Dog Attack Gets PETA's Attention
www.pantagraph.com
By Dave Hinton
January 19, 2005, BUCKLEY, ILLINOIS -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will buy billboard space in Iroquois County for a campaign to end or limit the practice of chaining dogs outside. Dan Paden, cruelty case worker for PETA in Norfolk, Va., said the organization also will send letters to Iroquois County Board members urging them to enact legislation making it illegal to chain animals for extended periods outdoors.
County board member Kathy Ebert of Onarga said she has not received the PETA letter but she opposes a blanket ban on chaining dogs outside.
The effort is in response to a Pantagraph story last week about Tamra Kuester, an 8-year-old Buckley girl who received 55 stitches on Jan. 10 for dog bites. The daughter of Allan and Darla Kuester was playing outside when a neighbor's Rottweiler-mix dog broke loose from its chain and attacked her, authorities said.
Chaining dogs outside for long periods is psychologically disturbing for dogs and makes them more likely to bite, said officials with PETA and the Humane Society of Central Illinois. "Each year, children are killed or severely injured because of chained dogs. The dogs chained may not be mean, but their behavior will be different from an inside dog that is part of the family," said Pamela Sweetwood, a member of the Humane Society.
Opponents of the practice may be overreacting, said Ebert, a member of the health committee, which oversees animal control issues. "Until you have the whole story on (the issue), I don't think PETA should come in and tell us what we can do in our county," she said. Every animal needs to be treated differently and blanket legislation might not be the answer, Ebert said.
Paden said 58 governing bodies across the United States have adopted such restrictions.
The location of the PETA billboard in Iroquois County has not been determined, Paden said. "We called the local ad agency folks on Thursday," he said. "Right now we're just trying to find what's available."
The billboard will feature the PETA ad campaign, "Chain your door, not your dog."
Paden said PETA was alerted to the Buckley case when about 50 people forwarded the newspaper story about the incident. The story also drew the attention of the Humane Society of Central Illinois, which spoke out against chaining animals.
The dog-chaining issue is not just a weather-related one, Paden said. It's also a safety one for both humans and animals alike.
"Dogs that are chained are 2.5 times more likely to bite," Sweetwood said. "Dogs kept outside 24/7 often have their physical and emotional needs ignored. They become excessively territorial in what little area they have. They are easily threatened."
Paden said anti-chaining ordinances fall into two categories: An outright ban of chaining or a limit on how long a dog can be chained outdoors.
