The Board of Commissioners in Orange County, North Carolina, are considering a proposal to make dog tethering illegal.

The News & Observer, a local newspaper, reports that an ordinance is likely to be adopted, making exceptions in few cases...

The advisory board's recommendation includes an exemption for certain activities, including hunting, for up to seven days. It also would allow for tethering a dog for up to three hours a day, which advisory board chairwoman Kris Bergstrand called a compromise position.

There's no need for an anti-dog tethering law, because states already have laws against animal cruelty. County and City animal control departments simply need to enforce these animal cruelty laws by identifying dogs that are suffering injury or illness from tethering.

The problem starts with "ideology". That is, animal rights activists have a fundamental belief that any kind of tethering is "inhumane". Even if a tethered dog is sitting happily with food and water, they don't care. They just want to make everyone do as they say.

Unfortunately, they've raised the "public safety" card in a day and age where pitbull attacks are all over the news channels. Lawmakers are buying it because they're out of ideas on how to curb dog attacks.

Does anyone reading this think that by banning dog tethering, the number of dog attacks will come down?

Labels: Dog Tethering, North Carolina Dog Laws

The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that the Irving City Council approved an ordinance that bans the tethering of a dog, while unattended. The law seems to emphasize unattended tethering, suggesting that attended tethering is ok.

According to the Dallas Morning News...

Irving's ordinance goes beyond a state law that went into effect in September that limits the time dog owners can tether their pets to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

The report goes on to say that this law is "aligned with a growing national movement of dog lovers and lawmakers who believe tethering dogs can make them more aggressive".

I've stated before on this blog, that tethering alone, is not what makes dogs more aggressive. It's the lack of socialization.

That is, dogs that are tethered and left alone for several hours, or even days, will become defensive and dangerous if approached. But if the owner socialized the dog, the dog would remain calm, even while tethered. A tethered dog can be a calm dog if socialized.

This is ideology turning into law. There is a perception that tethering a dog is tantamount to suffering. Tethering alone hasn't caused any form suffering. It was the lack of food and water, lack of dry bedding, a collar too tight, lack of veterinary care, that created the suffering.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Labels: Dog Tethering, Texas Dog Laws