Awe, that's pretty sad. My game bred APBT spends a lot of her time on a secure chain, but she also has toys, a huge chainspot, and a heated dog house(it barely even snows where I live though). She still goes for runs and hikes with me frequently, but the chain is for her safety as she's dog aggressive and fully capable of hurting other dogs and some of my neighbor's let their dogs roam. And she's way too wild for in the house, even after a long run.
Some dogs can do well on chains, some do horrible. I don't agree on anti chaining laws, but the dog should still get off of it sometimes and get more exercise.