Watch Day Twelve Video Tour, West Virginia

 

Diary of Dawn: Day 12, West Virginia —
Sad to the Last Drop

On the way out of Virginia this morning I am worrying about the dogs and cats at the trailer park in Clifton-Forge. There is so much abuse and suffering in the world, why isn't anyone paying attention? Why isn't EVERYONE paying attention? Sometimes I wonder, when I see "Breaking News" about abuse that was going on right under people's noses if it was ignored so long because they were all minding their own business like people want us to do?

Tammy stopped to gas up and came out of the mini-market with a bag of kitten food. She said she had a feeling she should purchase kitten food so she did. A few hours later we found out why. We logged in the most chained/penned dogs in West Virginia, 179, plus 10 more leaving Virginia bringing the grand total to 1051 chained and penned dogs. What was are goal? 120? This is one goal we are not happy to have surpassed.

Lined up along a riverbank in a field on the edge of a forest were 12 chained dogs and doghouses. The woods are full of bears and we found out that these dogs are bear hunters. So what happens when the bear decides to hunt the dogs and they are chained and unable to flee?

Tammy and I were driving down the highway when the most amazing place caught our attention and we had to turn around and take a tour. Could this be DDB's new dream center? A rehabilitation center for chained/penned dogs? It's for sale, and we want to make this dream come true! We're more convinced than ever now how badly a center is needed for this issue...and we're just the people to do it! Won't you support us?

Once in Fairmont, West Virginia we met with Mary Sue who took us around to met with caretakers. One of our stops lead us to a conversation with a man and a meeting with a chained Shepherd mix. Hank told us the dog, Missy, bites; then he said she doesn't bite and then she tried to bite Tammy so that settled that. Tammy tried to get me to pet Missy AFTER she tried to bite her...Like I'd fall for that one again! Hank had Happy the German Shepherd and his "killer" Chihuahua inside. He was thrilled with the harness we gave him so he could take Missy for walks and understood by walking Missy, socializing her (He said she's not aggressive away from the yard. Do we believe him this time?) and filling out the fencing application and getting a fence he could work with her more and eventually bring her inside as well. Hank admitted that Missy was not happy on the end of a chain.

Mary Sue took us to a residence that was rumored to be a "fighting pit" for dogs. There we found lots of treats, bowls, and empty water jugs all around a building that was locked up tighter than a drum and guarded by a Shepherd mix. We knocked and knocked but no one would answer at the residence. Tomorrow we will make some phone calls to see if the place is being investigated and if it's not it should be.

I tumbled down a hill to meet a man and woman mowing their lawn. They had two chained dogs in the yard and they were both very receptive to the information about the dangers of chaining. The woman asked for another fencing application and brochure for her brother as well and said his dog has already started to become aggressive since he began chaining it outside. This meant that in order to get another fencing application and brochure I had to fall up the hill that I just fell down. It was embarrassing, but worth it to help some people and their pets.

Ugh! Tammy had a run in with the "Wicked Witch of West Virginia" The witch had this sweet little fluffy dog chained 24/7 in the driveway, a cat in a cage in the yard and then a little dog in the house. First Mary Sue offered to purchase the little dog from the woman and then Tammy asked her why the cat was in a cage. Her answer? "The cat likes to go outside so I put him in the cage." Then she said something to Tammy about minding her own business and of course Tammy was minding her business because saving animals from abusers is what she does. Tammy said the woman reminded her of the Arnold's, the same mentality. Ironically enough, "Witchy-Woman" had told Mary Sue that the chained little dog was from a shelter in Pennsylvania. Relatives of the Arnold's maybe?

It went downhill from there for awhile. Two chained white shepherds who I know I could so easily get into rescue because they are young and sweet were out of water and so hungry. Neighbors told us that no one feeds and waters the dogs except for them. We paid a neighbor boy $5 to haul water over to the dogs. He said they were his Auntie's dogs. I'm going to talk to Mary Sue in the morning and see if I can get the ACO to seize the dogs and turn them over to the Humane Society so we can find a rescue for them.

There was a Mastiff and a Pit Bull chained in the next yard. The Mastiff was chained where there used to be a Rottweiler , but the caretakers said they got rid of the Rottie and got the Mastiff. Doesn't that just make you sick? The Rottie is probably in a worse place and the Mastiff is obviously in a worse place, though I don't know where he started out.

One more bad story and then I promise it will get better. There was a little Beagle pup chained by a short leash to a dog house. We talked to the caretaker and asked if the pup was sad, he said that the pup cried for the first two nights but then she stopped. He thought she became used to being chained and then was happy, but that poor little pup's spirit was just broken already after two days and she'll live that way with her broken spirit in that same spot for many years to come. I used to think it was so unfair that dogs didn't live as long as people because it made us so miserable to lose them, but now I think I understand why maybe it's not such a bad thing that their suffering ends a few years earlier.

Oh yes! The kitten food Tammy purchased! Well, she came out of the store with a bag of kitten food saying, "Something told me to buy this." and sure enough she received a call from Mary Sue about taking these little 4 week old kittens! How amazing is that! Tammy said, "Well, I guess I'm supposed to take them since I bought the cat food already, so bring 'em on over."

So once again our total is 1051 chained/penned dogs from St. Louis, Mo to Fairmont, WV and now it's time for some sleep! We meet at the Humane Society with the TV News in the morning and then we can start making our way back home!

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
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