Rep. Barnes’ Proposed Dog-Chaining Ban Brings Him Bone-Shaped Chocolates From ‘Jesus People for Animals’

Bill Would Protect Dogs From Inescapable Suffering in Freezing Weather

For Immediate Release:
March 11, 2015

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

A thank-you note and a box of dog bone–shaped vegan chocolates are on their way from Jesus People for Animals—PETA’s Christian outreach division—to Rep. John Barnes Jr. of Cleveland, who recently introduced a statewide bill that would ban chaining dogs.

“They’re God’s creations also, so they should be treated as such,” he said.

House Bill 94 is a godsend, as it would prohibit chaining dogs overnight, for longer than two consecutive hours, and during extreme weather, among other conditions.

“I pray for quick passage of your important bill so that next winter, rather than struggling against hypothermia while chained outside, Ohio’s dogs will be warm and safe indoors with their human families,” Sarah Withrow King, PETA’s director of Christian outreach and engagement, wrote to Barnes.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—has compiled extensive information showing how banning chaining can protect animals and the community: Dogs who are chained outdoors spend their entire lives eating, sleeping, and eliminating in the same few square feet of space, drawing flies and causing illness. Chaining these highly social pack animals deprives them of the interaction that they need, which can make them aggressive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs who aren’t chained.

For more information, please visit PETA.org

Jesus People for Animals’ letter to Rep. Barnes follows.

March 11, 2015

The Honorable John Barnes Jr.

The Ohio House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Barnes,

As PETA’s director of Christian outreach and engagement, I’m writing on behalf of our more than 3 million members and supporters worldwide to thank you for introducing a statewide bill to restrict continuous dog tethering and for reminding your constituents that dogs are created by God and deserving of our love and care.

I pray for quick passage of your important bill so that next winter, rather than struggling against hypothermia while chained outside, Ohio’s dogs will be warm and safe indoors with their human families. Thank you for your compassion and for all that you do for the residents of Ohio, human and animal alike. We’ve arranged for a special package of vegan chocolates in the shape of dog bones to be delivered to your office as our way of saying, “Two paws up!”

Sincerely yours,

Sarah Withrow King
JesusPeopleforAnimals.com