Michigan Blog - Featuring Michigan Shopping, Travel, Business & People

There's a beautiful, gentle dog who spends his entire life, winter and summer, at the end of a chain in his Farmington Hills, Michigan back yard and driveway. He's not dangerous or aggressive. In fact, he loves to play, cuddle, and go for walks – things that this particular dog rarely gets to do.

So the dog barks. And barks. And barks.

When dogs are bored, lonely and deprived of exercise, they resort to annoying behaviors like barking or destructive behaviors like digging, chewing or biting. Sadly, there are owners around that get rid of their dogs when they develop these habits, blaming the dog when their own neglect is at fault.

An adult dog can be as intelligent as a very young child. Imagine keeping a toddler apart from his family? Dogs that live on their dog chains are deprived of love and attention - only being thrown food once in a while, and then watching the door close shut again and again.

It's not so much being "chained up" that does the harm, it's the neglect. A lack of companionship, exercise and mental stimulation can lead to all sorts of problems in canines including depression, aggression, and anti-social behavior.

Use coupon code: googlerocks at http://www.grpet.com/ to purchase dog tieouts, cables and other supplies and save $5.00 on orders >$75.

An owner must realize that a backyard is not a babysitter. Dogs are social animals (pack animals) and more than anything, a dog wants to be with her family. Keeping dogs tethered or chained in backyards can be downright inhumane if they are tethered for long periods.

There are safety issues, also.
Tieouts can get tangled up, leaving dogs unable to reach food, water and shelter. Every once in a while, we hear of a dog left tied to the deck while his owners go away for an extended period of time. (sometimes you hear they are gone for days!) Dogs can jump over deck railing and hang themselves. And there are frequent reports of tethered dogs that get so frustrated, they attack innocent bystanders. If you must use a tieout occassionally for short periods - try using a tether like Secure Freedom. Secure Freedom was designed to give dogs an adequate amount of room to exercise while eliminating the chance of getting tangled up around a tree or other object, as can sometimes happen with traditional cables.

Some dogs really are dangerous and need to be restrained. But the ones who aren't can be kept happy, well-adjusted companions fairly simply: Play with them. Walk them. Or hire someone to exercise them. Make your pet part of your family by involving him/her in your daily activities.

FINALLY: if you see a dog being neglected or abused, report it to authorities.