Meet the Contestants...Vote for your
Favorites for the People's Choice Award

Meet the brave men and women who have signed on as contestants in the first-ever game where humans will live as chained dogs. They will compete to survive the boredom of living chained . . . They will be allowed no books, TV, radio, smoking, or even visitors, except for members of the press. For only 1/2 hour each day they may see family members or call home, reach out for some semblance of normality. They will be allowed the bare minimum in hygiene, no showers or baths, but only cleanliness routines undertaken within the confines of four tiny port-a-john walls. They will be stripped of all the comforts we take so much for granted on a daily basis. In their place, they receive only a chain, a collar, water, food, doghouse, sleeping bag, and shade.

They will record their feelings twice a day in a journal, helping to light a path for the dogs to travel toward freedom. They may cry, knowing the pain and suffering chained dogs endure, day in, day out—often for life. One of them will walk away with a new car...but more importantly, none of them will walk away unchanged. The knowledge they now bear may make it virtually impossible to look at a chained dog without a burning desire to make a difference in that dog's life.

Mikael Hardy, South Carolina- DROPPED 3:00 JULY 4

Karen Mikael Hardy, 36, lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina. She lives with 7 rescued dogs and 2 rescued horses. Mikael believes in the saying “give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” She wants the people who drive past the same chained dogs she does to see life through their eyes. She wants to educate people, and she wants to effect change. She is pictured here with her chained dog rescue, Bert.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Jacob Pittman, Florida-DROPPED DAY 5, 1:00 A.M.

Jacob Nabil Pittman, 19, lives in Cape Coral, Florida. He is pictured here with his beagle, Lady, who lived either chained or in a bathroom most of the time before becoming part of his family. He was moved by the Dogs Deserve Better website, and feels there is a great need for community awareness around this issue; he believes that as a result of this contest he will learn what it feels like to be imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Jacqueline Waldroup, Pennsylvania-Eliminated Day 11

Jacqueline Nicole Waldroup, 20, lives in Windber, Pennsylvania. She loves animals and the outdoors, and thinks this is an exciting and challenging way to raise awareness for a good cause. She also hopes it will be an eye-opening experiences, and will have fun doing it! (We’re not sure how much fun she’ll have, but it’s certainly a memory she’ll have for a lifetime!)

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Steven Knox, Pennsylvania-NO SHOW

Steven Garrett Knox, Jr., 21, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, wanted to join the contest because he cares about dogs very much. He has a Staffordshire Terrier that is always mistaken for a pit bull, and he feels they get a bad rap. Steven has had Baby Gurl since before he went in the military, and she has indeed been a blessing to him. He wants to make sure other people learn to respect their dogs, and he feels this is a good way to do that.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Corey Hool, Pennsylvania-DROPPED 6:00 JULY 1

Corey James Hool, 21, of Beaverdale, Pennsylvania, doesn’t believe that any dog should be tied up outside. His girlfriend works at the Cambria County Humane Society, and when their dog Phil was brought there by the ACO, she fell in love with him and brought him home. Corey thinks remaining chained for any length of time will be a hard thing to do, but it is for a good cause, and he wants to help make a difference.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Heather Shirley, Michigan-DROPPED DAY 7, 5:30 P.M.

Heather Ann Shirley, 35, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, wants to be in the contest to help Dogs Deserve Better and the chained dogs. She also hopes to donate the car to another deserving animal charity if she wins. She is mom to two rescued dogs, Misha who was chained to a doghouse and who’s collar was embedded in her skin, and Leia, who was hit a lot, pregnant, and unwanted.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Aija Gillman, Illinois

Aija Nicole Gillman, 18, of Pinckneyville, Illinois, wants to do all she can to raise awareness of this cruelty and help put a stop to it. She feels, as Ghandi did, that you can tell a lot about a country by the way it treats its animals. She has a rescued dog, Larka, who at just seven weeks old lived in a wire cage in the snow. When she was able to rescue her and bring her home, she weighed only two pounds, had worms, and skin infections from fleas.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Michael Smith, Pennsylvania-NO SHOW

Michael Smith, 40, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has a dog named Baby, a Boxer, who lives in the home with him. He doesn’t believe in keeping a dog chained, and thinks that as a result of this contest, more people will be aware of what it’s like to live chained up. He is also hoping to win a new car!

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

John Roland, Pennsylvania-NO SHOW

John L. Roland, IV, 40, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, plans to play on behalf of his sister’s two dogs who live in a pen, their names are Scotch and Valley. He misses his dog Cedar, who now lives with his ex-girlfriend, and feels that dogs need to live inside as part of the family.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Zachary Stull, Pennsylvania

DROPPED OUT-JUNE 28 DUE TO WORK

Zachary Stull, 25, of Boliver, Pennsylvania, thinks the contest is a great idea, as he has 2 collies and a pug, Dillia, Sue, and Tilly, all part of the family. He finds this a good way to raise awareness, and he wanted to be part of the fun.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Susan Fitzgerald, New York-DROPPED 3:00 JULY 2

Susan Fitzgerald, 34, of Oswego, New York, is very familiar with the work of Dogs Deserve Better, as her former roommate is a representative for DDB. She has done a lot of advocacy work for chained dogs, and fosters many formerly chained and penned dogs, finding them new, inside homes and families. Susan is hopeful that she will help raise consciousness about how wrong it is to have dogs chained.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Shawn Fox, Pennsylvania-DROPPED DAY 5, 5:00 A.M.

Shawn Allen Fox, 19, of LaJose, Pennsylvania, loves animals, and he thinks this is a worthy way to win a new car. He is looking forward to participating in such a new and exciting event, and feels a lot of people and the media will come out to see 15 people chained to doghouses.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Brandon Richardson, Pennsylvania-NO SHOW

Brandon Richardson, 21, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, feels that dogs are not just animals, but part of the family. He has a dog named Rocky, a pug, and thinks it is not right to be treated the way chained and penned dogs are treated. Brandon believes this contest serves a purpose, which makes him more interested in participating, and he is definitely hoping to win a new car.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Trevor Fortson, Pennsylvania-NO SHOW

Trevor Fortson, 19, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, has three dogs, Coco, Nakita, and Chi-Chi. He wants to be in the contest for dogs rights, and thinks it will be very difficult living on a chain, with a lot of ‘sitting around waiting’.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Thomas Frank, Pennsylvania-Eliminated Day 12

Thomas Frank, 25, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, would like to help the cause and make a statement. He thinks it will be very tough for the contestants, but is hoping everyone will be very friendly to everyone else, and that by the end there will be no one there to watch them.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Stephen Port, Pennsylvania-Eliminated Day 10

Stephen A. Port, 28, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, thinks this is a great opportunity to not only win a new car, but also to spread the word about dog chaining. Just discussing doing it at his son's t-ball game he was able to raise awareness, and he is excited about that.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Don McKendree, Pennsylvania

Don Lee McKendree, 52, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, wants to get a perspective from a dog's view and to help demonstrate what a dog goes through. Don has a chained dog named Niki, and is willing to work with DDB to bring her into the home and fence his yard if winning the new car.

Voting for the People's Choice Award is now closed, however, you may still donate in this contestants name for his/her efforts.

Contest-Day One/Two & Synopsis, Photos: First to Go
Contest-Day Three/Four & Synopsis, Photos: Who Left Next?
Contest-Day Five/Six & Synopsis, Photos: And Then There Were Six...
Contest-Day Seven/Eight & Synopsis, Photos: Now Down to Five
Contest-Day Nine/Ten & Synopsis, Photos: Eliminations Begin
Contest-Day Eleven/Twelve & Synopsis, Photos: Only Two Left
Contest-Day Thirteen & Synopsis, Photos: And the Winner Is...

Contest-Day Fourteen & Synopsis, Photos:
Closing Ceremonies and Award of Chevy Aveo

Event T and Water Bottle Combo Sets, Only $11.75!
Don't miss out on this amazing deal! When they're gone their gone...Select from Green as worn by Aija, Stephen, Shawn, and Susan, or Cream, as worn by Don, Tom, Jacqueline, Mikael, Heather, Jacob, and Corey.

Coming to the Event?

Accommodations

5 Miles to the East in Ebensburg on Rt. 22 there is a Comfort Inn, reservations can be made at 814.472.6100. There is also a Cottage Inn there, phone 814.472.8002. In Altoona, 30 miles to the East, there is a Marriott, 814.312.1800; a Holiday Inn Express, 814.944.9661; a Comfort Inn, 814.693.1800; a Ramada, 814.946.1631; Econo Lodge, 814.944.3555; Super 8 Motel, 814.942.5350, Wye Motor Lodge, 814.695.4407

15 Miles to the West on Rt. 22 (toward Pittsburgh) in Blairsville, there is a Comfort Inn, phone 724.459.7100. There are also numerous hotels on Rt. 22 in Murrysville and Monroeville going toward Pittsburgh.

Directions

We will be located of Rt. 22, 5 Miles West of Ebensburg, PA,
at Leidy Park in Mundys Corner.

If Mapquesting, use [134-147] Leidy Ln, Johnstown, PA 15909

From the East and Altoona, PA. Take 1-99 to Rt. 22 West. Continue through Ebensburg, 5 miles past Ebensburg take Rt. 271 South Exit. There is a large Sheetz there on the left. Turn right to go to the park. Approximately .6 mile there is a Y-shaped left turn onto Brackten Street. Another .6 mile brings you to Leidy Lane. Turn left, Park is on your right approx. 1 block.

From the West and Pittsburgh, PA. Take Rt. 22 East to Rt. 271 South. Follow above directions.

From the South and Johnstown, PA. Take Rt. 56 North to Rt. 271 North, approx. 11 miles. Turn right on Brackten Rd. in Mundy's Corner, and then follow directions as above.

From the North and Indiana, PA. Take 422 East/South to Rt. 271. Follow this across Rt. 22, near the Sheetz. Follow directions as above.

Other local points of interest are: Johnstown Flood Museum, Johnstown Inclined Plane, Allegheny Portage Railroad, Horseshoe Curve, Charles Schwab Estate, Railroad Museum at Altoona

Tammy S. Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, will live chained at the contest location for 72 hours to raise awareness for chained dogs. She will live chained from 3 p.m., July 1 through 3 p.m., July 4th. She will gain her freedom on the 4th of July, symbolic of her quest to gain freedom for America’s chained dogs.

This year Grimes chains herself in memory of Ebb, a dog from Mahaffey Pennsylvania. She worked with concerned citizens Jill and Aric Sherwood for four years to try to free him from his chains, but they were never successful. Ebb suffered the loss of his eyesight, his hearing, and ultimately the last vestiges of hope before his death, having spent his entire life chained outside, sad and alone.

(A Big Thank You to Joe Baxter,
the Jackson Township Supervisors and Dave Hirko
for approving us to use the park.)

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Billboard Art to run on Rt. 22, just west of Cresson, PA
and just west of Ebensburg, PA.

Photos of Leidy Park

Contestants will live chained inside ballpark fence

Playground for the kids attending

Shaded area for relaxing

Large field for vendors, tents, bands,
limited camping for volunteers, supporters

Concession stand. Can you donate non-meat food items to sell?
If so, please mail to P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684

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(Click this image to get great Chain Off attire)

Donate Toward the Event

If you'd like to sponsor via regular USPS mail,
send to P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684. Or call 877.636.1408

Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit education/legislation/rescue organization. Your donations are tax-deductible according to IRS guidelines.