Demand an end to tethering and penning dogs in the state of South Carolina

  • by: S. Kirchberger
  • recipient: The Honorable Nikki R. Haley, Office of the Governor

The following issue has gone unaddressed for far too long—that of the perpetually tethered or penned, so-called "outside" or "backyard" dog.

There is no sadder sight than these outcast, forlorn, forgotten animals, relegated to the status of lawn ornaments and virtually ignored by the family.

Many tethered or penned dogs are seriously neglected. They lack fresh, unfrozen water, adequate housing, hygiene and the most basic veterinary care, including vaccinations required by law. Every winter such dogs are found frozen to death. At other times of the year they may be left to starve until they die.

Tethering is not only inhumane for dogs, but has taken a severe toll on this nation’s children. In the period from last October until this month, there have been at least 17 children killed or seriously injured by chained dogs across the country. Tethered dogs, unsocialized with humans, can become very territorial of their tiny space, and any child who wanders into this space can be attacked and killed before adults can intervene. An attack in July of 2004 lead to the death of 2 year old Patricia J. Anderson in Cook County, Georgia. Patricia was attacked and killed by a bulldog mix chained behind the house of a family friend. Furthermore, researchers are confirming the link between animal abuse and neglect and abuse and neglect of children and perpetration of future crimes.

I urge you to remedy this oversight which condemns dogs, the most loving and loyal of animals, to lives of loneliness and deprivation. I ask that you implement a law to put a ban on tethering and penning dogs in South Carolina.

There is a growing list of communities that are banning this cruel practice, Austria is one of the latest nations to ban the chaining of dogs, completely prohibiting the practice. California, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Texas are among just some of the states in the US that have put tethering bans in place. There are over 50 communities or counties in at least 26 states with limits on tethering. Our state needs to be a part of this growing movement to eliminate tethering and penning of dogs.

We, who have signed are asking for an immediate tethering and penning ban statewide and we ask for your help in doing all that you can to make this happen.

Thanks in advance!

For all those that are reading this...you can also make a difference for the dogs in your immediate community by checking out the following link (if the link does not work please just copy and paste to your browser). This will give you advice on how to change laws in your local area, which often times is easier to do than getting a state law changed (please feel free to copy and paste the above information on this petition if you choose to email your local reps).

http://www.peta.org/issues/companion-animal-issues/cruel-practices/chaining-dogs/chaining-ordinances/

You can also read more about the cruelties of dog tethering and penning at the following link (if the link does not work please just copy and paste to your browser)...

http://www.peta.org/issues/companion-animal-issues/cruel-practices/chaining-dogs/

Thanks for signing !!!

The following issue has gone unaddressed for far too long—that of the perpetually
tethered or penned, so-called "outside" or "backyard" dog.

There is no sadder sight than these outcast, forlorn, forgotten animals, relegated to the status of lawn ornaments and virtually ignored by the family.

Many tethered or penned dogs are seriously neglected. They lack fresh, unfrozen water, adequate housing, hygiene and the most basic veterinary care, including vaccinations required by law. Every winter such dogs are found frozen to death. At other times of the year they may be left to starve until they die.

Tethering is not only inhumane for dogs, but has taken a severe toll on this nation’s children. In the period from last October until this month, there have been at least 17 children killed or seriously injured by chained dogs across the country. Tethered dogs, unsocialized with humans, can become very territorial of their tiny space, and any child who wanders into this space can be attacked and killed before adults can intervene. An attack in July of 2004 lead to the death of 2 year old Patricia J. Anderson in Cook County, Georgia. Patricia was attacked and killed by a bulldog mix chained behind the house of a family friend.

Furthermore, researchers are confirming the link between animal abuse and neglect and abuse and neglect of children and perpetration of future crimes.

I urge you to remedy this oversight which condemns dogs, the most loving and loyal of animals, to lives of loneliness and deprivation. I ask that you implement a law to put a ban on chaining and penning dogs in South Carolina.

There is a growing list of communities that are banning this cruel practice, Austria is one of the latest nation to ban the chaining of dogs, completely prohibiting the practice. West Virginia, Virginia and Texas are among just some of the states in the US that have put tethering bans in place. There are over 50 communities or counties in at least 26 states with limits on tethering. Our state needs to be a part of this growing movement to eliminate tethering and penning of dogs.

The wording of model legislation can be found by visiting the website www.dogsdeservebetter.com.

We, who have signed are asking for an immediate tethering and penning ban statewide and we ask for your help in doing all that you can to make this happen.

Thanks for all consideration.

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