Hi, Thank you so much for taking the time to sign my petition to ban dog chaining! We are now at 20,000 signatures! Thank you for continuing to share this petition. This petition will get the attention of lawmakers, & will create awareness & education. Let’s continue to spread the message that dog chaining is Animal Cruelty, and a Public Safety Issue. The points made in this petition will also provide ammunition for communities interested in passing bans on chaining, should they want to meet with local City Councils & County Commissions, county by county & city by city. Don’t be afraid to meet with your local lawmakers! Meet with them privately individually, & let them know your concerns, it is their Public Service Duty! If you approach this the right way, they will come to realize a ban on chains (and small pens) makes perfect sense! The month of April is “Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals” Month. Chaining a dog 24/7 is cruel & should be illegal in all States. I have formed a Committee in my area, called “Dogs Without Chains” to go before our County Commission & City Council to propose a ban on chains. (Like us on Facebook – DOGS WITHOUT CHAINS!) Our group is going to seek a State-wide ban on chains as well. Once a few States pass it, others will follow suit. A neighboring county to where I live, Guilford County, has just successfully passed a ban on chaining in their first attempt at a County Commission Meeting. Below was the approach taken to get the legislation passed in Guilford County, NC, as they approached this topic from a Public Safety perspective, Property Value Issue, as well as an Animal Cruelty Issue. *A common argument I often get: "Chains don't abuse dogs, people do." My response: Indeed people do. However to STOP "those people," laws must be put in place. *The law requires a fence for a pool but not a dog. People are more likely to get attacked by a dog that breaks his chain, made more aggressive by the chain, than to fall in someone's pool & drown. *The ones who abuse cannot be stopped without laws. Just as the terrorists in the world cannot be stopped without laws. Laws are for the protection of citizens. *Are we to look the other way, and teach our youth to look away from the abusers? Are we to teach children when we see a dog suffering on a chain to look the other way, because it is legal, so there's nothing that can be done? I think our children deserve to learn more respect for animals than that, and the animals deserve more. *Calling the police over and over and over on the same chained dog exploits the resources of a police department/animal control. *In places where a ban on chaining is currently in effect, the law enforcement officers (who are actually working to enforce), are making 2 trips, instead of 30, and ultimately seizing the dog if the violation isn't brought to compliance. The EXTRA RESOURCES-time, gas, effort, NOT spent going to the SAME HOUSE 30 times to say the pitiful chained dog is within the limits of the law, is being spent adopting the dogs out. Officers will have more time to rescue, and place, rather than chasing their "tails." I know this for a fact, because I have called 30 times on the same dog, as well as 30 of my neighbors, who have also made 30 calls on the same dog, all to reach the conclusion, that while the chained dog is rather pitiful, he is within the "limits of the law." *If the abusers chain their dogs & neglect them 24/7, there is nothing law enforcement can do without laws. Real estate values go down where there are chained dogs. Would you buy a house next door to a Chained Pit Bull? I know people who were attacked by Pit Bulls who got off their chains. Some were nearly killed. Pit Bulls are cuddly teddy bears, unless chained, and neglected, then they become ferocious. Would you buy a house next door to a fenced pool or a chained Pit Bull? Which would frighten you more for your Grandma, or your kids? *In Drug Infested neighborhoods, dog fighting is prevalent. If we stop the chaining, we at least take that element away from those neighborhoods. The quality of life improves for everyone, not just the dog. The tides are turning, more and more counties, cities and States are passing a ban on chaining. *Not everyone keeps their dog in the house. My personal opinion on that is, if people took the time to properly train a dog to know what is his, and what is not, the dogs do great in the home. Dogs will stink up a house, IF the owner never gives the dog a bath, and never cleans. If someone thinks a dog is SO nasty it can never be inside, even when it is zero degrees, WHY do they WANT a dog? If someone cannot afford an enclosure for the dog to go out in for fresh air, WHY do they need a dog? *One vet bill can exceed the cost of an enclosure, as all dog owners know. Does one really need a dog if they cannot afford fences & vet bills? *If someone is gone all the time, and does not have time to give a dog love and attention, WHY do they want a dog? I would love to have an elephant, or a giraffe. I love seals, walruses & penguins, but unfortunately,as much as I would like to have one, I do not have the resources, the time or the knowledge to have any of these creatures. *Dogs find missing persons,lead the blind,find bombs,solve crimes,perform life saving tasks, they are too smart to be chained & disregarded! *People say dogs have lived outside for hundreds of years, but they were not CHAINED hundreds of yrs. ago & could get out of the rain! *People go to jail for abusing animals, but isn't chaining a dog 24/7 abuse? So why is it legal in many areas? Why? These are just a few points to make when approaching your local lawmakers. Emphasize that it is not just an animal cruelty issue, but also a PUBLIC SAFETY issue, and a PROPERTY VALUE issue. If people who participate in dog fighting can no longer chain them, wouldn’t that improve many neighborhoods & quality of life for citizens? Would it not be safer to not have those fighting dogs get loose & attack citizens? Thank you again for your support, and for signing & continuing to share this petition! When I sang my song “Dog On A 10 Foot Chain” at an elementary school, thinking I would look up and see some majorly bored kids, but instead had the whole room of children crying, I knew this would be an important thing to do in my life. Kids know it’s wrong. Let’s don’t let them grow up thinking otherwise! With gratitude, Donna Hughes Donna@DonnaHughes.com www.DonnaHughes.com Here is the Guilford County, NC, Video for their citizens educating them about their new BAN ON CHAINS! Go Guilford! Their citizens will now be enjoying a higher standard of living for citizens & pets! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8acmkF-xiiE "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For indeed, that's all who ever have." ~Margaret Mead