We went to Log Cabin for just one dog, but we came home with two. You didn’t think we’d leave her behind, did you?

If you read our post yesterday, you may remember us mentioning Macky Mack’s girlfriend. This sweet little girl was picked up as a stray on Christmas Eve after the Chief got a call about a loose pit bull type dog running around behind the grocery store. She had reportedly been shot. So the Chief did what the Chief does, and he scooped her up. Just a few days later, she and Macky were playing in the yard together. Another day or two, and they were officially in love.

Chief Nutt slyly admitted that he had delayed sending the little girl — Minnie Mouse — to the shelter even though her stray time was up, hoping we would adore her silly puppiness and her enormous ears as much as Macky did. An hour later, she was in the truck.

Very clever, Chief Nutt — you nailed us for the suckers we are!

For info on adopting Minnie Mouse or Nutty Brown (formerly Macky), check our Adopt-A-Bulls page!

Only he’s no longer a chained, starved, homeless dog picked up by Chief Wayne Nutt of Log Cabin, Texas before Christmas. Now he’s a Love-A-Bull, and he’s got a new name.

Before now, Macky’s life had not been easy. According to Chief Nutt, Macky lived his life on a ten-foot chain in a yard, with little shelter and no enrichment. Prior to this final visit, Chief Nutt had visited Macky a number of other times – to issue citations for an expired rabies vaccine, no dog license, and no shelter in the cold winter. Eventually, Macky’s caretaker stopped feeding him – her son had stopped sending money for his kibble, she claimed. It was about two weeks later that a kind neighbor called the police, worried that the dog kept getting skinnier and skinnier. The Chief came and whisked Macky away, and the caretaker was charged with animal cruelty/neglect.

A lifelong dog lover with four dogs of his own and an occasional foster, Chief Nutt had never been fond of pit bulls. But there was just something about Macky. Every day, the Chief became more and more attached. When the three-day mandatory stray hold was up, Chief Nutt couldn’t bear to send him off to the local humane society, where he feared Macky might be euthanized. “He’s just a big pussycat,” Chief Nutt told our volunteer. And so, Macky Mack stayed, and Chief Nutt kept hoping for a miracle. A widely-read Examiner article inspired more than 3,000 phone calls to the humane society pleading for help for Macky. About a week later, Love-A-Bull caught wind and mobilized.

When we arrived in Log Cabin on December 30th, Macky was prancing around in the large play yard, soaking up the sunshine and letting out an occasional confident, celebratory woof. He had not only won the heart of Chief Nutt, but of several other city employees who were not accustomed to falling for stray dogs. There’s just something about Macky Mack.

As we talked, Chief Nutt fondly scratched Macky Mack’s ears and boasted about how far he had come in just a few weeks. He brought out Macky’s girlfriend – also a pit bull type dog – to show us how friendly he is with other animals. He admitted that Macky was the first pit bull type dog he had ever really liked, but that he wouldn’t be the last – Macky had opened his eyes.

Although not yet finished, we thought some of you might want to read our “Success Story” page.

We want to thank all of the many fosters who have made this possible. We still have more dogs to add to the page, and we will continue until we recognize all of our “successes.”

We are inundated every month with hundreds of tear jerker requests to help America’s most abused and our most beloved breed.  I know many of you don’t want to hear another request for help. You may want to hit “delete.”  I can’t resist asking, because if it saves just one dog, it will be worth it.

So, please read on, post to your Facebook or forward an e-mail to your friends and family.  We have never needed your help more than now.

“Saving one dog won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one dog.”

Want to make a difference in the life of a homeless dog? Please become a foster parent and make a homeless dog a lucky dog!

Fostering is one of the single greatest things you can do for a homeless dog. Fostering helps Love-A-Bull get dogs out of dangerous situations and into a safe, loving environment where they can start to grow to their full potential.

We have a waiting list of dogs that we have been asked to help.  How many we can help really depends on you.  We need YOU to foster!

Many of these situations are URGENT!

Dora – She recently rescued from an extreme poverty situation where she was living in a backyard. The owner would go out of town and leave Dora in the backyard unattended without food and water for long stretches of time.  Dora is heart worm positive and was in terrible condition. She has been rescued, but has no home to thrive in.

Penny – We rescued Penny from the kill-list at a small shelter in Everman, Texas.  Penny has chemical burns on her back.  She will have to live in boarding until a foster steps up.  She is a young pup who needs socializing.

Sandman – Sandman lives at the end of a tangled chain in the hot sun with little to no water or food. We can’t rescue him until a foster offers to help.

Diamond – Diamond is deaf and alone.  He is living in a backyard not knowing when the water bowl or kibble bowl will be filled.  He is heart worm positive and will eventually die alone if we don’t intervene.  We can’t rescue Diamond without a foster.

Little Blue Dog – Blue Dog was living on a tangled chain in a backyard in Austin.  Fortunately, because of the anti-chaining ordinance, he is now living in a backyard without a chain, but is alone in the hot sun with only occasional water and food.  Blue Dog needs a foster.

Harley –  We have been asked by Town Lake Animal Center to rescue a dog that was almost drowned by his owner.  Fortunately, Austin police caught the owner in time. Harley won’t make it without a foster home.

Joplin, Missouri Humane Society dogs:  Representatives from the Humane Society in Joplin recently asked if we have room for two pit bull-type dogs. Overcrowded conditions mean shelter staff will soon have to kill these two dogs, which are victims of the Joplin tornado.  We are so proud that they are working so hard to help these tornado victims.  We can’t help the Joplin dogs without a foster.

When you foster for Love-A-Bull, you are not alone. We have a great support network!

If you are worried that you cannot afford to be a foster parent, we can assist with the costs related to caring for the foster dog. All Love-A-Bull dogs are spayed or neutered and current on their vaccinations before they are placed in foster homes.

We never place a foster dog in a foster home without first doing a meet and greet with any and all of the critters that are already living in the home.

Please help us by filling out the Love-A-Bull foster/adoption application.

Dogs on chains raise concern in rural areas

Animal advocates want a statewide ban on tethering similar to Austin’s

By Patrick George AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 1:20 a.m. Monday, June 14, 2010
Published: 9:33 p.m. Sunday, June 13, 2010

MARTINDALE — When Titan and Ladybug came to Austin, the pair of 3-year-old pit bulls were in bad shape. Being chained to a stake in the ground all day since puppyhood had taken a toll on the dogs’ health.

Ladybug’s harness had started growing into her skin. She walks with a permanent hunch and can’t bark because of a damaged throat. Titan’s ribs were sticking out from malnourishment, and he had had his ears cut off with scissors. Both had heartworms, fleas and ticks.

In 2007, Austin passed an ordinance that punishes owners who chain their dogs with fines of up to $500. Dogs kept mostly outside must have an enclosure — such as a fence — with a minimum of 10 by 15 feet for each adult dog. In 2008, the City of Georgetown passed a ban on dog chaining as well.

But in rural areas such as Martindale, in Caldwell County, no laws keep dogs off chains, and animal advocacy groups say it is a problem for dogs and humans alike.

Titan and Ladybug are receiving care and are waiting for a home at the Canine Hilton shelter in East Austin after members of the Austin nonprofit Love-A-Bull persuaded their Martindale owners to let them have the dogs for $200.

Although both dogs had suffered from the chaining, there was no indication they were being used for fighting, and both have playful, friendly temperaments. Martindale Police Chief Jeff Caldwell said no citations were issued against their owners.

“While not the ideal situation for those dogs, it’s not necessarily illegal,” he said.

Love-A-Bull has helped five dogs from Martindale this year, all of whom were victims of chaining. The group mostly does education and advocacy work, member Lydia Zaidman said, but it acted to rescue the dogs in this case because of the extreme situation.

Animal control resources — including money for enforcement officers and shelters — are scarce in rural Central Texas, and education about the dangers of chaining dogs is hard to come by, animal advocates said.

Caldwell County’s strays usually end up at the Lockhart Animal Shelter, a facility on Old McMahan Road. The shelter houses about 56 dogs and 24 cats daily, with an average of 180 animals a month. Its $267,000 annual budget comes from the City of Lockhart, Caldwell County and donations.

By comparison, Austin’s Town Lake Animal Center has an annual budget of $5.5 million and cares for about 23,000 animals a year. The city has plans to build a new $12 million facility in East Austin.

Melanie Tucker , Lockhart’s director of animal services, said the city bans leaving restrained dogs outside and unattended for long periods. Chaining is more of a problem in rural areas, where enforcement is left to two Caldwell County sheriff animal control officers and where chaining often is unreported, she said.

Animal advocates say chaining dogs is inhumane, encourages aggressive behavior and makes dogs more territorial.

“There is a total lack of understanding about why chaining is so bad for dogs,” Zaidman said.

Zaidman said her own pit bull, rescued after up to three years of being chained up alone, has no teeth from trying to gnaw the chain off.

Lyndon Poole, a member of Chain Free Austin , among the groups that pushed for Austin’s chaining ban, said that children who wander near chained dogs are in danger because of the dogs’ increased aggressive behavior. Many people think that chaining a dog in their yard will offer protection, but Poole said chaining prevents the dog from properly bonding with humans.

“A dog is better able to protect you if it’s inside your home and not restrained by a chain,” he said.

Since the Austin law passed, Poole said he sees fewer dogs on chains these days. “Unfortunately, those laws stop outside the city limits,” he said.

Patt Nordyke , executive director of the Texas Federation of Animal Care Societies, said the federation and other groups are pushing for a statewide ban on dog chaining but that they aren’t optimistic because of the current budget crunch.

A bill signed into law after the 2007 legislative session put some restrictions on tethering dogs, including making it a Class C misdemeanor to leave a dog within 500 feet of a school or in extreme weather, such as freezing temperatures or during a heat advisory.

Nordyke, Zaidman and others want to see a state law that mandates an enclosure for dogs kept outside, similar to Austin’s ordinance.

“The state needs to do something because these towns won’t do it,” Zaidman said.

pgeorge@statesman.com; 512-392-8750

Chain Free Austin
www.chainfreeaustin.org
Contact: Timothy Verret
Phone: 512-879-7437

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2009

CHAINING DOGS MAKES ATTACKS MORE LIKELY
Local Humane Groups Call Attention to Dangers of Chaining and Tethering Dogs

Joint Statement from Love-A-Bull and Chain Free Austin

In the wake of the tragic chained dog attack on a child in Luling, Texas, local education/advocacy organizations, Love-a-Bull and Chain Free Austin are calling on local and state officials in Luling and other communities to support a ban on the dangerous practice of chaining and tethering dogs. Austin’s anti-tethering ordinance took effect on October 1, 2007, and should be used as a model for other cities to implement.

The American Veterinary Medical Association warns “Never tether or chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior.” A study commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control found that chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite.

There is no established correlation between chained dog attacks and breed. A chained dog will develop behavioral problems and become dangerously territorial, regardless of the breed.

Love-A-Bull and Chain Free Austin urge dog owners to bring their dogs inside the home to live whenever possible. Living with the family provides critical socialization for the dog, and protects the dog from severe weather and other stressful conditions.

When living indoors is not possible, dogs should be kept in a secure and humane fenced enclosure. The enclosure should be well shaded, with a ventilated doghouse and a constant supply of fresh water. The enclosure should provide plenty of space for the dog to roam and exercise. The enclosure should be sturdily built and secured with a lock so a child cannot enter unsupervised.

When a dog is kept outdoors, daily socialization and love become even more important to the dog’s well-being, and to the safety of the community.

It is imperative that responsible dog ownership involve awareness of how chaining can lead to serious accidents, and that proper supervision of any dog is crucial. Please remember: A chain will not prevent a small child from wandering too close to an unfamiliar dog. A secure fenced enclosure will.

At least 21 communities in the United States have outlawed chaining and tethering dogs, including Austin, Big Spring, Dallas, Electra, Fort Worth, Georgetown, and Irving, Texas.

For more information on Austin’s ordinance, please visit http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/news/2007/antichaining_ordinance.htm

###