The 27-year-old New Castle resident and her friend Chris Cattie, 30, of Smyrna, are linked to the business on Delaware Avenue in Wilmington that specializes in healthy dog treats.

In fact, they’re chained to dog houses in front of it.

Callahan and Cattie are spending 24 hours chained to the houses as part of Chain Off 2008, a national effort to draw attention to what organizers consider the cruelty of chaining dogs outside.

“People who chain dogs outside for an hour or so, because they don't have a fenced in yard, that’s fine.They come back in, they are part of the family,” Callahan said. ”We are targeting people who chain their dogs outside 24/7.”

She said Mason was rescused from a chain and has lived with her for a little more than a week. The dog is still startled by normal household activity, she said.

To draw additional attention to their cause, Callahan is wearing the collar of a dog named Echo, who was rescued after two years of being chained. Cattie is wearing the collar of Max, one of his three dogs.

Though none of his dogs was rescued from a chain, Cattie said he has witnessed the effects through A Buddy For Life Inc., the organization sponsoring the event.
“It just breaks your heart when you see it,” Cattie said.

Chained dogs often are not fed enough and lack the social skills that normal dogs gain from interaction with people, he said.

Callahan said that even though other animals live outside in nature, dogs should live inside.

“We have domesticated dogs. We have made them a member of the family,” she said. “There is no reason a dog needs to live outside, void of any companionship, any socialization, because we have domesticated them. It is our responsibility, since we domesticated them, to take care of them properly.”

Crystal Litteral, 32, of New Castle and president of A Buddy For Life, said she hopes the event will make people consider bringing their dogs inside.

“Even if one person does it, that is worth it to me, ” she said.

Litteral did not chain herself but is instead caring for Callahan’s dogs.

Callahan said she decided to chain herself for 24 hours because it was the most time allowed under the event guidelines. During that time, food and water is being provided for them. They are allowed off the chains only for restroom visits.

“Tomorrow there will be an end for me,” Callahan said. “There won’t be an end for them.”

Contact Amos Morale at 324-2329 or amorale@delawareonline.com

I spent twenty four hours at the end of a chain.  I was bored, lonely, and sad for all of those dogs who live and die like that.  It rained and I was soaking wet in the middle of the night.  I can only imagine how the dogs feel when it rains and the water hangs in their fur.  The worst part was trying to get some sleep.  Sleeping on the ground is not comfortable, and worst of all, the chain I had around my neck kept twisting.  I did  not get much sleep.  Thankfully, we had a good turn-out of people and also had media attention-- hope we opened someones eyes and educated them.  Even if only one dog is off of a chain due to Chain Off 2008, it was worth it! Visit the article our local state paper, The News Journal, wrote on Chain-off 2008: