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A Fence Story: Unchaining Two Dogs

My friend Dan and I recently spent three hours repairing a fence for a dog that had been chained for eight years. (We also donated the doghouse and food and water dishes.)


This is Freddie above. We found another dog, Peaches, chained in the same yard (below).
Because part of the fence was broken...



and there was no fencing in one part...



the dogs had to spend all of their lives on a chain. After getting permission from the dogs’ guardians, we purchased fencing materials and showed up for a morning’s work. A crew of neighborhood kids came to investigate and volunteered to help.
While working, we talked to the kids about dogs: their needs and what kind of feelings they have. We talked about how dogs are like kids-- they want friends, they love to play, the get bored with no toys or company, they like to go new places, they get cold in the winter and get hungry when they haven’t eaten in awhile.



We used baling wire to reattach the existing chain link that had broken down in a storm years before:



And we installed a new gate and chain link across the driveway:
Then came the fun part! We unchained Freddie...



and unchained Peaches.



Those dogs started running so fast we could hardly take a photo!

They were thrilled to be free and able to investigate the large yard. I was so happy to see those dogs unchained. I had known about these dogs for a year, and it felt like Christmas morning to finally give them their freedom! 

After we finished the fence, we noticed the kids dragging a large basketball goal down the street. We agreed to install it if they would do something nice for an animal in exchange. When we drove away, the kids were shooting hoops and the dogs were running around. A happy day for all!

I wish I had the time and resources to do a project like this every weekend, but I don’t. However, if everyone reading this would “adopt” one chained dog—think of all the freed dogs there would be!

If you don’t know how to build fences, it’s really pretty easy. The workers at hardware stores can tell you what you need to buy and how to do it. Or, you can always post an ad in the paper or make signs looking for dog lovers who would like to help build fences for needy dogs. Check with fencing companies for left-over materials or labor they may be willing to donate.

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