Chain free sea vista

St Francis Animal Rescue has been unchaining tethered dogs in Sea Vista since December 2019 and, to date, we’ve set 60 dogs free!

Many believe chaining is done out of cruelty, but there are practical reasons why owners chain dogs.  The dog may be aggressive or it may be a repeat escapee. Dogs are usually chained because the property is unfenced and close to a busy road where the animal can be hurt if it gets out.

Owners are unaware of the physical and psychological damage caused to naturally friendly, docile dogs over time. Animals become neurotic, unhappy, anxious and often aggressive. Dog’s necks are raw and painful and we’ve seen collars or chains grow into the skin. Chained dogs are vulnerable to parasites, insects, extreme weather, other dogs and children who throw stones and taunt them.  Worse of all, a tethered dog becomes invisible to the family and suffers from irregular feeding, lack of water and shelter.

We discuss practical options to chaining with owners. We offer a fence around the property to confine the dog safely and, in return, we ask the owner to clean the yard and agree to let us sterilize his dog. Once this is done, we build a fence too high for the animal to jump over. 

There is no greater joy than releasing a dog from a chain and watching him run free to live the life of a normal, happy dog.  The rewards of this work are priceless.