UPD - Take Action

Are tethered dogs otherwise treated well?

Rarely does a chained or tethered dog receive sufficient care. Tethered dogs suffer from sporadic feedings, overturned water bowls, inadequate veterinary care, and extreme temperatures. During snow storms, these dogs often have no access to shelter. During periods of extreme heat, they may not receive adequate water or protection from the sun. What's more, because their often neurotic behavior makes them difficult to approach, chained dogs are rarely given even minimal affection. Tethered dogs may become "part of the scenery" and can be easily ignored by their owners.

Take Action: Six Ways You Can Help

1.	Join the Coalition!
	Sign up to become a member on the Join the Coalition page and urge others to sign-on too.

2.	Ask your local rescue to measure your chained dog calls.
	Tethering is not only cruel to dogs and dangerous to the public, but costly to our communities. Initial reports indicate that nearly 40% of all complaints filed with county SPCA's and other shelters involve chained dogs. Given the current economy, this is a cost we can no longer afford.

3.	Stand ready to contact your legislator.
	When you receive an Action Alert from us about pending legislation, we will ask you to contact your legislators. If you have an existing relationship with your state lawmakers, please contact them now to explain the importance of anti-tethering legislation (and, please, let us know of the contact).

4.	Collect signatures on a petition.
	Collect signatures of constituents in your legislative district on a petition supporting an anti-tethering bill. The petitions will be presented to your legislators when their vote is most needed.

5.	Spread the word.
	Link the coalition to your website: www.unchainpadogs.com Share news and updates on legislation with your friends, family and co-workers.

6.	Vote!
	If you are a Pennsylvania resident and NOT already registered to vote in PA, go to VotesPA to register.

As an animal advocate, you know the harm caused by continual tethering and the difficulty in prosecuting these cases under current PA law. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Tethering needs your help to end this inhumane practice.

You can help right now by contacting the committee chairs in both the PA House and the PA Senate as noted below. Urge them to move the respective bills to the floor for a vote. Call their office, send a letter, or both. Please note that handwritten letters from a constituent always get the most attention from a legislator.

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP RIGHT NOW ...

SENATE BILL 972

1. Click here for a letter (Word document) which you can personalize and send to the Chairman of the PA Senate Agricultural & Rural Affairs Committee, Sen. Elder Vogel (R-47). You can also make the appropriate edits and send it to other PA Senate Agricultural & Rural Affairs Committee urging them to support this legislation.

2. Contact your state representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. If they are already a co-sponsor, thank them and ask that they encourage others to support the bill. To find your state senator, click here.

HOUSE BILL 826

1. Click here for a letter (Word document) which you can personalize and send to the Chairman of the PA House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Ron Marsico (R-105). You can also make the appropriate edits and send it to other PA House Judiciary Committee urging them to support this legislation.

2. Contact your state representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. If they are already a co-sponsor, thank them and ask that they encourage others to support the bill. To find your state representative, click here.