The Animal Advocate

"Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight."—Albert Schweitzer

I took the pictures below in Kansas City, Missouri. I volunteer with the Pet Assistance Program through Spay Neuter Kansas City. This program is a community outreach program that goes out into the community to provide for animals who might not otherwise receive services such as spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping, etc. Despite our efforts, these dogs-and thousands like them-are still living on the end of a chain.

We were unable to get to the door of this house. This dog was very aggressive and for our own safety, we decided to leave our information in the mailbox rather than risk injury trying to get to the front door.

This dog's owner said that he runs away if he does not have that big lock on his chain. She never thought that he ran away because he did not like being outside...she chalked it up to him being a "bad" dog. That is far from the truth. This dog is living on the tree roots, which look very uncomfortable. The dog in the background, is living in the dirt with a rabbit hutch that he can't even reach for shelter.

This dog's owner was very receptive and took some treats, food and bowls. There was another dog in the backyard without any shelter and she accepted our dog house. She seemed interested in her dog's welfare and well-being, despite having her dogs outside living on a chain.

Look at the female in the middle. She has been bred quite a few times. She has nursed many puppies. The owner came outside and claimed they were taken care of and lived inside.

This Sharpei lives next door to the ones above. The shelter he is provided is a rusty, metal shed. We gave the owner food for these dogs and made sure they had hay in the doghouse that was available.

This dog was sad to see. His fur is matted and on the right picture above, you can see a large piece of ice stuck to his tail. We gave the owner of this dog and the dog below some hay to replace the carpeting he had in the dog houses. Carpet can get wet and freeze. The hay we gave him will repel the water so the animal can stay warmer. The doghouse behind him appears to have been made out of spare wood parts. It doesn't look very warm. We also gave the owner some toys that the dogs can play with alone or with the owner's young son. Hopefully that can spark some compassion in his son.

This dog was in the same yard as the one above

I did not go out on this one so I do not know the information on these dogs.

Wally was found with a severely embedded collar, in Kansas City. Wally had a rope tied around his neck when he was a puppy and nobody ever took it off.

See "before" pictures of Wally here. **These are graphic**

This is Blackie. I believe the owner genuinely cares about her dog. Blackie was not aggressive and appeared well groomed. He had bowls and buckets outside but all were empty and/or turned over. He was on a lightweight tether and the owner said she brings him in sometimes. Even though chaining is bad, he has it great compared to some of the dogs I have seen.

These dogs were in the same yard. The one on the left is pregnant. The one on the right has walked the "perimeter" of his space so much that he has nothing but mud to walk on now. This owner also, I believe, cares about his dogs. I just don't think he is educated enough to know that what he is doing is not what the dogs want. We gave him some food and hay. He went right away to feed them and he put the hay down for the dog below so he didn't have to run in the mud.

On this day, it was 25 degrees at the warmest time of day. The windchill made it feel like 13 degrees.

I went to help this dog after getting a call about him from a concerned neighbor. I went out and the dog sounded sick. There was no answer at the door. I went out again and the dog still sounded sick. There was no food or water either time. I pushed some food and treats through the fence and mesh. No matter what I tried, I could not get water into the bowl. I left food for the owner at the door. I went back yesterday and found that the dog had food and (clean) water. The owner fed him the food I left him. The bag of food was laying near the pen. At least he fed him.

The dogs above, live in the same yard. One is chained, one isn't. I talked to the owner yesterday after visiting them 6 times. Nobody was ever home. I decided to go on a Saturday since I found out they work Mon-Fri. One works days, one works nights. I spoke with the owner but I know she is not telling me everything. She said that Red (the chained dog) had an underground fence that was struck by lightning last year and no longer works. That's why he is chained. She also told me that neighborhood kids taunt Red and throw things at him. (So why is he back there to be abused??!! He should be inside, or at least in the garage.) She also told me that they bring him inside the garage on really cold nights. I spoke with a neighbor who told me she has seen them both outside at 2 and 3 in the morning, in the freezing weather. They are both huddled together in the dog house. She said she never sees anyone outside playing with them or feeding them. She also said that Red has been on a chain for nearly 5 years. So, if that is true, then Red never actually had an electric fence because you wouldn't chain a dog and have an electric fence. Something is not right here...

So, I am not sure what to believe. Red and Lady, the other dogs, are very sweet and playful. I climbed the fence a week ago or so to check to see if they had food and water and they did. When I went back on Friday, I saw no food or water. I fed them and they acted as though they had not eaten in awhile. The owner swears that they are fed and watered on a regular basis and that they have enough hay in the dog house to keep them warm. I know they do not have enough hay. Yesterday was the 7th time I have been there. At no time, during the month or so that I visited, did I see a sufficient amount of hay. I confronted the owner about the hay and she said she was not worried about it (even though I told her how often I had been there and how I never saw enough hay) so, they will not be getting any more hay, I am sure. I am skeptical about them getting fed and watered on a regular basis, too.

This dog was very happy to see me. I have been to visit him 3 or 4 times. He is chained in an open yard, there is no fence so I was able to do everything I needed. I gave him hay, fresh food and water, toys and a few minutes of playing and petting. He is a very friendly dog. The last time I visited, his owners had given him the food that I had left at their door. He also had clean water. When I gave him water the first time, he drank for nearly 2 minutes straight!

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