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Dogs are getting a new kind of protection in Raleigh.
Starting Wednesday, July 1st, a new ordinance will ban keeping dogs tied up outside for hours on end.
Violators will be fined $100 dollars a day.
They new rule brings Raleigh into line with a number of other areas, including Orange County, which have previously banned the unattended restraint of dogs.
“It’s a very progressive move for dogs,” said Hope Hancock, the Executive Director of the SPCA Of Wake County. “They are social animals.”
No where is that more evident than at Raleigh’s Millbrook dog park.
The place is filled with the kind of people who would never think of tethering their dogs all day.
“To be tied up is terrible,” said dog owner Barbara Sales. “We want our dogs to be as free as possible.”
Come July 1st that’s pretty much what Raleigh will require.
Under the ordinance, dogs may not be tethered for more than three hours in any 24-hour period.
But some dog owners think even that’s too much.
“I think two to three hours is too long,” declared dog owner Lucy Shores. “Dogs don’t need to be tethered, especially in this heat.”
The SPCA of Wake County says long term tethering also creates dogs with problems.
“You could have a myriad of behavior issues like anti-social aspects. Plus it’s no way for a dog to live,” said the SPCA’s Hancock.
And some dog owners say tethering creates more worries than it solves.
“If you leave your dog all tied up, you don’t know what’s going to happen to it. It could get loose. It could get attacked by other dogs or an animal,” said dog owner Tom Fairweather.
For its part, the SPCA of Wake County says it intends to be very aggressive in educating people about the tethering issue in the coming weeks.
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Comments
By Karen on 07/04 11:19 PM
I think the concern, and creation of this law, is for the people who don't tether outside responsibly. I see the same dogs every day, tied up in the same spots, in the sun, rain, snow, hail, etc without a decent dog house or shelter and it breaks my heart. THOSE are the people this law is going to go after. Not people who put their dog out a couple time a day for a few hours. It's for the idiots who get a dog, tie it up and leave it there to rot for the next 10 years while throwing it some food now and then. What's the point of getting a dog?
By kristin on 07/04 04:18 PM
a dog confined to it’s owners property is not roaming the streets. there are some dogs that cannot be fenced in, (jumpers, climbers, diggers) and in these days of growing concern over dog bites, i just cannot fathom why city officials would vote to take away a proven method of restraining a dog. not all dogs are full time indoor dogs, and a dog can be kept outdoors responsibly, or neglected outdoors, regardless of whether it’s in a kennel, or on a tether. off to go re-read my copy of 1984…
By Gary on 07/03 07:26 AM
Confused: It's not a 'one track mind" it's mind that realizes that we should concern ourselves with the health and welfare and safety of PEOPLE before our resources "go to the dogs". Why is it that, if a person neglected a family member's health welfare and safety in favor of the family dog we'd get upset. No one would think it is cool for you to throw grandma out in the street, take away her access to health care, not feed her, and leave her stranded and broke in the worst neighborhood in town to fend for herself....while lavishing love, care and atention to her poodle. But, when we do it as a society, all of a sudden it's OK right? Why such negativity at the comoon-sense concept of "people first"? I have absolutely nothing against dogs, but I really dont see the logic in the city of Raleigh mandaing tether ordinances, and, from a while back, ordinances requirin dog HOUSES (no more 55 gal drums, etc), or any other animal-care ordinance when you have thousands of men, women and children in the Raligh area that dont have a home! Lets take care of the humans first! PEOPLE FIRST, folks!
By Confused on 07/02 10:16 PM
Well, you seem pretty one-track minded yourself Gary. Pretty focused on homeless when the subject is animal welfare. Maybe you should take your own advice.
By aerie on 07/01 06:33 PM
Gary, I don't know about your small mind, but mine is big enough to care about animals AND the homeless. I know a black and white world is easier for narrow minds like yours, but the rest of us can deal with it. It's ok tho, I know it's hard for you to hold 2 separate thoughts at one time.
By Karen on 07/01 12:36 PM
Why is it that when they pass a law to help animals or do something else to end poor treatment, you get someone who comes out and says "Don't the politicians have anything better to do than spend their time worrying about animals?" or as Gary said "Or do we think more of our dogs than of our fellow human beings?" Why do some people feel that because we do things to help animals, that means we must not be helping people as well? I'm with "Confused"...I'd much rather give my voice - or most of it - to those who can't speak for themselves or rely on us for their care and well being. For me, that's animals, children and the elderly.
By Confused on 07/01 07:13 AM
Wow, i'm really glad about this one. I see too many people having their dogs tied up for days in this horrible heat. And as far as the comment made below about the homeless people.. I think humans have more than enough programs to help them, all they have to do is find them. Most of the people I've seen around here that are homeless generally still can gather up the $15 to get a begging permit rather than spending that on something useful anyways. You can't help everyone, but dogs have only us as a voice, and I would much rather speak for someone that has no voice than someone that chooses to not use it.
By Jamesw2 on 07/01 07:06 AM
Could you provide a link to the ordinance so I can send it to our city gov. as a template?
By Gary on 07/01 03:47 AM
Wow. Such concern for 4-footed critters, when raleigh could pass a few ordinances to help th homeless PEOPLE......why not an odinance or two that requires a bed, food and shelter be provided for every hoomeless HUMAN? Or do we think more of our dogs than of our fellow human beings?
By Sue on 06/30 11:41 PM
I don't agree with tethering; however, I think that some people will confuse tethering with having their dog on a leash. I have a house dog and when we go outside, she is put on a walking leash, unless we are in our own yard and I am supervising her. I’ve had repeat problems with people allowing their dogs to run free in everyone else's yards. My child was constantly harassed by a neighbor’s dog while swinging on her swing set in her own yard. Once, the same dog chased us into our home. We fought to get this dog out of our house for 15 minutes, while its owners remained in the comfort of their home watching TV. When animal control and the police were called, the dog’s owners got angry with me and became belligerent with me and my child 5 year old. Every time we went outside to our own backyard we had to deal with these nuts cursing at us and being rude. Not to mention the fact that their dog eventually got my dog pregnant while she was on a leash being walked. This situation may sound funny, but it was a nightmare. Having a dog run free can get you sued. There are innocent people who get attacked while taking walks around the neighborhood; sometimes it’s even hard to walk to your own mailbox. There is a leash law and tethering should not be confused with respecting the safely of your neighbors. Not everyone wants to deal with your dog.
By Alcinda on 06/30 10:59 PM
Excellent!!
By annie on 06/30 10:00 PM
they should tie up the owners and eave them outside in the 100 degree heat and see how they like it!
By annie on 06/30 09:59 PM
they should tie up the owners and eave them outside in the 100 degree heat and see how they like it!
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