“Because life on the end of a chain is no life at all”

Freedom for Friends, a group of animal-loving people whose mission is to better the lives of chained dogs, is proud to announce freedom for the area’s 50th dog.

Freedom for Friends is a wholly volunteer organization that pays to spay/neuter and vaccinate a chained dog and then build a fenced enclosure so that the animal never spends another day on a chain. There are about 20 steady volunteers, but all are welcome to join in a fence build. Most builds take two to three hours to complete, and occur on Saturdays.

The approximate costs paid by Freedom for Friends include $150 for vaccinations, $500 for fencing materials and transportation to and from the veterinarians, along with new food or water bowls if needed, a toy and bedding. This money comes solely from contributions from individuals and local businesses, along with an annual fundraiser.

The animal owners agree to a few requirements including, all dogs on the property must be spayed/neutered, any new dogs must be spayed/neutered and the use of chains is banned. There are occasional checks on the animals and their fences to insure that the requirements are being followed.

Freedom for Friends welcomes tax-deductible donations to: P.O. Box 2992, Washington, NC 27889.

There are currently 14 dogs on the application list waiting to be set free.