Hobbling a horse and chaining a dog serves the same purpose. It saves the owner money at the expense of the animal`s spirit.
Tell you what - I have some panels for a run including a door. Steel, well made, portable. I would donate them to your friend if she will collect them. Then the dog can come off the chain.

What's hobbling a horse got to do with tethering a dog?

Plenty of horses around this way are tethered when grazing.

Would you chain one of your human family up outside all day, whatever the weather, and please don't anyone dare say "Its only a Dog", it has feelings, and feels boredom and lonliness when just an hour can seem like 10 hrs.
Put yourself in this dogs position, how would you feel left on the end of a chain alone. It doesn't even have any other canine company.
Something like a working collie or sled dog, although I am still not keen, works hard all day with human and other canine contact so comes back mentally and physically exhausted and just wants to rest and sleep, so its not mentally affected living like this. A couple of walks and a little loose time is just not enough as its not mentally or physically stimulated enough so more likely to get tangled up and injured by being chained and you can bet in the winter, or when the weather is exceptionally hot, people don't want to be out there half as much making a fuss of it.
Also if its supposed to be a guard dog, how the heck is it supposed to protect its family stuck on a chain.

How ridiculous, kennels can be very useful for several reasons.

When the dog is really muddy, smelly, bitch in season, if you are decorating, have broken something, need to leave it for x hours so that it has access to toilet facilities.

The existence of a house does not mean that a dog NEVER leaves it or is CONFINED to it 24/7

Thus the existence of a kennel (and run) does not mean that a dog NEVER leaves it or is CONFINED to it 24/7.

Things are rarely black and white IME.

Well many rescues have policies I don't agree with... Such as a well known one not rehoming a neutered dog or cat with an entire in the house...

I won't say "it's only a dog" but it's not a human either... There is a BIG difference...
This dog isn't left chained all day as has been said many a time.

I have just looked at this thread, I thought it was an old one.

I do not have any problems with people keeping dogs outside per se, however I would ask why the dog cannot be secured in a bespoke kennel and run where its security is assured with the bonus of it not being tethered?

Thus achieving the same overall objective but minimising the risk to the dog?

Unless the purpose of it being tethered on a chain is to send a specific message to visitors?

Some rescues have odd policies not homing to flats or homes with no garden etc. Some prefer flats and houses with no garden as it means the dog will not be left outside tethered or in a run. They all have their oddities IMO.

I home check on a regular basis. If I saw a kennel I would query it's purpose. I wouldn't say no outright. If the answers sufficed I would still clear the check. There are not iron clad rules regarding entire animals in the home/having a garden/working all day either. I think some rescues just make their lives so much more difficult!

Hobbling horses does not break their spirit.

In the desert there are not many things to attach horses to, hence why they (in particular) are often hobbled at night.

Usually it is not all of them, just one or two as the rest of the herd stay with the leaders.

That is something I have experienced at first hand.

We must remember that different people have different lifestyles and animal husbandry techniques vary according to various circumstances.

Just because they do not follow what "WE" consider to be best practice in our own environment, does not, ipso facto, equal cruelty or malpractice.


Sometimes we need to remember that our experience is not the ONLY experience or perhaps a WIDE one.

I home check for two rescue organisations and I would never veto a home that had a kennel.

Many of my friends have their dogs in kennels part time eg when they are out working, they are not loved or cared for any less than those who have no kennels.

I would have kennels myself if I did not live on a corner.