Terri Nelson-Bunge will spend her Independence Day fighting for the independence of man's best friend.
Nelson-Bunge, of State College, a local coordinator for the nationwide protest known as a Chain-Off, will join other activists from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday to protest the practice of tying up dogs.
Nelson-Bunge and her fellow activists will be tied to a doghouse in front of Hi-Way Pizza, 1688 N. Atherton St., both days -- a small price to pay to highlight the issue, she said. Once, the same doghouse was connected to a chained dog instead of chained humans.
"It just shows people how cruel and inhumane it is," she said. "When you don't see something visual you can kind of just forget it."
Founded in 2002 by Tammy Sneath Grimes, also of State College, Chain-Off morphed from a one-woman protest to an event spanning 36 states with more than 100 people during last year's Chain-Off, according to the Dogs Deserve Better Web site, dogsdeservebetter.org.
Nelson-Bunge first got involved in the Chain-Off when she met Grimes at another animal event and heard about the organization's unusual protest, she said.
A self-proclaimed animal lover who has two cats, Nelson-Bunge said she wanted to bring attention to the practice of dog chaining.
"The chained dog issue gets lost," she said. "There's a lot of other animal groups focusing on other things."
An estimated 6 million dogs are chained for all or most of their lives, depriving them of interaction and proper care and possibly causing them to grow aggressive, according to a press release from Dogs Deserve Better.
Pennsylvania is among eight states lobbying for laws to limit the tethering of dogs, according to dogsdeservebetter.org. Texas, California and Maryland have each passed such laws.
The organization chose the site by Hi-Way Pizza because it is a high-traffic area with good visibility from North Atherton Street, Nelson-Bunge said. Prior approval has already been obtained from the property owner, she said.
The festivities and educational outreach, which often draw many four-legged visitors, has been well received in the past, she added.
"There's a lot of cat and dog lovers in the community," she said. "Most people totally support us."
