Bound by Habit: Breaking the Practices of Dog Chaining - National Humane Education Society

“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”  English writer Samuel Johnson wrote these words in the 18th century. They speak to the reality that so often go about our daily lives unaware of how our choices are guided by habit, until one day that habit is challenged. No one knows this better than a person who has attempted to persuade a dog owner to unchain their dog. Just as a chained dog is tethered to the earth where he stands, many dog owners are committed to the custom of dog tethering without even realizing it. For this reason, challenging an owner’s practice of continual dog chaining can often be met with defensiveness. To overcome this, animal advocates must address the inherent cruelty of dog chaining, but also the modern resources that make living with dogs indoors possible.

Generations ago, many Americans regarded dogs as “outdoor” animals. While this does not justify the practice of dog chaining, there were reasons behind this common perspective. For one, modern monthly flea preventatives were not introduced to the market until the early 1990s. Therefore, many dog owners may have felt dogs were inherently unsanitary and needed to be kept out of the home. Secondly, fewer landlords permitted dogs inside rental properties a generation ago. Lastly, while people have enjoyed social bonds with dogs for thousands of years, obedience training did not begin to become popular until the 1950s. As a result, many households lacked the resources to train their dog or dogs how to live peacefully within a home environment. The dogs were instead relegated to the backyard chain or left to roam the neighborhood.

Despite modern advances in companion animal care, many of today’s dog owners remain trapped in the faulty mindset that a dog is too dirty, unruly, and “wild” to be allowed indoors. As a result, dogs continue to be subjected to the isolation and frustration caused by life on a chain. The suffering these dogs experience cannot and should not be minimized. However, it is essential to take the conversation beyond simply dropping the chain. Owners must also be invited and encouraged to take advantage of resources like modern veterinary care, pet-friendly housing options, obedience training, and other assets that help owners offer their dogs the lives they deserve.