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HARRISBURG — Inside her right arm, she wears the words "Dog Warrior" tattooed beneath the likeness of a sword-wielding woman.

Instead of a sword, Tamira Thayne's weapon of choice is a chain she wears around her neck. She is tethered to a dog box as she stands watch on the steps of the state Capitol. Her purpose is to call attention to the plight of dogs chained to boxes and urge lawmakers to approve Senate Bill 1435 in the 10 remaining legislative days before the 2009-10 session effectively ends in late October.

Since her protest began Aug. 2, Thayne wears the chain like a crude necklace. She sits in the sun and occasional downpours hoping that Pennsylvania will become the 14th state to limit or ban dog tethering.

The state House returns from summer recess Monday, and the Senate comes back Sept. 20.

The bill Thayne pushes would ban tethering from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and when the temperature exceeds 90 degrees or drops below freezing. Under the bill, any tether must be at least 6 feet long or five times the length of the dog, whichever is longer.

The tether must be "a type commonly used for the size of the dog involved." Tow chains would be banned.

The legislation would prevent the type of abuse inflicted on Stitch, a 20-pound spitz who was tethered with a 30-pound chain, Thayne said. Stitch is one of the dogs she is making available for adoption.

Sen. Michael Brubaker, R-Lancaster, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, where the bill resides, has questions about it.

"I do not think tethering itself is harmful," said Brubaker. "It's all about the conditions."

Brubaker said he will "do an informal polling of committee members" to gauge interest in a committee vote. "If a majority of members of the committee want me to move (the bill), I'll move it," the senator said.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin County, said his intent is "not to hammer people over the head" with a law. The legislation establishes "reasonable, common-sense parameters," he said.

Thayne, meanwhile, said she fasts during the week out of sympathy for underfed dogs tied to boxes, but she eats on weekends "so I don't starve to death."

This week, she also decided not to speak in an effort to get others to speak out for dogs. She answered questions for this story by writing on a notepad or nodding yes or no. Her friend, Stacey Romberger, helped convey answers.

Thayne worked as a graphics designer before founding a group called Dogs Deserve Better.

"A big part of my purpose here is to inspire you all to take action on behalf of chained dogs," she wrote on her blog. "So please, please contact your representatives and contact them again; don't stop."

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