Wanda Sykes Joins Fight to Unchain Hampton Roads Dogs

Portsmouth Native Urges Newport News and Suffolk to Ban Continuous Tethering of Dogs

Hampton Roads—On the eve of Valentine's Day, comedian Wanda Sykes is hoping that Suffolk and Newport News will show some love to dogs. In letters sent today on PETA's behalf, the comedian urges the mayors and city council members of both cities to follow the leads of nearby Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, and her native Portsmouth and enact legislation that bans or significantly restricts the continuous chaining of dogs. As Sykes explains, forcing highly social pack animals to live their lives at the end of a chain is both cruel and dangerous since chained dogs are more likely to become aggressive and attack people, children especially.

"Dogs ask for so little yet give us so much. The very least that we can do for them is to pass a law that protects them from the cruelty of being chained their entire lives," writes Sykes. "I truly hope that Newport News [and Suffolk join] dozens of other U.S. jurisdictions—including my hometown of Portsmouth—that have passed anti-chaining laws in response to public safety and animal welfare concerns."

PETA responds to more chained-dog cases in Suffolk than in any other city in the area, but the 24/7 chaining of dogs is also common in Newport News. Just this winter, a PETA fieldworker found two malnourished dogs chained in a Newport News backyard with no access to food or water. Just feet away lay the body of a third dog who, as revealed by a necropsy, had starved to death. PETA has since filed charges against the homeowner. Photos of chained dogs in both cities are available upon request.

Wanda Sykes' letter to Newport News and Suffolk officials is available here and here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.