Fort Worth Bans the Chaining of Dogs

[The Straight Story]

Fort Worth Bans the Chaining of Dogs

In 2007, Texas House Bill 1411 was passed making it a misdemeanor to chain a dog overnight, in extreme weather, or for more than three consecutive hours. That is a start. Now, the City Council of Fort Worth has improved on that law and has banned chaining dogs in front and back yards, period.

The cost to anyone violating this law is a $500 fine for the first offense. If that does not get the message through, the law breaker will face a possible stay in jail, which may actually be better conditions that they left their pet in. The fines can go from $500 up to as much as $2,000.

Education is key. Some people just don't get the cruelty aspect of their behavior towards pets and some, the worst kind, just don't care. As Ghandi pointed out "you judge the morality of a country by the way they treat their animals." For people who have pets but lack a conscious, and/or awareness, the law is there to guide them to do the right thing. In a 20-year study done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, it documented that tethering a dog brings out and increases aggressive behavior in animals. Dogs that are chained are almost three times more likely to bite people, according to this study. Cruelty aside, those facts should be reason enough not to chain a dog.

http://santaclarita.injuryboard.com/dog-bites/fort-worth-bans-the-chaining-of-dogs.php?googleid=15109

[Lex1775]

1. Wait...

It is now illegal to tie up a dog in a front or backyard in Ft. Worth?

[murielm99]

2. We bring our dog outside with us when we are

working in the yard. She is chained then, in a shady place where she can see us. If we leave her inside, she runs from window to window and barks. We can't let her run loose while we are working in the yard, because she might get hit by a car.

Other than that, I would never tie a dog outside and leave it there. Why have a dog if you are going to do that to it?

[LeftyMom]

3. California has had a similar law since January 1, 2007.

So far as I know, the sky hasn't fallen. But it makes life a little easier for animal control officers trying to deal with neglect cases where there's no active abuse, and with backyard breeders, who tend to be some of the worst abusers of chaining. And for the dogs.

[cynatnite]

4. My aunt and uncle chain their dog outside....

He's a big dog so they have a couple of places for him. They're in Texas so the weather is a consideration, too. In the heat, he's under the oak with his dog house. During the winter he's got a spot near the barn where he stays warm. There's another one, but I can't remember where it is.

They don't keep him chained all the time. He needs to run so he goes out when my uncle's checking cattle and when he goes fishing. He's about ten years old now.

He can't be in the house. He's too big and they worry he might take off after the parrot. They worry about visitors, too. He's a barker and he's like a bear. Looks like a german shepard, but his fir is dark brown. He looks mean, but he's not and most folks would think he is if they don't know him.

It's for the best that he's chained up. He's still a good dog and is well taken care of.

[JCMach1]

6. Exactly... there are good and bad ways to chain

Just wait until the animal rights nutcases (not to be confused with good animal rights people) try to push other nifty stuff like leashing cats...

As with the smoking issue, these things can be pushed too far.

[DCKit]

5. People are just going to start buying wider lots. n/t

[orleans]

7. i would think that chaining a dog would make it more aggressive

(so i do not doubt the study)

what kills me is when, on freezing winter nights--with my doors and windows closed, i hear the sad cry/howl of a neighborhood dog.

i can't tell you how many times i have called the police. i was never certain where the dog howl was coming from (which yard) but last summer one family moved and i haven't heard the howling dog at all this winter. so i guess i finally know who it was.

last winter the police came out, i could see their flashlights in the backyards, but the dog was quiet when the cops were there. i had to call them back a second (maybe even a third time--i forget) that night.

they pursued this based on a noise ordinance, but i didn't care about the noise. i felt so bad for the dog. it was freezing outside

[RebelOne]

8. Cherokee County, Georgia, where I live, just recently

passed an ordinance banning chaining or tying dogs outside. There is a two-hour limit per day on leaving dogs tied up outside. I was so happy to hear that because my next-door neighbor would leave her dog chained outside 24/7 no matter what the weather.