The 2009 report from the National Canine Research Council is well worth the read for any pet owners, dog trainers or organizations rallying the call to 'bring dogs into our homes"
The report tool a long time to get out because w"e believe that our mission of preserving the human-canine bond obligates us to be as accurate about these emotionally charged incidents as we can, so that they are calmly, correctly and, therefore, usefully understood. Accuracy takes time (NCRC 2010).
The overwhelming majority of these isolated tragedies 22 out of 31 involved resident dogs, not family pets Owners maintain the dogs we call resident dogs exclusively outside of regular human interaction: on a chain, in a kennel, in an isolated portion of the home such as a basement or garage, or in the yard. Some owners acquire the dogs for negative purposes, such as guarding, intimidation, protection, fighting, or negligent breeding. These owners only rarely permit the dogs to associate with people and other animals in positive, humane ways. Resident dogs cannot be expected to exhibit the same behaviors and level of sociability as family dogs afforded the opportunity to learn appropriate behaviors through positive and humane interaction with people on a regular basis. In 8 of the 22 cases of resident dogs, the owners had permanently isolated the dogs on chains.
We urge you to read the full report.
Owner cruelty and criminality
In 6 of the 31 cases, an owner and/or owner-parent was charged with a crime. In 6 of the 31 cases, the owners had continuously subjected their dogs to serious abuse and neglect: keeping their dogs in frigid conditions with no shelter, allowing their dogs to become infested with parasites, or starving their dogs. One owner had chained his dog to a tree with a prong collar. There were no criminal charges filed in connection with these six cases. (Page 3)