Negative effects of chaining your dog
There are many opinions on whether keeping a dog tethered or chained is a malicious act. Some people think the dog enjoys being in his confined area outside or it is the only way to keep it from running away. They don’t realize, even if their intentions are good, the damage they are doing to the dog. It is both physical and psychological.
Dogs need freedom to play, explore, roam and be themselves. Chained dogs become lonely, depressed, bored, attention-deprived and, in many cases, aggressive because their owners do not check on or interact with them enough.
Everything is always just out of reach for a chained dog, especially in a small space — the people they love, squirrels — everything. They see the world pass by, but they’re never really a part of it. This deprivation will cause behavioral issues and often aggression.
Here are some facts about chaining dogs:
» Since dogs are territorial animals, when confined in a small space, they will defend it by barking, lunging or biting.
» Dogs often become tangled on the chain and constantly pull to try to break free, causing serious back, neck and leg problems.
» Dogs cannot defend themselves, especially in some areas. Wild dogs, other aggressive animals, poisonous reptiles/insects and extreme weather are constant factors. Restrained by the chain, un-spayed female dogs in heat are repeatedly attacked. The outcome is usually brutal for them.
» Weather is a major factor. In storms or extreme heat or cold, these dogs just have to endure because their owner usually does nothing to protect them. Inclement weather affects animals the same way it does you. If it’s bad for you, it’s bad for them.
» Most dogs do not come back once they escape. Put yourself there. Close your eyes and picture it. If you were tied up, left alone, suffered emotional and physical pain, would you come back? Would you even know your name? Most chained dogs feel no identity.
» Chained and tethered dogs do not get proper care. “Forgotten” or “out of sight, out of mind” applies. Most dogs chained also suffer from heartworms.