SPCA WANTS PROLONGED CHAINING AND CONFINEMENT OF DOGS BANNED
Source: 1news (Extract)
Posted: July 18, 2022
They’re launching a new campaign to urgently change the law to address the regulatory gap that allows dogs to be tethered for life.
SPCA inspector Philippa Lamb said it was heartbreaking not being able to help dogs earlier.
“It’s incredibly frustrating to have to wait until a dog is really suffering to be able to do something about it. That is really difficult.
“I think if we could step in a lot earlier before they get bad it would make the job a lot easier and rewarding,” she said.
They’re asking for a ban on the long-term tethering of dogs so they can act before there is evidence of physical harm.
Deedee was chained and confined to a cage during her early days. Photos from that time show the scars her chain caused.
Lamb said Deedee needed a long rehabilitation.
“We took her to a vet clinic. She had to be knocked out and have the chain surgically removed from her neck,” she said.
Surveys show there are more than 800,000 dogs in New Zealand. More than 200,000 are unregistered, and animal rights organisations believe many of those dogs are chained and confined.
SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said she’d been working on the new campaign for the past seven years.
“I’ve been trying to get legislative change on this one, and it’s been a real challenge because of the psychological effects of it rather than physical.
“But I think we know enough now… it’s time for change, and people need to step up and do the right thing,” she said.
Midgen has seen the effects of chained dogs first-hand. Her dog Jack was tethered to a tree for his first year.
“He didn’t know any words or what toys were. He had never even experienced water.
“What we want is a change to the legislation which ensures both physical and mental needs are being met.
“To see these beautiful creatures having such a poor life, animals are sentient beings, and that’s in our legislation. That means they can feel things just like us humans – happiness, joy, sadness, fear, all those things – these dogs are confined to a life of misery really, and it just breaks your heart.
The SPCA is urging the public to submit letters of support to Meka Whaitiri, the Associate Minister of Agriculture in animal welfare.
