DURHAM -- When the 40 volunteers arrived on Fern Street on Friday morning, Princess was tied up behind her owner's duplex.
A chain held together with a padlock rubbed the neck of the 8-month-old tan-and-white pit bull as she greeted volunteers from across the state with rapid wags and licks.
The Durham-based Coalition to Unchain Dogs kicked off its first "fence-a-thon," an effort to built 40 fences for about 50 dogs by Sunday. The effort is meant to help dog owners who don't have the money to build a fence but could face fines and a misdemeanor charge in Durham County after July 1 if they leave their tied-up dog unattended.
For owner Christina Lyons, Princess is her companion, protector and something she can nurture now that her children are grown.
"She keeps me active," said the 57-year-old self-described housewife. "I get to take care of her."
Lyons, who rents half the duplex, said she and her husband can't afford a fence or the fines that could follow if they continued to chain the dog when they run errands.
John McQueen lives in the other half of the duplex. After a friend gave him a Labrador mix puppy last year, he said his landlord balked at his request for a fence for Jumper, who apparently enjoys chewing on shoes and the bed post.
"He's just a puppy," said McQueen, 65, who is disabled. A neighbor across the street, however, told him about the coalition.
Husband-and-wife team Amanda and Casey Arrington of Durham founded the coalition after Amanda volunteered for a community spay-neuter outreach program and grew concerned about the large number of dogs she saw tied up in poor neighborhoods, she said.
Since 2007, the coalition has built free fences for more than 650 dogs and advocated for dogs living chained outdoors; other chapters have been established across the state.
On Friday volunteers from Chatham County, Durham, Raleigh, Charlotte and other areas pushed, lifted and pulled a gray Volvo station wagon out of the backyard to clear room for Princess and Jumper's divided fence.
"They are saving so many animals' lives," said Shafonda Price, Animal Protection Society of Durham shelter manager. All owners who receive a fence must get their pet sterilized.
Volunteer Stacey Havens of Charlotte said the fences let the dogs romp and relax, and protect them from taunting children or roaming wildlife.
"It is a miserable life to be attached to a chain," said Havens, 30.
After about two hours, Princess' side was complete. The volunteers gathered around the 6 1/2 foot fence for the moment they said drives their commitment: the unchaining.
What, no chain?
The dogs' reactions vary, said Kerry Kreisler, 37, of Raleigh, and Nicole Hensley, 40, of Durham. Some dogs seem to take a few minutes to realize they're no longer chained. Blackjack, a blind, white-eyed aging black Labrador sniffed the entire fence perimeter area when he got his fenced-in area about a month ago. Then he started playing with his companion Sparky.
Princess chased a stuffed yellow duck, wagged her tail, and pranced up and down along the fence as volunteers called to her.
"It is just an amazing thing," Havens said. "And from that point on, they have a new life."
