It is my understanding that a number of community organizations in Durham are working toward getting a law passed which would make it illegal to keep dogs on chains. I am writing today in support of such a law.

When one sees chained dogs in a neighborhood, it is easy to assume that the neighborhood is a rough one, whether that is true or not. This is because it is so obviously cruel to keep a dog chained all the time that it is difficult to imagine nice people doing it. I’m proud to live in Durham and I feel that Durham sometimes gets an undeserved bad reputation. It would go a long way toward cleaning up our reputation if the city did not tolerate the cruelty inherent in keeping dogs on chains.

Dogs want desperately to be with their families. They are pack animals and we are their packs. We are their world. In the the wild, wolves and feral dogs punish an errant member of the pack by ignoring him. This is agonizing for the punished dog. If humans chain a dog and ignore him most of the time, he feels punished but doesn’t know for what crime. At first he becomes frustrated by the lack of affection and stimulation. Eventually, he just gives up and becomes depressed.

A chained dog suffers in extremes of temperature and in wet weather even if he has a house. He often has difficulty avoiding contact with his own excrement and he is vulnerable to attack by roaming dogs and cruel teenagers. His family is less likely to notice an illness or injury because dogs that are kept on chains are rarely handled by their people.

Please do what you can to ensure that a law is passed which would prohibit the cruel practice of chaining dogs. It will help alleviate a tremendous amount of suffering, while simultaneously making Durham a more inviting place for people who are not yet aware of its many charms.

Thank you very much for taking the time to consider my thoughts on the issue,
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