YOUR SUPPORT CAN HELP A FREEZING COLD DOG THIS WINTER
BY PeTA
"Of course, whenever we find an overlooked backyard dog, we try to
convince his "owners" (guardians would be too fine a word) to bring
him inside. But often, people can't be persuaded, or authorities
won't act in situations in which people's actions are barely legal,
and the law won't allow for the animal to be removed."
"Our staff cleared away the trash and gave her a sturdy,
weatherproof doghouse, filling it with straw that she could burrow
into. Cheyenne was so excited by her new house and the love she
received that she literally jumped for joy. We were also able to
convince Cheyenne's guardians to allow her to be spayed at PETA's
low-cost clinic, thereby preventing litters of puppies from being
born into a life consisting of loneliness, neglect, and constant
chaining."
* . * . *
With arctic winds sweeping across the country, this winter has been
one of the coldest on record.
As
a PETA fieldworker, my coworkers and I find dogs shivering during
lashing nor'easters with nothing more than a piece of plywood
propped against a fence, an upturned barrel, a camper shell on the
frozen ground—or even
nothing at all—to protect them from
the sleet and the freezing nights. These dogs' lives are always
filled with loneliness and deprivation, but winter brings added
misery: Many dogs become dehydrated when water bowls freeze for
days at a time and their chains freeze to the icy ground. When the
ground freezes, they can't even dig a hole to protect themselves
against bone-chilling wind.
Of course, whenever we find an
overlooked backyard dog, we try to convince his "owners" (guardians
would be too fine a word) to bring him inside. But often, people
can't be persuaded, or authorities won't act in situations in which
people's actions are barely legal, and the law won't allow for the
animal to be removed.
That's when we do whatever we can to make
that dog as comfortable as we can under the circumstances by
providing a house, some straw bedding, and more. Believe me,
nothing makes a bigger difference in these dogs' lives than a
simple doghouse. One recent doghouse recipient is Cheyenne, whose
"owner" answered an ad that PETA placed in a North Carolina
newspaper offering free straw bedding. When our fieldworkers
arrived, they found poor Cheyenne chained amid construction debris
and auto parts outside a flimsy plastic "doghouse." Our staff
cleared away the trash and gave her a sturdy, weatherproof
doghouse, filling it with straw that she could burrow into.
Cheyenne was so excited by her new house and the love she received
that she literally jumped for joy. We were also able to convince
Cheyenne's guardians to allow her to be spayed at PETA's low-cost
clinic, thereby preventing litters of puppies from being born into
a life consisting of loneliness, neglect, and constant chaining.
All the doghouses that my team provides are filled with straw
bedding, which doesn't freeze when it gets wet like towels and
blankets do. We also give the dogs a tangle-free lightweight line
to replace the heavy chains that weigh them down, and we provide
them with a toy, a treat, clean water (often we break the ice or
have to provide a bucket or bowl), and a few minutes of the love
and attention that mean the world to these social souls. I wish you
could see these dogs' faces. Their tails thump, and their bodies
wriggle with delight. It's as if they've won the lottery—and to
them, they have.
With so many more poor dogs in urgent need—and
with temperatures expected to dip below freezing in the weeks and
nights to come—may we please count on your support for just one
dog?
Won't you please become a doghouse sponsor
today to help dogs like
Cheyenne make it through the winter?
Kind regards,
Emily
Allen
Community Animal Project Supervisor
