Wonderful World Wednesday
White Dog and the White Dog Army have a good friend who works for a rescue to save dogs which spend their entire lives being chained outside. They have seen the horrible photos of pups tied up and ignored for so long their collars have become embedded in their skin or whose chains are totally encompassed in flesh and fur. The photos of sad eyes staring through the rain and matted fur caked in mud. It makes us unbelievably sad that beautiful four-legged family members are so misunderstood or neglected.
We were reminded of chaining and its inhumanity as we made White Dog's tribute to Freedom this past weekend for Memorial Day. We wished that every pup could enjoy the thrill of running through green grass, the delight of rolling in the morning dew, the safety of being able to move out of the rain or blistering sun to rest peacefully under a shady tree or to go indoors.
When we found this story, about Fences for Fido, a volunteer organization that is taking positive steps to offer an alternative for chaining dogs, we woo'd a cheer for those helping to break the chain:
Group Builds Fences to Free Dogs From Chained Existence
On May 23, 2009, a small group arrived at the Portland home of Chopper, a big hunk of a dog who spent day after day, year after year, isolated from his family, chained to a tree.
After only a few hours of work by volunteers, Chopper experienced freedom for the first time in six years. Once a sad, sullen dog, Chopper bounded joyfully around his new yard, wagging his tail. The fence also encouraged Chopper's owner to spend more time with him, changing their relationship forever.The work of Fences For Fido is deeply rooted in making that kind of change between a dog and his family, but their work does not end there. They create safer and improved conditions for chained dogs by providing shelter, veterinary care, and spay and neutering services when necessary. They work to educate families on how to best care for their four-legged family members during the heat of the summer and the cold, wet winter months. Twice a year their team of tireless volunteers visits all of the dogs in the FFF family to make sure they remain unchained, safe and healthy
More than 235 dogs have been unchained since that sunny day in 2009, as "Fences For Fido" continues to spread to other counties in Oregon, thanks to generous help from volunteers and donors. The WDA would love to see this program spread to other areas. We believe an unchained dog is a pup better able to share the love he was meant to bring to his humans...and maybe teach them a bit in the process. And more love in the world would certainly go a long way toward making it more wonderful! Live Free!