The Cowtown Chronicles

I was copied on this e-mail today from Suzette to the mayor, city council, and a WHOLE BUNCH of other people up and down the legislative chain of command.

Great job, Suzette! Fort Worth needs more people like you!

Mayor & City Council -

As promised, attached are pictures that were taken here in Cowtown about two weeks ago. Most were taken from District 5, a few were taken in the Como area. As I said previously, it is abusive and cruel to chain a dog. Dogs are social beings by nature, they need interaction with other living animals which includes humans. Most of all they NEED to be able to move, run and play. Dogs have much the same needs as humans – food, water, exercise, love and attention.

The State of Texas just passed a law that states you cannot chain a dog between the hours of 10pm – 6am. Who is going to be enforcing the law at those hours? The City of Austin and The City of Irving has recently passed a chain ban which states that one cannot tether a dog that is UNattended. Unattended being a key word and one that has flexibility when looking at the law. In other words, if someone gardening in their front yard tethers their dog beside them while they garden, that could be considered an ATTENDED tethered dog. However, in these pictures there was no one in site and most could not move more than 2-4 feet. Most look depressed and sad because they are being enslaved to a tether. They can’t move, a few couldn’t even stand up!! (blonde dog tied to yellow children’s play toy).

Please FREE these dogs from their enslavement. It is 2007. Now is the time. Just like it was time back in the day to ban bearbaiting. This is cruelty to dogs. I hope that Fort Worth will ban unattended tethered dogs and allow the enforcement thereof. Their is responsibilty to be accepted when one chooses to own a dog.

A couple of the pictures show dogs running the streets loose which will perpetuate the problem as pregnancy occurs – no pictures show the many dead dogs that were loose and running the streets – no pictures show the many starving and dehydrated dogs that are enslaved to a small pen or short tether hidden in the backyards of this City.

Your urgent attention and follow through with this matter is requested.

Most sincerely, Suzette Watkins

She attached the following pictures to give an idea of what life is like for these dogs who are neglected and often under fed and abused.

This dog is tied so tightly to the playset that it can’t even stand up. And if it can’t stand up, then it certainly can’t reach that (probably empty) bowl of water and food near it.

This sort of cruelty is happening in your backyard, people! In fact it’s happening in MY backyard. I’m going over there the next time there’s a major storm and that dog is left outside, or it’s below 50 degrees and still out there at night.