The Facts About Chaining or Tethering Dogs 1. These terms refer to the practice of fastening a dog to a stationary object or stake, usually in the owner's backyard, as a means of keeping the animal under control. These terms do not refer to the periods when an animal is walked on a leash. Yes, the practice is both inhumane and a threat to the safety of the confined dog, other animals, and humans.
Dogs are naturally social beings who thrive on interaction with human beings and other animals.
A dog who is kept chained in one spot for hours, days, months, or even years suffers immense psychological damage. An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious, and often very aggressive. In many cases, the necks of chained dogs become rubbed raw and covered with sores, the result of improperly fitted collars and the dogs' constant yanking and straining in desperate attempts to escape confinement. Dogs have even been found with collars embedded in their necks, the result of years of neglect at the end of a chain. In one case, a veterinarian had to euthanize a dog whose collar, an electrical cord, was so embedded in the animal's neck that it was difficult to see the plug that was ultimately removed.