Watch Day Six Tour, Georgia

 

Diary of Dawn: Day 6 Georgia —Flight or Fight!

Tammy and I said goodbye to Alabama and voyaged along a two-lane highway all the way to Georgia. We counted 61 more chained/penned dogs left outside alone and sad as we passed through the country areas, even stopping to pass out information despite the fact that we had to get to the next state...we just couldn't help ourselves!

In Georgia we passed out information and talked with dog caretakers. We spoke with a Hispanic man and met his chained German Shepherd named King, another adorable looking dog with a lazy ear. The dog was in desperate need of fresh water and food, a privilege most chained dogs don’t often receive. King sat up and begged and wagged his tail. I said, “Aww! How sweet!” Little did I know the dog was begging for me to come closer so he could take a bite out of me! King took a piece of my ear and afterward his guardian proclaimed, “Be careful that dog is mean.” Neither Tammy nor I read the aggression in his demeanor or actions, until the obvious of course. I don’t think King would have been violent off of the chain, but guarding the small terriority had made him that way. I still managed to get him fresh water and food; it's mentally draining enough without walking away leaving a dog without food and water. I refused treatment because I felt the wound wasn't too bad and I didn't want King turned in for a dog bite. Tammy and I braked at the nearest service station to stop the bleeding and clean the wound.

Further into Georgia we stopped at a home with two terribly scared Pit Bulls. The female was so frightened she cowered and both Tammy's and my heart shattered. The little girl was pregnant by her yardmate, Kilo. The owner had both dogs in a pen together when they mated; he said it wasn’t on purpose. Now each dog is chained separately in the yard. Kilo was appropriately standing in front of a football. This is Atlanta Falcon’s territory after all and Kilo seemed to understand he was in Michael Vick’s stomping grounds. We wondered if he'd chew up the football and spit it out to pass along his opinion of this treatment of dogs? One could hope.

Next we came across a yard full of chained and penned Pit Bulls. “Beware of Dog” and “No Trespassing” signs gave the breeder’s residence away. Seven chained and God only knows how may penned dogs were on the property. The breeder said the dogs sell for $250.00 a piece and up. We see them put down daily in shelters across the country, but home grown Pit Bulls are still being bred and sold, just to end up in someone else's backyard, dead in the fighting ring, or dead in the shelter system. We pray they will not kill others along the way. Left alone and completely unsocialized, their anger can sometimes turn outward against their imprisoners or other innocents who cross their path. Can we as a society blame them for what is only a reaction to our ignorance and abuse? We've really got to put a stop to our barbaric practices that allow such things to continue.

Just across the road from the Pit Bull plantation was a neighbor, a pleasant young woman who has her Boxer and Chihuahua in a beautiful fenced in yard. The dogs looked lovely, they sleep inside and have their own beds. The caretaker said that others in the neighborhood thought she was crazy for keeping her dogs indoors. We think she is the only responsible one on the block. Her dogs ran up and down the fence and through the yard happily as the Pit Bulls across the street kept their position in the dirt so miserable most of them didn’t even bother to move.

Fight or Flight, when the flight ability is removed from the dog’s scenario the fight instinct is all that remains. Even veteran rescuers are often bitten during these times; approaching a chained dog should be done very cautiously and still the dogs are often hard to read.

"Every forty seconds, someone is presented to an emergency room in the U.S. for dog bite related injury. About sixty percent of the victims are children.” - College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Dog Bite Facts, June 2004.

“Never tether or chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior.” - American Veterinary Medical Association, Safety Tips for Dog Owners, JAVMA News, May 15, 2003

"A chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite." - Gershman, Sacks, and Wright, Which Dogs Bite? A Case-Control Study of Risk Factors, Pediatrics, Vol.93 No. 6, June 1994.

These are just a few of the statistics we discuss as we make our way through the state of Georgia.

36 dogs in Alabama and 61 more on the way out of the state. Into Georgia we counted 57 chained/penned dogs bringing our overall total 346 by Day 6, already almost 6X higher than our ten dog per state goal! We're now halfway through our journey, not knowing what day it is or or where we are most the time. Tammy realized today was Friday and we both were shocked!

We met with our favorite "pick-me-up" Rep, Pam Cheatham in Atlanta. Thank you Pam for taking the time to meet with us and lift our spirits!

South Carolina in a few hours....I hope I don't fall asleep with my shoes on again...This trip is starting to take a toll on us, both physically and emotionally. We're starting the second half of the journey today, and we hope we can make it through to the end. Thanks for staying with us...your support bouys us up and keeps us going. Don't stop! We need you behind us.

Dawn Ashby, DDB Public Liaison Director

12 Days, 12 States, 120 Chained Dog

Day 1: April 6th, Missouri
Day 2: April 7th, Arkansas
Day 3: April 8th, Lousiana
Day 4: April 9th, Mississippi
Day 5: April 10, Alabama
Day 6: April 11, Georgia
Day 7: April 12, South Carolina
Day 8: April 13, North Carolina
Day 9: April 14, Tennessee
Day 10: April 15, Kentucky
Day 11: April 16, Virginia
Day 12: April 17, West Virginia

We are offering new collars and leashes for as many dogs as we can afford, plus giving out treats and dog food in addition to educational materials and discussions. If you can help fund the campaign and the supplies we'd like to deliver, it would be very much appreciated.

We Can Now Take Donations Over the Phone at 1.877.636.1408

We can now accept donations over the phone
using a major credit card at 1.877.636.1408.

If you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail, you may print out this
form in .pdf format, and send to P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 1668