The Tree Dogs

Sometimes even a couple of months notice cannot be enough time to emotionally prepare yourself for some conditions when arriving on a property to build fences for chained dogs. Such is the case with the "tree dogs". The fence was to be built for nine dogs on this day. Three of which were tucked away in the woods and lived their lives chained to large trees. The visual after the short hike into the woods immediately took my breath away. Two of the three sweet dogs were seniors and the third a young fella. I had not seen anything like it and hope I never do again. After four hours we were able to put up a fence large enough for all of the dogs to live together. It takes mental discipline to not hand down judgement and to focus on our primary goal of providing a fence while eliminating chains. To date, I do not think anybody knows the purpose of of chaining these dogs away in the woods and I don't think we ever will. Personally, it was an honor to be a part of this build and it will probably stay with me forever.

Vancouver, Washington

2012