This was my second year participating
in the chainoff, and I have to say that I was even more affected
this year than last. Not because of the hail or the all-night
rain, but because just recently the chained dogs in
my state came close to being considered, their pain was almost
heard, but once again they were let down. Kind of like when a
chained dog sits and watches the back door, and suddenly it opens.
They think for a second that maybe someone is coming out
to pet them, to say a kind word, but then the door shuts again,
or the person comes outside, only to ignore them like they aren't
even there. Or maybe they are hungry and think that food is on
its way, only to learn that they will have to wait longer to
be fed. I live in SC, a state where you can find a chained dog
on almost every other street. This year a proposed tethering
law was considered, hashed and rehashed, and we fought
really hard, but once again, like the chained prisoners, we weren't
heard. So we have to wait until next year, and while we wait,
they wait, and they suffer.
My chainoff experience was much
easier than that of those captives who I represented. I had people
around me to chat with, a voice to speak how I felt, and most
importantly, an endpoint for when
I knew I would be freed. But I did get a glimpse inside
of their misery, just a glimpse. I felt how my joints ached from
not being able to move around, and how the rain from a leaky
shelter soaked me to the bone. I had to watch the events going
on around me without being able to go and join in. But the most
painful part of the chainoff for me was when 11:00 am Sunday
morning came around and we all got to unchain ourselves,
yet some 6 million chained dogs in the US had to remain
chained up. So, we stood up and gathered our belongings, picked
up all of the doghouses and threw away our trash. Meanwhile,
across the world, there they sat and still they suffered. And
while I went back to my motel room to be with my family,
they were still waiting on the back door to open, hoping and
waiting. Still hoping and waiting.
Anderson woman to chain herself to doghouse in protest
By Heidi Cenac •www.independentmail.com
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Anderson resident Rhonda Sims believes so strongly that chaining
dogs is wrong that she’s chaining herself to a doghouse
this weekend in an effort to teach others about the effects of
tethering.
Sims, a volunteer with Dogs Deserve Better, will fly to Chicago
this weekend to spend 24 hours tied to a doghouse in Chain Off
2008: Unchain our World.
Sims, who is participating in the event for the second time,
will be on the chain from 11:15 a.m. Saturday to 11:15 a.m. Sunday.
During that time, she won’t be allowed to read a book to
pass the time and will only be allowed off the chain to go to
the restroom.
“Even then, we’re allowing ourselves more than those
dogs are allowed,” Sims said.
Dogs Deserve Better is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that advocates
against chaining dogs for extended periods and provides fencing
to families who can’t afford it. An estimated 6 million
dogs in the United States live most or all of their lives on
chains.
Although increasingly recognized as abusive, Sims said 24/7
chaining still is prevalent and accepted in many places, including
South Carolina, where existing animal welfare laws allow dogs
to be tethered for their entire lives.
The two-day national Chain Off includes a vendor fair with educational
booths, training information and dog massages. Across the country,
volunteers who can’t make it to Chicago will conduct their
own, local protests between June 27 and July 7.
“It makes people think,” Sims said.
She’s also hoping the protest will lead people to action.
Visit firstgiving.com/rhondasims to sponsor Sims and raise money
for Dogs Deserve Better.
If
you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail, send
to
P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684
or
you may call 1.877.636.1408 to use Visa/Mastercard/AmEx
Dogs
Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit education/legislation/rescue
organization. Your donations are tax-deductible according
to IRS guidelines.
