Durham County approves pet-tethering ban

[The Straight Story]

Durham County approves pet-tethering ban

Posted: Sep. 8 11:51 p.m.

Durham, N.C. — Durham County commissioners voted four to one in favor of a pet-tethering ban Monday evening.

Under the ban, chaining a dog outside is considered animal abuse in most cases. Exceptions to the proposed law include veterinarians who are treating an animal and those training hunting and police dogs.

Violators who leave dogs unattended will face fines and could lose their animals if they can't find another way to contain them.

Last week, nearly 150 residents attended a public hearing on the law, the majority appearing to favor outlawing pet-tethering.

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/3509377/

[tazkcmo]

1. Super Duper Dog Lover

I'd rather talk to a dog than a human. My dog is my best friend and goes every where with me. This law is BS. Under this law I would be a criminal as I have chained a few of my dogs outside while I was away for whatever reason. I took care to place them in an area wher they had plenty of shade all the time, no obstacles to wrap themselves around and a plentiful water supply that won't get knocked over. This law punishes the majority of people who are responsible dog lovers because the neglect of poor dog OWNERS. I don't OWN my dogs, we have a relationship. My opinion.


edited to add: Every morning me and my dog walk to the the store for a cup of coffee and I tether him to a small tree outside. He lays down and waits for me. Guess I'm a cruel bastard after all.

[hughee99]

2. I agree...

"Last week, nearly 150 residents attended a public hearing on the law, the majority appearing to favor outlawing pet-tethering."
I wonder how many of the 150 residents were actually dog owners, and how many just thought it "sounded good".


"Violators who leave dogs unattended will face fines and could lose their animals if they can't find another way to contain them."
So what exactly are the options? You can fence in your yard (if practical), tether the dog, or keep your dog in the house. If you're the sort of person who would abuse your dog, ANY of these options are ripe for abuse. If you are the sort of person who takes good care of your dog, ANY of these things can be done safely. Tethering isn't the problem.


"The law can to be after a two-year study found a majority of animal cruelty complaints were related to improper tethering."
This seems idiotic, while a majority of animal cruelty complaints may have been related to "improper tethering", a vast majority of tethering doesn't result in animal cruelty complaints. Abusive people will just find new ways to be abusive, and responsible people (and dogs) will be punished.



Personally, I have a dog (a beagle), and I tether him with a setup similar to yours with shade, no obstacles and water. He'd much prefer to be outside than inside. It would be a shame to think that someone could prevent me from doing this so that some asshole will put his big dog in a 3x3 cage so he's not violating the tether law.

[Lex]

3. If everyone were as responsible as you, there'd be no need for the ordinance.

But most are not.

The research found that most people who are calling in to report pet abuse (dogs seen without food or water, dogs left for days without care, dogs barking all night) are reporting about dogs who have been chained to a tree.

When a significant number of people are irresponsible, it screws it up for everyone else, that's true.

[lukasahero]

5. Hyperbole: obvious and intentional exaggeration.

"The coalition wants Orange County to severely restrict the dog-tethering portion of its animal control ordinance to allow no more than three hours in a 24-hour period.

The amendment drawn up county staff also would specify types of collars and equipment that could be used, minimum kennel sizes, certain exemptions and an 18-month educational period after enactment.

As presented Tuesday night, the ordinance would take effect in June 2009 and would have violators issued only warnings for one year as an educational effort. Penalties would not start until 2010."
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2986674/

This is what they are trying to address:

"Shadow had deep lacerations from a chain that grew into her neck. The dog's owner left her tied to a pole, with heavy chain, for too long."
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/146233/

"Diesel is a beautiful 7 year old yellow male lab... he was owned by a couple who left him tied outside with little food and water. Diesel lost several pounds at the hands of his owners due to neglect and cruelty. One day a police officer came to arrest his owners on drug related charges and took them to jail. A kind female officer who loves animals (especially labs) saw Diesel and his son tied outside in the backyard with their chains twisted so tight they could not move much less get to the little bit of water they had."
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=10813974

[RebelOne]

4. That ban has been passed where I live in

Cherokee County, Georgia. Dogs may only be tied outside for a maximum of 2 hours a day. My next door neighbor ties her little dog outside 24/7. I am thinking about reporting her to animal control.