January is Unchain a Dog Month. Most of us have encountered dogs that are chained up outside. And it is particularly heartbreaking to see during the deepest freezes of winter and the hottest days of summer. And while some communities have ordinances against leaving pets outside in certain weather conditions, this doesn’t eliminate all situations where dogs are chained outside without shelter year round.

There are organizations that are making inroads to allow individuals to unchain their dogs. One of those is called Fences for Fido.

According to their website:

“Fences for Fido is an award-winning, non-profit organization that builds donor-funded fences free of charge for families who keep their dogs on chains, tethers and in small enclosures. We also provide:

   A warm, insulated dog house

   Spay/neuter services

   Critical vet care

In the past 10 years, Fences For Fido has unchained over 2000 dogs in NW Oregon, central Oregon and SW Washington!”

In a heartwarming video, you can see what kind of work they do: Click here.

There are numerous other organizations that take part in getting dogs off of chains by building fences. Another one of these is Beyond Fences.

You can watch video of their work: <Click here.

Feeling inspired? All of these groups use volunteers, take donations, and encourage individuals to start up their own program. What a great way to start the new year with stories of dogs being able to run freely in their own yards! These groups have successfully eliminated the chains that held these dogs down. If you do any work unchaining dogs via fence building, please let us know. We’d love to hear your story.