Dogs suffer from neglect, too.

By Kelly Alm

Fourteen years ago, local humane investigator Hilleary Bogley pulled up to a dilapidated house on Route 55. Puppies ran loose, and chained dogs overwhelmed the yard. The mother of the puppies could be heard scratching frantically from behind a crawl space beneath the house that had been nailed shut weeks prior.

Bogley, who is also the founder of the Middleburg Humane Foundation (MHF), was able to convince the owners to relinquish the two dogs that were locked up. Rather than seizing all of the animals, however, she worked to develop a relationship with the owners; creating an avenue by which to educate them about dog ownership responsibilities.

That was the beginning of MHF's Chained Dog Assistance Program, which aims to improve the lives of chained dogs through owner education and support.

In many cases, seizing the animal is counterproductive. “The sad reality is that nine times out of 10 when you remove an animal, the person turns right around and replaces it with a new one,” Bogley said. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice the animal, and work with the owner just so you can help the animal.”

Virginia law requires adequate food, water, shelter, and a chain length that is three times the length of the dog's body (from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail), but the conditions endured by many chained dogs do not meet these minimum requirements. Bogley handles each situation on a case-by-case basis. “If the conditions are inexcusable, and the animal's life, safety, and health are in imminent danger, I seize the animal,” she said.

Otherwise, Bogley gives the owner a compliance notice, in which they have a time frame to meet the conditions required by law.

“There ’s a high incidence of people who say, ‘just take it,’ and willfully give up their animal because they can’t be bothered,” Bogley said. “Or they provide the absolute minimum to just barely meet the legal requirements, which is very frustrating.”
MHF delivers animal food and supplies to families in the program on a seasonal basis, especially during extreme weather conditions. Improperly fitted collars and chains are replaced, and, when available, plastic coated cable tie-outs are given to the families so that the dog can move around without getting tangled, and avoid strangulation. Dog houses and straw are also donated.

Whenever possible, the dogs are vaccinated and dewormed, as well as spayed and neutered. “If we provide the supplies, we usually see improvement,” said Bogley.

Unfortunately, this cannot account for the dogs' social needs.

“Dogs are extremely social animals,” Bogley said. “They thrive on interaction with human beings and other animals. To force them to live in such an isolated, lonely world, is devastating.”

Bogley is especially disheartened when she witnesses this lack of compassion in children.

“All the kids will be inside playing or watching TV,” said Bogley. “You knock, and one of them opens the door, and the heat blasts out. Meanwhile, the dog is outside, freezing cold and lonely, and no one even thinks to feed it or bring it inside. I think that's one of the saddest parts; when you see kids who are not being shown by example to respect their fellow earthlings.

"My hope is that chaining dogs will become illegal in my lifetime," Bogley said. "There's been significant national progress made in animal welfare over the last 10-15 years, as well as improvements to animal statutes in Virginia. So I think it's a very good possibility."

— Kelly Alm