An unlikely group of women is coming together to helps dogs in Georgia.
Off the Chain USA builds fences for dogs who live tied to a chain... and they do it all free of charge!
Kaitlyn Ross spoke to the group for her digital project, K9Kait, about their incredible program.
It started with a group of women sitting a table and talking about a dog on a chain that lived down the street.
They felt so bad for the pup and thought, "You know what, we can do something about this."
So they got the supplies together and got building.
"He's a hot mess. We love Bobo. Him and his little picnic table," Connie Wofford, an Off the Chain USA board member, said.
They built a fence for Bobo in 2018.
"Bobo is just wonderful now. He's just so sweet," she said.
Before then, Bobo had lived on a chain in the backyard his entire life.
"He's an old dog and I didn't think it was bothering him to me," Bobo's owner said. "But I guess it was, so we got it built for us."
She said she never thought about it until Off the Chain offered to build a fence in their backyard - for free.
"We was so proud, you wouldn't believe," she said. "We shook everyone's hand that day."
That's not always the response they get. Sometimes neighbors or animal control call the group, and they just go up to the door and knock. They never know how the families will respond.
"The response is varied, haha. Some people say get off my property and we respect that," Wofford said. "Sometimes we'll leave a bag of food anyway."
Women build fences to get dogs off chains
But, for the people they can help, it makes a huge difference.
"We had one dog who had been on a chain, I mean a heavy chain, for 10 years," she said. "Big dog. Very aggressive. Couldn't go near him."
They put a fence up for that dog that day.
"He wouldn't even go in. When he did go in, he would slink. Because he was waiting for the weight of the chain to drop, which is sickening," she said. "So, once he did get in there, he sees a toy, and instantaneously, everyone says aww."
She said the change in these dogs is immediate.
"There wasn't a dry eye in the house. And there's 50-60 year old men, sitting there crying," Wofford said. "Because this dog is now off his chain."
They only started the group in 2018 and have already built 38 fences, getting 61 dogs off chains.
"We've got it down to a science. It takes an hour to build a fence now," she said. "So it's amazing. And it takes an hour. And we are talking 90 percent women. Over the age of 30."
They also give the families straw and dog food free of charge. And they do it all without judgment.
She said they don't know the circumstances of the people they're helping - they just want to make life better for the dogs.
"These people are doing the best they can. They really are. They're asking us for help. They're accepting our help," she said.
And they accept suggestions on Facebook - you can find them at Off the Chain USA. Their ultimate goal is to get anti-tethering laws in place for all of Georgia.
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