There Oughta Be a Law - Chained Dogs Cause Serious Injury
10 Children Dead/Injured by Chained Dogs since October
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO THE PRESS
HOW MANY CHILDREN HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THE NATION CHANGES LAWS REGARDING THE CHAINING OF DOGS?
Tenth Child in Six Months Seriously Injured/Killed
as a Result of Chained Dog Attacks; 4th Attack This Month
The 26 April 2004 attack is the latest in a long line of chained dog
attacks, and is of a particularly gruesome nature: Emily Page
Stinnett, a 4-year-old Kentucky girl is lucky to be alive after an
attack by the family's chained pit bull. She has somehow survived
losing her scalp, which was found in the dog's stomach and reattached
at Louisville Children's Hospital.
Dogs Deserve Better, an organization working to get dogs off chains
and into the family, insists that itıs time American woke up to the
dangers of chaining a dog. Dogs are pack animals, and when left
alone, chained, and unsocialized, they can become angry; they can and
do take this anger out on the children who are unlucky enough to come
too close.
Three other April attacks by chained dogs left 14-month-old Linda
Wiegret of Texas, 8-yr-old Mark Wilson of Illinois, and 4-yr-old
Alani Black of North Carolina all seriously injured and hospitalized.
February saw 17-month-old Trusten Liddle attacked and killed by a
chained Lab/Bassett hound mix in Hawaii.
In January, 5-year-old Kaitlyn Matthews of Mississippi received bites
to her chest and neck and 3-year-old Nathan Roy Hill of North
Carolina wandered into the back yard of the home next door, where he
was found dead after being attacked and killed by the chained pit
bull.
And in October 2003, Makayla Sinclair of South Carolina lost her life
when attacked by the neighbor's eight chained Great Danes, 4 year old
Jonathan Shane Ivey of Texas suffered lacerations to his scalp,
injuries to his left leg and his left ear, and 3-year-old Okleno King
was admitted to University Medical Center in Mississippi in critical
condition after being attacked by a chained dog.
Karen Delise, author of Fatal Dog Attacks, has researched and
chronicled the circumstances surrounding every fatal dog attack in
the United States since 1965. ³Chained dogs have killed at least 108
people. Of the 108 people, 98 were children that wandered into reach
of a chained or similarly restrained dog. Another 11 occurred from
dogs who were chained and broke free before attacking.² She also
states in her book: ³Statistically, chained dogs are more dangerous
than free-running packs of dogs.²
America needs nationwide laws prohibiting the chaining of dogs to the
nearest tree, post, or doghouse. Dogs Deserve Better has initiated a
national petition calling for a law to protect both our children and
our dogs. The petition is available online at
http://www.gopetition.com/online/4021.html and will be sent to the
White House with a plea to the President for change.
Says Tammy Sneath Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, ³How many
children have to die before people realize this is a serious and
nationwide problem? The chaining of dogs has been ongoing generation
after generation, and this outdated and irresponsible method of
guardianship must stop. Not only is it dangerous and cruel for the
dog, but itıs dangerous for anyone unlucky enough to wander into the
sphere created by an angry dogıs chain.²
Grimes continues, ³We must stand NOW to insist on the laws being
changed to protect the innocent, both humans and dogs. Itıs too
crucial to NOT do so. The lost lives and changed futures of Oklena,
Jonathan, Makayla, Nathan, Kaitlin, Trusten, Alani, Mark, Linda and
now Emily depend on it."
To contact Dogs Deserve Better go to their website at
www.dogsdeservebetter.com.
Tammy Sneath Grimes, Founder
Dogs Deserve Better: No Chains!
Make a Dog's Life Worth Living
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com
P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684
1-877-636-1408
814-941-7447
************
Make a Difference in a Chained Dog's Life!
Change Laws. Educate Society. Volunteer your Time. Foster a Chained
Dog. The More You Stand With Us, The More Chains We Will Break,
Together! Donate Fencing, Training, Time, Crates, Corporate
Sponsorship. Donate via ttp://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/donations.html
Shop through http://www.igive.com/ddb
They Deserve Better!
Posted on SHARE Yahoo group May 1, 2004