People imprisoned during war, for example, often carry small, easy-to-hide mementos with them...a photo of a loved one, a locket, a pebble, a ticket stub...anything with special meaning to them. Just try to take it away from them and you'd have a serious fight on your hands. Back home, though, they might give you the photo if you wanted it, because they either have another one or can easily get one. Not so when it's all they have.

It appears this concept applies as well to animals.

The most dangerous dog is the one that is always on a chain or in a kennel. His world consists only of the ground he can access, which may be as small as a few square feet. The smaller it is, the greater the need to guard it. It's all he has.

In shelters where the animals are caged, they often become extremely attached to their cages. It is their world. The more territorial they are, which happens the longer they are in there, the more protective they may become. This can lead to dangerous situations. For example, cleaning staff may be at risk of attack from a cage occupant, and so protective devices have been invented to prevent injury.

Careless people who have fallen into animal enclosures at zoos (the "lion's den"), have sometimes been mauled, even fatally, because there is nowhere for the animal to go...their territory is too small. The lion or ape, for example, regards the intruder as a threat to its life.

And so it is with any dog -- the breed or size doesn't really matter -- if it is tied up and ignored in the back yard, it is extremely dangerous to assume the dog is safe because he's restrained, and then allow anyone, especially children, to get close.

More kids have been hurt and killed by dogs on chains. Loose dogs may not be "safe" either, but they often exercise their option to run the other way. Chained dogs don't have that option.

When we switched to an "open" shelter model with no cages, the animals relaxed and were much easier to handle. They became more social and were easier to adopt out.

It should be obvious, then, that freedom to live naturally is everything -- to us, to animals, to all living beings. Ignore or deny this at your peril, although it's usually the animal that is killed over this misunderstanding.