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Wrap-Up Press Release

Wrap-Up: 5 Biggest Things We Learned on the 12/12/120 Tour

Dawn Ashby and I, on April 6, 2008, embarked on a 12 day, 12 state, 120 dog tour of Missouri through West Virginia. It was probably the hardest I've ever worked; we were up bright and early each morning, driving and interacting with folks all day, and then up until midnight or 1:00 a.m. most nights creating video and a diary of the days events.

Luckily for both Dawn and I—but mostly Dawn—I also embarked on a personal experiment with keeping my energy positive throughout the trip, which made me overwhelmingly more centered, calm, and dare-I-say kindly. Thank God, or the chocolate on my camera incident would have resulted in many more fireworks than we got on "fireworks day" in South Carolina!

There were many things I learned on the trip, not the least of which is that cockfighters actually keep 100's of roosters chained in plain sight, and seems there's not much you can do about it, since apparently that doesn't mean they are actually fighting them. Go figure. It certainly doesn't mean they're dressing them up and having afternoon tea parties either!

Here's my Top Five List of What I Learned on the 12/12/120 Tour:

5. You Get Yelled at a Lot Less When You Come Bearing Gifts

I'm used to getting yelled at by people who chain their dogs, and oddly enough they are usually not the nicest of people. They call virtually every day after the mail arrives if they are one of the day's lucky lotto winners of a letter from DDB; so between 3:00 p.m. and the middle of the night, I answer the phone at my own risk. The good thing about an answering machine is that the second you hear swearing or name-calling, you can hit the delete button.

Not so easy in person.

So if anyone thought I was actually looking forward to days on end of getting yelled at by those who want me to 'mind my own business', they'd have another think coming.

But we played it smarter than I normally do...we came to each home bearing not only a good attitude and a smile, but also gifts of collars, leashes, dog treats, dog toys, offers of fencing help, and even chocolate and candles for an overwhelmed mother.

By gum, whoever said you catch more flies with honey than vinegar sure knew what they were talking about! Most of the people were very kind to us, especially in the state of Alabama. They invited us in, took us to meet the dogs, and just generally exhibited some mighty fine Southern charm.

4. There are Even MORE Chained Dogs than I Thought There Were, and MORE Show Aggression than I Expected

Our 'goal' was to catalog ten chained or penned dogs per day per state, and then move on to the next. We knew we had a fast timeline, and traveling the countryside for 8 hours in search of seeing the maximum amount of dogs was not on the agenda. We were able to personally interact with about 20 caretakers per day, leave doorhangers, fencing applications, or other educational information on 20 or so more doorsteps, and some were just logged as we drove by on the highway. This laid-back counting system still netted us 88 dogs average per state, ending us at a total of 1051 dogs—931 more dogs than we went seeking! Given that we saw 88 dogs in what was probably 1/200th of each of the states, I would estimate the amount of dogs living chained or penned per state to be a minimum of 17,600 up to 25,000. That would be a whopping 211,200-300,000 dogs living chained or penned in just 12 states! I can't help but hope that I'm overcalculating...

I also learned that chaining dogs really CAN make them quite vicious. Not only did Dawn's ear get bitten, but another shepherd tried to bite me, and we were lunged at by a mastiff, a rottie, more shepherds, and various and sundry other chained dogs. Dang, People! What are you thinking putting a weapon loaded with 42 razor-sharp teeth and 300 pounds of pressure per square inch in open range for any yay-hoo or toddler to come crawling right up to?

I believe that many of these dogs, taken off the chain and properly socialized, would lose that territorial aggression and be wonderful companions if given half a chance. But as they are right now, they really are just waiting for the next trigger to set them off.

3. You Get Tarred and Feathered a Lot Less When you Come Bearing Gifts

I was raised on a farm where none of the animals were allowed to live in the house. I didn't like it, and I knew our companions deserved better, but by the time I got into animal advocacy I still knew little about actually caring for my friends properly. I've made more mistakes along the way than most of you, I'd wager, but over time I learned to do better. The people that were kind to me about it always influenced me way more than the people who were mean to me. My main goal with DDB has been to teach people that dogs need to be part of the family...THEIR family, not mine! The last thing I need is 300,000 dogs from 12 states living in my house with me.

So I hoped on this tour to figure out a way to actually reach people without being run out of town on a rail. Our brochures and information are very good...but people still take offense to them. Bearing gifts has worked for many of our best reps, so in an effort to cut back on the tarring and feathering, we tried it too. It's downright harder to be mean to someone who is smiling and holding out dog biscuits, a new collar and a leash to you!

2. Laws Limiting Chaining Really ARE Working in Areas That Have Them

We were only in three cities limiting tethering, St. Louis, Little Rock, and Georgetown, Kentucky. In all three places we saw less chained dogs than in comparable areas elsewhere. In Little Rock the second we crossed the city line into the county the dogs were all chained up house after house. In both St. Louis and Georgetown there was a call for enforcement after we left for dogs we found still living chained in violation of the law, and even the press was asking why the laws weren't being enforced in both places. It was such a novel idea for me to be in an area where I could say they were in violation of the law! Very empowering. And I think it was effective for an outside agency to come in and assess the enforcement of the laws...it brought much more good than complaints coming from inside. We believe the next tour may focus solely on cities or counties that have laws but enforcement issues, so we can get some positive action going in each of the cities!

1. You Get Shot At a Lot Less When you Come Bearing Gifts

Hal Abrams from Animal Radio teased me that he was betting that I'd get arrested again, so I want it on public record that I won the bet, and Hal now owes me $12! One for every day I DIDN'T get arrested...Of course, don't think the possibility didn't cross my mind given what I've been through, and I was so praying there'd be no Doogie's along my path. Would I have gotten a dying dog the help it needed regardless of circumstances? You betcha...but Thank Dog I was blessed not to come across any such dire circumstances in the 12 days I was on the road.

Poor little Cinder the chow DID need vet help, but at least his caretaker had already taken the collar off, understood the problem, and was very amenable to us helping him get the care he needed. We also alerted the Animal Control to go back and check on the dog for a follow-up, and asked the vet to call us if the dog was abandoned there. Unfortunately that was the best we could do for the poor little guy.

We were yelled at only twice, both times in South Carolina, which started out with a fireworks theme; it later became evident why! The first woman, who will probably be reading this and continuing her harrassment of us, was just downright nasty from the time she opened the door until the time she threatened to call the police because we weren't vamoosing fast enough for her liking. No amount of Dawn trying to talk nice to her could sway her from her nasty pill, so I finally told Dawn to get out of there and then I may have called her a PG-rated name. Oops!

The second two people were both quite inebriated by the time we reached them, probably not a good idea to go out interacting on a Saturday afternoon! She said if people didn't stop bothering the dog she was going to 'put some lead in their asses'. Luckily, they were all talk and no gunfire, so we were able to get out of there with our hides in one piece and call it a day, feeling the need for a couple of glasses of wine ourselves...

Two bad interactions out of almost 240 is stellar...let this be a lesson to all of us. You really CAN catch more dog caretakers with fences than vinegar. I myself promise to remember this lesson the next time I get the nasty phone call...I'll promptly stuff a dog treat through the phone, and when it pops out on the other end and right into the mouth of the caller I'll expect the conversation to take a turn for the better.

Tammy S. Grimes, Executive Director, Dogs Deserve Better

Dognamic Duo Tour Wrap-Up from Dawn Ashby

Tuck the Australian Cattle Dog from Iron Gate, Virginia is being rescued this weekend. A big thanks goes to DDB reps and friends for putting this together and to Tuck’s caretaker who agreed to surrender him to a better life off of a chain. Tuck is a success as are some other dogs we met on the “Dognamic Duo Tour”. They are the lucky ones, but what about the rest of them?

All I can say is send out the troops! What Tammy and I saw on the road on our 12-day tour blows our minds! Everywhere we went there were more and more dogs on chains and in pens with no water, no food, nothing! There spirits were either broken or they had already become so aggressive no one could step near them. How can people just forget about their friends like that?

We need a DDB rehabilitation center, not only for the dogs we rescue, but also so the media and others will pay attention. This abuse is insane! Won’t everyone please help? We have to be bigger, stronger and more equipped to handle all that needs to be done.

I’m back home with my pups and my new foster Heidi-Grace from West Virginia and my mind is full of all the dogs I was forced to leave behind. There was Glock, Baby, the puppy, Kane, the twin White Shepherds, Cinder and the list goes on and on. I want to save them all!

The lucky ones have been rescued from a miserable life of neglect on the end of a chain or pen, others have caretakers who have been educated, but what about the rest of them? Please make as generous a donation to Dogs Deserve Better as you can so that we can do whatever it takes to protect these poor animals who need our help. Thank you for your continued commitment and compassion for the neglected and abused backyard dog.

Special Thanks to:

Sandy Lynn, Gary, Rose & Mollie Gordon, Stacy in Arkansas, Emily Pennel, John Yarbrough, Janet Faulk, Sonja Graham, Linda Morgan, Pam Cheatham, Alicia Schwartz, Karen Dortschy, Sherri Strader, Beverly Swain, Margerite Mebane (and friends), Sue Ratliff, Elizabeth Ferrari, Kristin Moro, Jennifer Wilson, Cindy Gray, Melanie and Brian Helvie, Shannon Wheeler, Johanna Johnson, Michelle Rauch, Tracy Bently, Elizabeth Nicely and Mary Sue Miller! They all lent us a helping hand along the way, either by providing meals, media help or overnights, and we very much appreciate it.

Dawn Ashby, Public Liaison and Rescue Coordinator, Dogs Deserve Better

We've already gotten 10 fencing applications back from our trip with many more expected. To provide fencing for ten dogs costs us $2000...can you donate to keep our fencing fund alive and growing?

We Can Now Take Donations Over the Phone at 1.877.636.1408

We can now accept donations over the phone
using a major credit card at 1.877.636.1408.

If you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail, you may print out this
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