This won’t come as a surprise to many parents, but a study found that by mid-August each year, kids reach “peak boredom.” Fortunately, a new school year has started in most parts of the country (or soon will). And most kids have plenty of options for passing the time in the summer — from running through the sprinklers to gaming online.

Envision what would happen, though, if a child were forced to spend all summer locked in an empty room, with no one to talk to and nothing to do. Someone delivers food and water once a day — usually — but doesn’t look at them, talk to them or touch them. Desperate for attention, the child bangs on the door, paces and bites their nails. As the days drag on, they grow increasingly fearful, angry and depressed.

Across the U.S., vulnerable individuals are subjected to far worse neglect and confinement by the guardians they depend on, and who face no consequences for their cruelty: dogs chained outdoors 24/7.

For these forgotten animals, the start of a new school year brings no relief. The only things that ever change are the seasons: Summer’s unbearable heat turns to winter’s bone-chilling cold. They exist — it can’t be called “living” — in a state of soul-crushing despair. It’s not legal to keep children confined in isolation; the same should apply to dogs.

Dogs are social pack animals who need and deserve to be cherished family members, but those who are chained are almost always denied affection and socialization. As a result, they often become anxious, despondent or aggressive. They may bark continuously, walk in circles or lick or bite themselves excessively out of frustration. The longer they’re alone, the worse these behaviors can become.

Out of sight, out of mind, some of these dogs starve to death because their owners forget — or can’t be bothered — to feed them. If they do have food and water, it often gets moldy in the summer or freezes in the winter. Chains can become caught on and overturn food and water bowls, and days may pass before anyone notices. Imagine sitting in the hot sun with nothing in your water bowl but dust.

Many don’t survive their constant exposure to weather extremes. If they have shade or shelter at all — many do not — their chains often become tangled, making it impossible for them to get out of the blistering sun or the biting cold or to reach their food and water. In North Carolina, PETA’s fieldworkers found a dog named Thor dead — still attached to the heavy, twisted chain that imprisoned him — because he couldn’t reach food, water or shelter.

Eighty dogs and other companion animals have already reportedly perished from heat-related causes this year, and those are just the deaths that have been documented. Most aren’t. As summer turns to winter, many others will freeze to death.

Chained dogs are usually denied all veterinary care and grooming, and many of them suffer from untreated infections and injuries. Sometimes they’re attacked by roaming animals or cruel people. Intestinal parasites, heartworm disease and mange plague them. Chained or penned dogs are frequently confined to the same spot for life — forced to eat and sleep where they urinate and defecate. And exercise? Forget about it.

This severe neglect causes many chained dogs to become territorial, defensive and a public safety risk, especially to children who wander onto their patch of dirt. A study partly authored by two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physicians found that chained dogs were nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs who were not tethered.

Many communities have outlawed tethering. If yours isn’t one of them, please contact your local and state representatives and encourage them to ban this cruel practice. And if you’re concerned about a specific dog in your neighborhood, call the police. Even if tethering is legal where you live, neglect isn’t.

Every animal is someone. Dogs, like children, need nourishing food, clean water, medical care and exercise. They deserve love, affection, compassion and respect. Anything less should be criminalized.

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Melissa Rae Sanger is a licensed veterinary technician and a staff writer for the PETA Foundation, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.

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