The bad news was the Public Service Announcement we at Dogs Deserve Better had produced in-house was getting little to no airplay because it was A. not done professionally and B. not in the right format.

There was nothing we could do about it, because we knew at this point in time we could not afford to get one professionally produced, and our skills were limited in that direction.

As luck would have it, our work got the attention of Nikki Sherritt, a director who's parents had adopted a puppy named Joey from Dogs Deserve Better. (See his story at the link below.) Nikki believed in our cause, and determined that she would help in whatever way she could as soon as she was able...

Lois Rose, long-time Ohio Area Representative, is pictured at her Chain Off 2006 Event in West Carrollton, Ohio, July 4.

Check out the link to see the answers to the following questions: What County Commissioner was chained for the second year in a row in State College, PA? Who were back in Indiana for their second year, and what fabulous location did they get this year? And lastly, who thought of staging a one-woman Chain Off in her own front yard, and STILL got media attention?

Dear Tammy: I am writing to tell you how "Dogs Deserve Better" has really hit home for me. I've been a Humane Society Police Officer in Washington County for almost 7 years, and most of the animal abuse complaints are about dogs on chains. The photos on your website look just like many of our animal abuse cases. Dogs on tangled towing chains, ropes or extension cords, surrounded by mud in the warm weather and ice in cold weather, filthy mud-caked pots and pans, well, you know the picture. I used to jokingly say that I do a lot of dishes, because before I could give a dog any water, I always had to wash those filthy pots and pans, buckets, margarine tubs, refrigerator drawers, hubcabs, whatever lame receptacle was there, IF indeed there even was any receptacle at all. Your slogans and messages are very powerful. Keep up the excellent work! Sincerely, Susanne Lewis

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Laws recently passed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Leavenworth, Kansas; Holly Springs, North Carolina; Marion, Indiana; East Longmeadow, Maine; Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Congrats to all who worked so hard on these!

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Tammy - just wanted you to know - after fwding your video [I Am Unseen] to everyone I could think of, I've been getting back responses like the one below...Your video is SO powerful - so moving. It is prompting people to DO SOMETHING in their own communities. Our own Animal Control Lieutenant here in Savannah was showing it to media - and then taking it to the next city council meeting! GREAT WORK!!!!

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This video brought me to tears...it is an issue that is so close to my heart - as I see it CONSTANTLY in South Carolina...

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About a month ago I was approached by a woman that noticed the Dogs Deserve Better bumper sticker on my car. She said she has a dog, that she cares about but lives her life on a chain. She wanted us to take "Dolly", I gave her my phone number and took hers. For about 3 weeks we played phone tag and finally last week she called and we made arrangments to pick her up at her home. The owners traveled alot and I asked the owner who takes care of Dolly while you are gone and she said someone feeds her every few days and gives her water. At that point I knew we had to get Dolly right away. Bobby, my son and I drove to cumberland Maryland last sunday in the driving rain to pick up this poor girl.

When we got to where Dolly lived the house the owners lived in was HIDEOUS....dolly was probably better off living in a box outside. Trash everywhere,broken doors....rotton food everywhere inside this house and these people has a small child.....social services would have some questions for them.

The women took us out back to see Dolly. There she was a wet, muddy fluffball of a dog with lively bright eyes wagging her tail with a smile on her face. Her lead was only about 4 ft long, the food in her bowl must of been in there for a week...it was mush, no sign of a water bowl and her collar was duct taped to her neck. We took her off her lead and walked to the car.....Dolly did not even look back....she was soooo happy to be out of there.

Dolly rode on our laps the whole way home...enjoyed the car ride even though the owners said she gets car sick...she did not get sick. Dolly is a aussie/ boarder collie mix about 1 year old. I took her to get spayed today and all her yearly stuff (vaccines,heartworm test,fecal) She has never been to a vet. We have a few people that are interested in adpoting her. She is very smart....spent the night free in the house...no accidents...the previous owners said she chews stuff up and went to bathroom all over the house, no evidence of that here! She loves my children and the other pets in the house.

Dollys life could have been MUCH different, She may have spent the rest of her life chained to a delapitated box behind a trailer only be fed when they felt like it. But lastnight our family took all the dogs to a local park and she slept on the couch with Luna....the universe works in mysterious ways!

I wanted you to know the difference a "bumper sticker" made in dollys world. Take care, Kari Thorsen

Special Congratulations go to Mikael Hardy (pictured above), winner of the People's Choice Award! Mikael brought in 857 votes in the form of donations. Aija Gillman followed in second place, and Tom Frank came in third. Mikael chose to donate her $200 winnings to Speak for Animals of Greenville, South Carolina. Thanks to everyone who voted for our People's Choice Awards!

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