Death teaches
some lessons
My heart goes out to the family of Zachary King, the Minneapolis boy who was mauled to death by a chained pit bull last month. I can personally relate to what they are going through: In 2005, two dogs who spent their lives chained up killed my beloved 2-year-old cousin, Jonathan Martin. Jonathan loved dogs and had no idea how dangerous they could be if chained.
Since losing Jonathan, I've learned that his death is not an isolated incident. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs who are not kept chained. Animal behaviorists believe that this is because dogs who are chained are often unsocialized and become overly territorial and defensive, knowing that they have no means of escape. In the past decade, hundreds of people - mostly innocent children like Jonathan and Zach - have been injured or killed by chained dogs.
Intact dogs - those who have not been spayed or neutered - are also three times more likely to bite than altered dogs. The dogs involved in the attack on my cousin and the attack on Zachary were not spayed or neutered.
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California and Texas recently enacted laws that restrict the tethering of dogs. Hopefully, other states will soon follow suit, in order to prevent the injuries and deaths of more children.
Please, for the safety of children as well as dogs, spay and neuter your dogs and never chain them.
Alice Conner
Norfolk, VA
