A sad, lonely, bewildered dog, tied alone in the backyard, suffers...and what kind of person wants to maintain suffering?
Backyard dogs are surrendered daily to animal shelters acrossed the country. These animals are the most dysfunctional members of the K9 world; deprived of a dog's most basic need, companionship...they suffer a miserable, solitary life.
You see one in every community, rich or poor-it doesn't matter; a dog tied out day after day to a back porch, a fence or a rickety, leaking dog house, lying lonely on a bed of bare, packed dirt. The water bowl (if there is one) is usually empty or just out of reach. If asked, the owner will reply that "...the stupid dog doesn't know enough to keep the chain from tipping the bowl and spilling the water so he will just have to do without." "Can't be running back and forth all day tending to that hound!"
Abandoned-but chained up-the backyard dog cannot move to shelter, comfort and companionship. In the winter, subjected to the fierce blast of the Arctic wind, they shiver, freeze and suffer from frostbite and arthritis. In the summer, under the relentless hot summer sun, they pant and cook and suffer the bites and torments of thousands of insects...year 'round they suffer.
Dogs are "pack animals" which means they live in groups. Domesticated dogs no longer have packs of other dogs to live with so their "human family" becomes their pack. To be tied out away from their "pack' goes against the very nature of the dog. Of course, dogs can be forced to live away from their pack. But to force this kind of life on your dog is a cruel thing to do when you are aware of his basic need for companionship.
If you have doubts, think of all the wining, clawing, barking dogs you have seen tied out alone. They are trying to get someone's attention to their plight. Failing to do so, they will, in time, become either hyper or listless or perhaps fearful and vicious, when the stress of solitary confinement becomes too much for them to endure any longer.
People who keep their dogs tied out are quick to rationalize it by saying, "they spend a lot of time with their pets." But the truth is, when the weather is hot, cold or stormy, these animals are at most, tended to long enough to drop a bowl of food and water in front of them and a quick pat on the head. The poor dog is then left to endure another lonely, miserable twenty-three hours and fifty nine minutes of solitary confinement.
Dogs offer people the gifts of steadfast devotion, abiding love and companionship. Unless people can accept the responsibility of returning these offerings in kind, then they would best not own a dog. A sad, lonely, bewildered dog, tied alone in the backyard, suffers and what kind of person wants to maintain suffering?
PLEASE BE A RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNER!!!!
