Articles about American Pit Bull Terrier
...to start reading this and the other useful articles from the beginning please click on here....Many owners of these types of breeds (and others, for any breed of dog can occasionally produce a dog aggressive dog, even "pack" breeds!) use tethers for this purpose. With all of this said, it is irrevocably true that many dogs on tethers are abused. However, banning them is unfair to people who treat their animals with love and kindness, who just choose to use a tether for containment. That would be like banning "pit bulls" because some of them are aggressive and/or abused. In both cases, neither problem is eliminated. Just as thugs would find a new "bad breed", people who abuse their tethered dogs would just find a new method of containment to neglect their dogs in. The truth of the matter is, chains are objects. They cannot abuse dogs, only people can, and a person who would abuse a tethered dog will also abuse a dog that's in a kennel, a fenced yard, or a crate. You cannot pass a law that will force people to be kind to their animals, unfortunately, and to make tethering illegal will force owners to crate their dogs for long periods, risk them escaping, risk them killing one another, or simply get rid of them- and there are enough dogs in shelters already. Isn't a good home where the dog is kept on a tie-out for some period of time better than a cold shelter cage and euthanasia? Responsible Dog Owners Against Anti-Tethering Legislation created this list of criteria for tethering your animal: "1. Make sure that water is clean and always accessible. Clean Water means that it is clear and the bowl is clean ( it is known that some leaves from time to time might fall in, just clean that up ASAP, but murky or green water/bowls ...are not acceptable). 2. Regular exercise is a must. Exercise includes walking, swimming, flirt poling, spring poling, etc. The dog running around in the circle without your interact all day does not qualify. It should be you and the dog activity. 3. Proper housing is necessary, plastic barrels are fine, but make them nice. No metal barrels. A house that keeps the dog warm in the winter, and keeps the dog shaded and cool in the summer, but should not be the only sort of shade. No leaks allowed. 4. Make sure there is plenty of shade. In the winter, make sure you have plenty of bedding, i.e. straw, cedar shaving, etc. 5. Make sure there are swivels on both ends. 6. Rake out any debris that might cause tangling. Debris might included but isn't limited to, acorns, leaves, dead grass, or hay. 7. Check hardware daily. Make sure that your swivels are in good shape and freely moving. Make sure your snap isn't ready to break or worn down. Check the chain for any weaknesses. Check collars. Make sure they aren't too tight or too loose. Make sure they are in good shape. 8. A 1/4 grade 70 chain should be enough. Some dogs can have smaller chains, if your dog can, then opt for the smallest chain that will contain your dog, however, overall, 1/4 grade 70 chain should be able to hold your dog. You shouldn't really need anything bigger.