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PETA Delivers Relief to Cast-Aside Canines
Bertie County, North Carolina, is one of the country’s poorest counties—with extremely high unemployment rates and many people still living in dilapidated houses without running water. That’s one reason why PETA’s Community Animal Project (CAP) traveled to Bertie to build doghouses for the city’s rundown animal shelter, where animals were left exposed to the elements.
Along the way, we spotted chained dogs, some with only bare plastic or metal barrels for shelter, some with nothing to protect them from rain and sleet. We saw dogs huddled under card tables exposed on all sides and inside cold, rusty cars or other scraps of junk—anything that might offer a barrier from winter storms and scorching summer sun. Some had only a mudhole that they had dug for themselves, and many had a heavy logging chain to prevent escape.
We delivered sturdy houses, including winter bedding, to nearly 250 dogs, who went from cowering with their tails tucked between their legs to showering CAP workers with “thank-you” kisses.
The Bertie County sheriff and a local newspaper joined the effort by publicizing CAP’s doghouse giveaway, and a television crew rode along and aired a poignant story that reached countless viewers—public education and legislation are key to helping outdoor outcasts like these dogs.
On three separate journeys into Bertie, the rescuers logged their experiences—here are just a few accounts.
Frustration, fear of not being able to escape attack, and lack of socialization often make chained dogs fierce—this dog was so upset that we thought he might bite us. After I gave him some treats and sat with him, I’d gained his trust. Loverboy wouldn’t leave my side as we cleaned out his filthy pen—we swapped his cracked and leaking plastic barrel for a solid doghouse. As I turned to leave, he licked my hand and went to curl up in his clean, warm new home.
–Paul Chetirkin, CAP Team
We made unscheduled stops for dogs like this timid girl, someone’s forgotten “burglar alarm” dog cowering under a table and lean-to, which, along with her “barely there” coat, offered no protection from the freezing rain.
–Peter Wood, CAP Team
We had to coax this sweetheart out of his muddy box to replace his thick tow chain with a lightweight tie-out. We found a dry spot for his new house and soaked up the water by spreading hay. He was so excited that he jumped on and off the roof of his new residence.
–Vicki Carey, CAP Team
Thank goodness we had an extra doghouse for this fella, who had nothing—not even a scrap of junk—for shelter. He was starved for physical contact and yet uncertain—could he really trust us to be kind? Although we had many more deliveries to make, we spent a little extra time playing with this boy, who was “smiling” his “Thanks!” to us as we pulled away.
–Marta Anderson, CAP Team
This little guy’s “home” was a carrying crate—its open sides, grated door, and roof air vents allowing no escape from rain or wind. Wary at first, his tail wagged a mile a minute when he realized the warm, dry shelter and chew toy were for him.
–Linda Tyrrell, CAP Team
 Start Your Own Operation Doghouse!
• Dee Finch of Bedford, Virginia, gathers donated doghouses and materials, repairs the old houses or builds new ones, and then distributes them to needy dogs. She has recruited professionals, friends, and even a high school woodworking class to build houses. Dee has distributed more than 80 doghouses in the past two years. You can do the same. Contact PETA’s Literature Department for doghouse building plans.
• Always look out for neglected dogs. Offer to provide a proper doghouse and build fences or provide running lines for dogs kept chained. Report severely neglected dogs if the owner refuses help or won’t give the animal up.
• One solid doghouse costs us $175 to build. Please sponsor one (or more).
• Work to enact a chaining ban, like Oskaloosa, Florida, and Electra, Texas, have done. Lobby your town council for a ban (contact our Domestic Animal Issues & Abuse Department for advice).
• Never turn away from an animal in need. A bowl of water, a gentle caress, or outright rescue may be in your hands.
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