WARNING: Some images may be disturbing.

Beginning July 1, tethering a dog too long without any supervision is against the law in Raleigh.

The new ordinance says dogs cannot be tethered for more than three hours in any 24-hour period. Those who break the law could be fined up to $100 per day of the incidents.

Officer Erin Jenks, a Raleigh animal control specialist, said tethering is common.

"Tethering dogs is something every officer sees on a day to day basis," Jenks said.

Jenks said tethering a dog can be dangerous because chains can become tangle, leaving dogs stranded from shelter, water and food.

"It can easily strangle itself," Jenks said. "Unfortunately, if not properly cared for, animals can sometimes die from being tethered."

The ordinance also requires a tether be at least 10 feet long and chains be no heavier than 10 percent of the dog's body weight.

"Sometimes you run into issues that dogs are skinny and they've got this big heavy chain on them loading them down and that's something we're going to try to prevent," Jenks said.

Jenks said Raleigh Animal Control is taking the ordinance "very seriously" and will be on the lookout for long-term tethering, but is relying on the public to speak up.

"It really is going to take the public letting us know there is a problem," Jenks said.

One solution to tethering is building a fence, but that can be expensive. That's why the local group the Coalition to Unchain Dogs is stepping in to build fences for deserving households free of charge.

The group has built 200 fences in the Triangle.

Hailey Queen heads up the Raleigh crew, which has built five fences.

"We're definitely here to be a resource for the community, we really hope that we can help people come into compliance with this new ordinance," Queen said.

If you have a tip for Raleigh Animal Control you can call 919-831-6311. You can reach the Coalition to Unchain Dogs at www.unchaindogs.org