out from being chained. Ten feet of chain seems mighty short to me. I actually think if an animal has to be chained a run is a better option

[TribalRats]

No Chains please. Be a responsible dog owner, buy a kennel or better yet a fence. If your dog is and escape artist then a kennel and a fence but NO chains.

[mrsgrubby]

Originally Posted by Odetoadream

I do not like chaining either.

However, a dog being tied out for a few hours as a last resort is alright so long as they are suprivised.

I agree with you here. Sure, some folks can't afford to fence their yards and so they chain them out for a few hours a day. That is ok I guess as long as the dog sleeps inside and eats inside and is part of the family. But these dogs that spend their lives on a chain is horrible!!!!! Even getting off once a day is horrible, Whoooppie, a few minutes off the chain. It should be the other way around, a few minutes on the chain.

I admit I don't really understand the business of sled dogs and I know that many spend their lives on chains, and because I don't understand them, I won't offer an opinion there, but in the rest of the cases, chains only for a short part of the day.

[Tinaweena]

I have a friend who owned an alaskan malmute. It was outside, chained ALL the time. It was a silly, friendly dog. They tried many times to bring him in, and hang out with the family indoors. But he was just too warm all the time, so 5 mins after they brought him in, he was begging at the door to go back out.
I think that if the dog likes it, and it's fed, watered, and exercised then it's totally acceptable.

I should add, they did have a fenced backyard, but kept him chained inside the carport where it was concrete/shaded and nice and cool for him to lay.
He would scratch/bark at the fence to the backyard to use the washroom and go for a play.

[brandysmama]

There are a lot of dogs around me that are chained. The beagle/border collie mix behind me somehow finds a way off her chain. It's honestly a miracle that she hasn't been run over yet, as much as she likes to chase cars. She really can't be outside unsupervised because she'll wander off. Not many yards in our area are fenced, mainly because the houses are pretty new and most people don't have the money to get the fence. I do wish that her human would opt for a pen or a run if she can't have her inside. She'd at least have better protection, and it would probably do a better job of keeping her from escaping--and digging up our flower beds and chewing on our outdoor ant traps.

I haven't chained Brandy much--and when I have, I've been out there with her to make sure she doesn't wrap herself around a tree, like our next-door neighbor's dog tends to do when she's out on a chain. But at least she's not out there 24/7 or anything.

[DaisySunshine]

We kept our family dog, Midnight, chained up when we did not have a fence around the yard. It was for her own safety but mainly for our convenience. I have felt horribly guilty about it since. Fortunately, she was off her chain when we got our fence and was much happier. She could even chase cats!

If a dog must be chained put it in a kennel instead or fenced yard.

[shandoggy1]

Personally for me, why bother to have a dog if it is going to live outside on a chain all the time. A dog is supposed to be part of your family. My dogs only go outside for potty and to go for a walk, they are only out in my yard supervised well my 7 month old ACD is anyways cuz he likes to eat everything he shouldn't . That's just my 2 cents!

[mrsgrubby]

Originally Posted by shandoggy1

Personally for me, why bother to have a dog if it is going to live outside on a chain all the time. A dog is supposed to be part of your family. My dogs only go outside for potty and to go for a walk, they are only out in my yard supervised well my 7 month old ACD is anyways cuz he likes to eat everything he shouldn't . That's just my 2 cents!

I agree with you here. Jasmine goes outside to go on walks, and to go potty in the fenced in yard. But not usually longer than 15 minutes.

Often she comes to work with me too, but on days she doesn't, she goes in the kennel while we are working, and as soon as we get home, out she comes.

I suppose that many people get a puppy cuz it is soooo cute and then it grows up or even just potty on the floor, and out it goes. Tied up. sad sad sad

[Papillon]

We had to chain our dogs several times. One time because we did not have a fence, a second time because we had no fence, and did not need to take the time to build one. But all of our dogs were let in frequently, were given food, water, and attention until something could be done about the chaining situation. These dogs now have a secure fence to play and romp in, and weren't being abused in the first place anyway. Therefore, I do not support chaining, unless it has to be done and the dog is taken for walks everyday and given plenty of care and affection.