Terri Nelson-Bunge will spend her Independence Day fighting for the independence of man's best friend.
Nelson-Bunge, of State College, a local coordinator for the nationwide protest known as a Chain-Off, will join other activists from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday to protest the practice of tying up dogs.
Nelson-Bunge and her fellow activists will be tied to a doghouse in front of Hi-Way Pizza, 1688 N. Atherton St., both days -- a small price to pay to highlight the issue, she said. Once, the same doghouse was connected to a chained dog instead of chained humans.
"It just shows people how cruel and inhumane it is," she said. "When you don't see something visual you can kind of just forget it."
Founded in 2002 by Tammy Sneath Grimes, also of State College, Chain-Off morphed from a one-woman protest to an event spanning 36 states with more than 100 people during last year's Chain-Off, according to the Dogs Deserve Better Web site, dogsdeservebetter.org.
Nelson-Bunge first got involved in the Chain-Off when she met Grimes at another animal event and heard about the organization's unusual protest, she said.
A self-proclaimed animal lover who has two cats, Nelson-Bunge said she wanted to bring attention to the practice of dog chaining.
"The chained dog issue gets lost," she said. "There's a lot of other animal groups focusing on other things."
An estimated 6 million dogs are chained for all or most of their lives, depriving them of interaction and proper care and possibly causing them to grow aggressive, according to a press release from Dogs Deserve Better.
Pennsylvania is among eight states lobbying for laws to limit the tethering of dogs, according to dogsdeservebetter.org. Texas, California and Maryland have each passed such laws.
The organization chose the site by Hi-Way Pizza because it is a high-traffic area with good visibility from North Atherton Street, Nelson-Bunge said. Prior approval has already been obtained from the property owner, she said.
The festivities and educational outreach, which often draw many four-legged visitors, has been well received in the past, she added.
"There's a lot of cat and dog lovers in the community," she said. "Most people totally support us."
Posted on July 9, 2008 12:56 AM
The DAILY COLLEGIAN ONLINE
Violence is hypocritical to the cause
But they are not nearly as crazy as some animal rights activists in California who have delivered harassing and intimidating threats directly to the doorsteps of researchers.
There were more than 70 cases of researcher victimization in 2003; in 2002, there were only 10, the Foundation for Biomedical Research found. Some Web sites creators now go so far as to list names and contact information of such scientists so protesters can gain access to them more easily.
Jerry Vlasak, an Animal Liberation Front press office spokesman, told the Associated Press he doesn't advocate killing those who use animals in research, but that intimidating or murdering them could be "morally justifiable."
Really?
Sure, animals have a right to life and should be treated with care. However, fellow humans have those rights, too.
Though some activists have said nonviolent protest methods have failed to get appropriate attention and results, there are better ways of getting a point across than hunting down scientists and throwing stones through their windows
State College resident Terri Nelson-Bunge and others drew attention to the issue of chaining dogs by spending 20 hours last week with chains around their own necks.
This was a sight customers and passersby could not easily ignore, and they probably won't forget it, at least not any time soon. At least it made them do a double take.
The Chain-Off protest began with a single protester, Tammy Sneath Grimes, also of State College. It now encompasses 36 states and more than 100 participants, according to dogsdeservebetter.org.
So, congratulations to Sneath Grimes and her four-legged friends for garnering support for their cause. This mature (O.K., comparatively, more mature) protest has gained attention in a nonviolent way -- a feat the protesters in recent Californian incidents cannot boast.
Pennsylvania is one of eight states lobbying for laws to limit dog chaining, and California is one of three states that have already passed such a law, according to dogsdeservebetter.org.
Dogs are man's best friend, but, these activists should focus their attention on inspiring people -- not harming them.