The above pictured beagle is not mine, I found it on the Internet.Tying your dog up on a chain, even for a short time is not a good idea. Many people keep their dogs on a chain, because it is a cheap alternative to fencing. I do not think this is good and I will tell you why. My beagle named Gabrielle, when she was still a puppy was kept on a chain on occasion because I was in the process of building a new home and had not put up a fence yet. One day, while at work I got a call from my wife that she had returned from shopping to find Gabrielle unable to move at the end of her chain. She brought her to me in the car and yes, she was paralyzed. She must have run to the end of her chain and violently come to a sudden stop while chasing after the numerous squirrels in our yard. She had broken her neck. We took her to the vet and it was verified that her neck was broken. She would need to be placed in a dog carrier box with a restrictive cone collar for several months. We would feed and water her in the cage and carry her out to due her duties repeatedly throughout the day. This broke my heart, I was devastated to think that my action of placing her on a chain had left her helpless. The good news is Gabrielle did recover almost completely, she adapted to loss of feeling in her front paws and taught herself to extend her paws so she could walk and eventually run. It was a miracle she was able to do that as she had nearly no feeling at the fronts of her front paws. This past year I had to put Gabrielle down as her life was no longer a joy after nearly 13 years. Once again my heart was broken. I will never again put any dog on a chain and I hope you won't either.
