One local group would like to see every dog freed from their "back yard" chains.

Hope Rescues and Traveling Tails Inn are hosting "Chain Off," Saturday, an event that calls attention to the fact that many dogs that are chained up.

For Jackie Spiker, director of Hope Rescues, dogs should be freed from their chains.The national event is scheduled near July 4, to call attention to the plight of the animals.

During the event, volunteers chain themselves to doghouses to raise funds for fencing for the canine pets.

"We have volunteers who chain themselves to dog houses," Spiker said. "Then they have a fundraising form and people sponsor them for the event."

So far the group has ten people who will chain themselves to the dog houses, she said.

"If we don't have enough dog houses, we will use trees," Spiker said.

Last year the group raised enough money to help install three fences for local families, to allow them to take their dogs off of their chains.

The fencing covers entire back yard of the chosen residences, she said.

"This year we would also like to do three (fences)," she said.

"We raised $750 last year," she said.

The group has set at goal to raise $1,000 for fencing this year, she said.

Spiker said members of the group offer to put up fences for anonymous people who have their dogs chained somewhere in their yard.

"This year we also have two donated dog houses," she said.

The event started after one woman chained herself to a doghouse for 33 hours in 2003.

During the Chain Off event last year, 108 people chained themselves in 36 states and Canada.

Pets will also be available at the event for adoption, and pets are welcome at the event, Spiker said.

The group also offer refreshments and games, like musical mats.

The game is played like musical chairs, but with mats for the dogs, instead of chairs.

Hope Rescues is a local not-for-profit organization that demonstrates compassion for dogs; the goal of the organization is to promote the spaying or neutering of pets in an effort to stop the use of gas chambers as a means of killing unwanted pets.

Traveling Tails is located at 2764 Route 66 Business Park in Glen Carbon.

The event is scheduled 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, call 463-9983.