Painful talk with friend who keeps dog chained outside

Another dog (not Fido) who spends his life on a chain, howled when I stopped petting him and left

A golden retriever spends his life chained up—winter, summer, spring, and fall—in the parking lot of one of the island of Kefalonia’s biggest rental car companies, operated by the niece of one of my dearest friends.

Around one o’clock in the afternoon today I stopped by to see if the niece—we’ll call her “Maria”—was there so as to give her some grapefruit from our trees. Seeing the dog chained outside, I thought Maria must be in the office working. Maybe she had left the dog out there temporarily to catch some of the week’s rare sunshine.

But she wasn’t there, and neither was anyone else.

The dog—we’ll call him "Fido"—danced happily and showered me with grateful affection. When I left, he howled.

Two hours later, the dog was still there.

Five hours later, at about six-thirty, Fido had been moved to a different chain, with theoretical access to a small plastic dog kennel and a large pan of water.

But he had wrapped the chain so tightly around a nearby column that he couldn’t reach the kennel or the water. He lay shivering in a patch of weeds.

When I unwound the chain, he ran straight to the water and drank for a full minute.

At that hour, the temperature was already 8 degrees Celsius, or 46 Fahrenheit.  Forecasts say tonight’s low will be 5C, or 41F.

“I’m sorry,” I said to Fido. “I’m sorry.”

He may or may not have understood the words, but he definitely understood my touch. He craved it. When I let off petting him he’d duck his head under my palm and make it trail along his body. When I took a step away he’d glue himself to my leg.

“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I’m so sorry.”

His howl followed me as I drove away.

After getting home, I fed our foster dog Kali then immediately looked for Maria’s phone number.

CONVERSATION ABOUT THE CHAINED-UP DOG AT MARIA’S OFFICE (translated from Greek):

First some pleasantries, inquiries about family members, wishing each other a good new year, all with the sound of a small dog barking in the background.

KM: I stopped by the office today to give you some fruit.

MARIA: I’m not there in the winter. It’s mostly closed. There’s only someone there for maybe a couple of hours in the morning.

KM: I hear a little dog barking. Is that yours?

MARIA:  Yes, that’s my dog. When I get on the phone he barks because he wants my attention.

KM: (laughing) Yes, ours do the same. It’s amazing. He lives inside with you?

MARIA: Yes.

KM: Maria, I’m wondering if you know that there’s been a dog chained up all day outside your office?

MARIA:  Yes, I know. That’s our dog. Fido.

KM: Your dog?

MARIA: Yes. That’s where he lives. That’s where we keep him.

KM: Oh, gosh.

MARIA: That’s where he’s always been.

KM: I’m sad to hear that.

MARIA:  Why? He’s fine.

KM: He’s very cold.

MARIA: No. He’s fine. He’s used to it. He’s been there his whole life. Four years.

KM: That’s a hard life, Maria. Especially in this weather. It’s very cold tonight.

MARIA: I know. I know it’s cold.

KM: It’s hard for dogs to endure these extremes in weather.

MARIA:  He’s been there four years. He’s fine. He’s never caught a cold.

KM: I’m glad he’s been healthy. But he’s not comfortable. It’s hard for dogs to go through weather extremes, just as it is for us.

MARIA: Lots of people keep their dogs tied up outside. It's perfectly normal.

KM: I know a lot of people do it. I see it everywhere, not just here in the Greece, but in the U.S. and lots of other countries too. That doesn't make it right.

MARIA: He’s a dog. Wild dogs live outside. They’re made to live outside.

KM: I think wild dogs and wolves are different species from domesticated dogs, canis familiaris. And even if they can survive being in weather extremes, it doesn’t mean that they’re comfortable. It can’t be pleasant for Fido. In fact I think Fido is miserable.  This is torment. We wouldn’t be comfortable out there and I can’t imagine he can be either.

MARIA: He has never caught a cold. He’s not cold. He’s used to it. We asked the vet and the vet said he’s fine because he’s used to it.

KM: If you or I or the vet were to spend the night out there, even wearing heavy coats, I don’t think we’d feel fine.

MARIA: We’re not dogs.

KM: In the U.S., many scientists and companies perform experiments on dogs to test things like new drugs, new medical procedures, the effects of smoking tobacco, and so forth. One reason why they use dogs, as I understand it, is that their physiology is so similar to ours. They are really not that different from us in what they can feel. If something causes us discomfort and pain, it will probably cause that for them too.

MARIA:  Fido likes it out there. He likes being outside.  In the summer when we try to bring him into the office because it’s hot outside, he goes back outside.  My little dog that I have here doesn’t like to stay inside. She often prefers to sit out on the balcony.

KM: I think if Fido had a choice tonight he would want to be indoors where it’s warm, and with you—with his family.

MARIA: My little dog here likes to go outside, then she comes inside when she wants.

KM: I’m so glad you have that dog there inside with you. That’s a wonderful life for her. And it’s great that she has the choice to go outside or stay inside. I wish Fido could have that type of life.

MARIA: My husband goes and moves him from the chain by the office to the chain by the dog kennel. He can go into the kennel if he wants.

KM:  Maria, tonight I found Fido wrapped around a column. He couldn’t move more than five feet. He couldn’t reach the kennel, or the water. When I untangled him, he went to the water and drank for a whole minute. He must have been stuck there for a long time.

MARIA: Sometimes he gets stuck like that but then he figures out how to untangle himself.

KM: I’m hoping you can think about giving Fido the kind of comfortable life that your small dog has.

MARIA: He’s not mine. Fido belongs to someone who works for us.

KM: He’s not yours?

MARIA: The fellow keeps him there.

KM: On your property?

MARIA: He’s the office mascot. In the summer all the tourists stop and pet him.

KM:  But in the winter?  There are no tourists in the winter. And there’s only someone there in the office for a couple of hours in the morning, you said. Fido is alone day and night. And in all kinds of weather.

MARIA: His owner is there for several hours a day at the office.

KM: But you said…

MARIA: His owner loves him. He pets him all the time. He has a little kid, and he brings the kid to visit the dog. They love each other.

KM: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the dog could be at home with his family, that family who loves him so much, and who he loves too with all his heart?

MARIA: He gets lots of love.

KM: Does he ever get off the chain?

MARIA: Oh yes, of course. The fellow lets him off and he goes running through the fields. Sometimes he goes down to the sea for a swim.

KM: He gets this exercise every day?

MARIA: The fellow takes really good care of him.

KM: I wish he could have Fido in his home with him, to spare him the misery of the cold, the rain, the wind…

MARIA: Instead of thinking about dogs outside, we should be thinking about all the homeless people who are out in the cold.

KM:  Yes and of course you’ve heard the whole saga of how back in California my husband and I are taking care of my distant relatives—the elderly aunt and uncle with severe memory impairment who used to live here in Kefalonia. You’ve heard the whole story. They were essentially abandoned. They had no electricity, heating, food. But it’s a flaw, isn’t it?  Caring?  And it just gets worse. If you open your heart to care about animals you care about people too, and vice versa. The same heart that cares about one will care about the other. It’s a pain in the neck, this caring thing.

MARIA: Fido likes the cold. You should see how he loves to get wet. Every morning he jumps into that large pan of water, to bathe himself, to keep himself clean.

KM: He’s missing some spots. After I pet him my hands were dark with dirt from his fur, just like street dogs who’ve never been bathed.

MARIA: That's because during the day he gets dirty again.

KM: I don’t think dogs do a very good job of bathing themselves.

MARIA: This is all your opinion.

KM: That’s true. Yes. My opinion. I thank you for letting me talk with you about it. It’s very kind of you to listen.  I’m hoping, really hoping, that you’ll speak with the fellow who owns Fido, and ask him to take his dog into his home.

MARIA: I’m not going to do that.

KM: It would be such a wonderful thing for Fido. And he’s a very sweet dog. So sweet. Really affectionate. He’d be so happy to live with his family, in their home.

MARIA: It’s none of my business.

KM: Fido lives chained up at your business, on your property.

MARIA: He’s not mine. He’s that fellow’s.

KM: Perhaps you could speak with him, and ask him—

MARIA: He loves the dog. He treats him fine.

KM:  Maybe you could ask him to expand his love for his dog, and improve his care of him, by taking him home where he can be part of his family?

MARIA: He is part of the family. They love him.

KM:  You said the man’s child loves the dog. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could spend their lives side by side?  Dogs will give their lives for their families—especially children. But as it is now they don’t see him very often. He spends most of his life alone. In the cold, rain, wet, whatever the weather. Their love for him must be able to make a spot for him in their home, don’t you think? I’m hoping you’ll speak with him—

MARIA: I don’t get involved in other people’s affairs.

KM: The fellow has made it your affair by keeping his dog chained up outside your office.  A very sad thing. Painful to see.

MARIA: You can’t fix everything. You can’t save the world.

KM:  No. That’s right. We can’t. But there are some things we can change and we can fix. This dog…  you could really help him.

MARIA: I don’t go there in the winter. What goes on has nothing to do with me.

KM:  He’s such a sweet animal. Really loving. You could make his life so much better.

MARIA: Dogs live outside.

KM: Your little dog must be very happy to live with you inside. Fido could be happy too.

MARIA: He’s so big. I’m afraid of big dogs.

KM: I’ve never met a sweeter dog. Really nice animal.

MARIA:  Of course he is.  The fellow bought him, paid a lot of money for him.

KM:  It’s hard for me to understand why he went out of his way to get this dog, to buy him, then just leaves him abandoned out there.

MARIA: He’s not abandoned.

KM:  Are you hoping he’ll protect the property? Is he supposed to be guarding the office? Because he’s sure not doing that. He’s very friendly. He only barked when I left, because he wanted me to stay so he wouldn’t be alone. Being alone is very hard for a dog.

MARIA: No. He’s not a guard dog. That’s just where the fellow wants to keep him.

KM:  It’s really hard for a dog to spend his life alone. They aren’t made for that. They are bred to love us. They want to be with us. They want to belong. They love being part of a family. This is torment for him. It’s like punishing him. What did he do to deserve this?

MARIA: [Silence]

KM:  Maybe the fellow doesn’t want Fido anymore? Maybe he was too much trouble to have at home, and it’s easier just to chain him up out there?  Would he like a new home for the dog?

MARIA:  No. He wants him.

KM:  I wish I could understand why he wants to have an animal chained up outside in all kinds of weather, day and night, not even on his own property, but at his employer’s office. What good is that? Why does he want the dog at all?

MARIA: It’s none of my business.

KM: Sadly, it makes your business—your beautiful car rental company—look like it’s run by hicks. That type of thinking—that it’s OK to leave dogs chained up like that, in freezing cold, and in blistering heat, and in rain, and in wind—that type of thinking is for hicks, Maria.

MARIA: [Silence]

KM: I’m sad to see this situation making your company look like it’s run by backwoods, unsophisticated folks who don’t know any better.

MARIA: [Silence]

KM: This custom of leaving dogs chained up outside belongs to the old days—to our grandparents’ generation. It’s not for us. We’ve come beyond that. This situation is making your business look terrible.

MARIA: [Silence]

KM: I’m hoping you’ll think about this? I’d be so grateful, and I know Fido would, too.

MARIA: [Silence]

KM: Thank you for listening. You’ve been very kind to let me take your time, and let me express my feelings.  My heart breaks to see that dog in such misery in front of a lovely business owned by wonderful people like your family. I very much appreciate you letting me talk with you about it.

MARIA: You’re welcome.

A few more pleasantries, and the conversation ends.

Echoing howl

It’s six hours later now, six hours deeper into this cold night. Tonight will be followed by another frigid night just like it, and then night after night for months throughout this island’s harsh winter.

I take Kali into the yard so she can relieve herself. The stars overhead seem to have sharp edges, like bits of broken ice. My teeth chatter in spite of five layers of shirts and sweaters, the jacket over it all, and the cap.  Kali foregoes her usual nighttime rat-flushing exploits and waits for me at the door, eager to get back inside to some warmth.

When I go back to typing, she hops up onto the sofa a few feet away from me and settles in for another snooze. I’m grateful—deeply grateful—that I was able to pluck her off the streets and out of the jaws of winter. But there are so many more—countless more Kalis—still out there.

Fido’s howl echoes in my head.