Fido fence for dog release from life on leash, one fence at a time

Sparky spends her life chained in her Oregon yard and is terrified, accusing anyone who comes near her. That all changed when a nonprofit group called Fences for Fido stepped in to help.

Based in Portland Fido . fence (FFF) builds free fences in Oregon and Southwest Washington for families who keep their dogs on leash, leash, and in small crates. In addition to the fence, they provide an insulated dog kennel for each dog as well as food, toys, childcare, and emergency veterinary care.

The idea of ​​FFF was born in 2009 when a group of friends gathered to watch a favorite TV show.

“We would meet every Thursday night to watch The Bachelor and drink wine,” chuckles FFF co-founder Katrina Kennedy.

Kennedy said many in the group were animal lovers and they had heard of a North Carolina disassembly teamso they decided they wanted to do something similar.

“We felt that it was possible to find a dog to adopt each month,” she says. “We knew we were going to have to create a nonprofit. I don’t think we’ve ever planned it as big as it is now. I think we thought this was something we were going to do together. “

Their first fundraiser exceeded their goal, and by the end of the year, they had a waiting list.

“And we’ve waited so much over the last 13 years, which sadly is a common problem,” Kennedy said.

Since 2009, Fences for Fido volunteers have helped nearly 3,000 dogs. Photo courtesy of FFF

Good fences make good neighbors (and good dogs)

Dogs are social animals and being alone and isolated on a leash can cause a dog serious distress. Follow American Veterinary Medical Association, which can lead to aggressive behavior. A dog on a leash cannot retreat so may be more inclined to bite.

In addition, a dog on a leash is at risk of strangulation and injury, being attacked by other animals, and may not have access to their food, water, or shelter.

The fence to Fido’s mission is simple – give dogs a better life.

“We focused on dogs that were changed frequently, such as 24/7, that were never allowed into the house,” Kennedy said. “These are dogs that are only placed in the backyard as an alarm system.”

Kennedy said that often dogs are chained or locked up because of the dog’s owner’s upbringing (the FFF calls them “guardians”).

“It’s like a generational thing like, this is okay for dogs, this can be done for animals,” she said. “And so, it’s like we’re retraining people.”

Usually what they see is a dilapidated dog house, or no dog house at all, Kennedy said. The dog is under a tree on a 6- to 8-foot leash, possibly a paper plate for food, with no toys.

Loneliness and isolation when on a leash can cause a dog serious distress. Photo Courtesy of Fences for Fido

She recalls a heartbreaking case of a large hybrid dog.

“It is a very strong dog. It has an X-string harness on the belly and on the back. That’s how it happened to him,” she said. “And I think that dog wore it for eight years. So we had to take that chain off him, and then I’ll never forget it because I was one of the people who took it off. It was dipped in, like he didn’t have blood or infection, but his hair had grown on it and the necklace made a crisscross pattern.”

Kennedy said the family followed the custom of leashes so that the dog could not escape.

Even in that case, the family is still within the law.

“The bar is set pretty low for animals,” says Kennedy. “Even in states that we think have good animal laws, it’s still pretty low.”

The dogs are usually found on a leash or short leash. Photo courtesy of FFF

Kennedy said while many people consider the case to be neglect, it is not a waiver under the law.

“There wasn’t any physical abuse or anything like that,” she said. “So in those situations, we just want to set up the dog, and we do part of what I call social work. We stay as a family. We check to make sure that everything is going well. “

Often the work is done in lower income areas.

We want to focus on keeping the family together rather than tearing them apart.

“It’s usually the communities where we see the dogs on a leash most of the time, and the neighbors, the people in that community, they see us doing it. And I think it definitely spreads a message, a positive message, because we’re going to get community members saying, ‘Hey, I see you guys at this neighborhood, don’t you think? that you can help us make the fence?’ “

Kennedy said there was no judgment.

“These are not bad people,” she said. “They are just people who don’t know the difference, and have no income to do otherwise. And often when you don’t have the income to do something else, you’re so focused on trying to make the rest of your life work, you know, you just can’t focus your attention on the animal. this “.

Keeping the family together

Kennedy said she received phone messages from people asking why the organization would build a fence rather than keep a dog.

“Do they know how packed shelters are?” she speaks. “I mean, the dogs are being cut off on the left and right, because no one will adopt them. You know, dogs that sit in a little crate at the shelter for years, maybe wait. People don’t think about it. They don’t think about the bigger picture.”

Even if the dog is on a leash, that’s what the dog knows.

Photo courtesy of Fences for Fido

“It’s his home,” Kennedy said. “So we wanted to focus on keeping the family together rather than separating them.”

Kennedy emphasized that if there is severe abuse or neglect, they will do what they can to protect the dog.

“We don’t just leave a dog or build a fence and leave only one dog,” she said. “We guarantee that they won’t be in that situation.”

Kennedy said most of the time it is the guardian who contacts the FFF to request a fence. Animal control is regularly carried out and the family has been warned that if they do not take the dog off the leash and fence the dog, they will be fined.

FFF is instrumental in helping Oregon’s 2014 dog leash law through the. The law states that dogs cannot spend more than 10 hours a day on a leash or leash or more than 15 hours a day fixed to a stroller or runner.

Labor of love

Most “construction” is simple so the fence is built quickly, but sometimes it takes more time to process a yard with lots of strawberry bushes or a muddy feature that requires sprinkling of wood chips or straw to keep the dog comfortable.

Volunteers install poles, wire safety fences to the poles, and cut and lay ground wire. Photo provided by FFF

FFF operates on the basis of donations of money, materials, labor and occasional sponsorship. On average, the cost of building a fence is about $800. Volunteers install poles, secure poles, cut and lay ground wires, assemble dog houses, and of course give residents’ or other dogs lots of love.

Let the Zoomies begin

When the fence is complete, the chain will come apart and the zooming begins.

“Almost every dog ​​we’ve ever owned will zoom in and seem to have a big smile on their face,” says Kennedy. “In the videos, you can see the dog walking up to each volunteer, just nudging it on the arm or something. And I just feel like that’s their way of saying thank you.”

“They know you are there to help them, and they feel a sense of freedom, not merely getting off the chain,” she says. “They feel it, they know it. It’s an incredible thing to watch, and it brings me to tears every time. “

Kennedy said dogs often take a minute to realize that they are no longer on a leash.

“Then when they realized they were running in circles and they were marking property and… all these little things that they had dreamed of being done,” she said.

Return the support

In 2018, Mike Rowe and Return the support The Facebook series surprised Fences for Fido, implemented a feature on the organization and made a large donation of toys and supplies.

“It’s amazing that he chose us to do that,” Kennedy said.

Rowe met with volunteers and helped build the fence.

The video has been viewed by more than 3 million people.

“It talked about our organization,” Kennedy said.

FFF offers mentoring services to people who want to start their own unsubgroup and have created Planet without conditions project to further the cause.

Hopefully volunteer groups like Fences for Fido will be available in every major city.

“It would be a dream come true,” Kennedy said.

Editor’s Note: Follow Michigan State University Center for Animal History and Legality“As of 2022, 23 states and the District of Columbia have dog leash/leash laws.”

If you want to work with your state legislators to help strengthen your state’s animal protection laws, see Website of the Animal Legal Defense Fund for resources and actions you can take.

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