The Humane Society of Utah has scheduled a press conference for 3 PM today, August 10th, to announce its intention to ask for an ordinance in Salt Lake County that would prohibit people from keeping their dogs tethered outside on a chain for more than eight cumulative hours in any given 24-hour period, or for any time under extreme weather conditions. In attendance will be Councilman Randy Horiuchi and Council Chairman Joe Hatch. The press conference will take place at the HSU facility located at 4242 South 300 West in Murray.
"This law would provide exemptions under appropriate circumstances," explains HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt, "for example, if the dog’s tether is attached to a running line, or during training activity, shepherding or herding of livestock, or conduct related to the business of carrying out agricultural projects."
More than 100 jurisdictions in 30 states have already passed anti-tethering ordinances, from places as small as Live Oak, TX, to Los Angeles. Says Mr. Baierschmidt, "Imagine being chained to a tree year after year. You watch the door, hoping someone will come play. No one ever does. You long to run, but you can only pace. You shiver in the winter, you pant in the summer. Eventually you stop barking. You have given up hope. People have friends, company, music, movies, entertainment. A dog has only YOU."
"It’s up to the public to improve the lives of chained dogs," Mr. Baierschmidt adds. "Some people may think that it’s none of their business, but it’s the business of compassionate people to speak up when they see living creatures being treated like objects."
He cites the following specific reasons why a tethering ordinance is needed:
Dogs who live chained up outside suffer from extreme isolation. The lack of socialization creates fearful dogs who act quickly and fiercely to defend their territory from all intruders, including other animals, people, and small children.
Dogs are pack animals, which means that they naturally crave companionship. Chained dogs live an existence which is contrary to their instincts. The lack of socialization is a large part of what makes chained dogs more dangerous.
Chained dogs are at risk of getting hurt. Aside from the psychological damage caused by chaining, they are vulnerable to other dangers like extreme weather, inability to escape attacks from people or other animals, and strangulation from getting the tether tangled or caught.
Chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite, and 5.4 times more likely to bite children , than are dogs who live indoors as part of the family.
Outdoor dogs who bark at all hours can result in late-night police calls and problems with neighbors. Ordinances which require dogs to be inside overnight significantly reduce (and possibly eliminate) such issues.
The Humane Society is quick to refute common objections they hear to anti-tethering ordinances. To the claim that the government can’t interfere with people’s "property" — i.e., their dogs — officials point out that the government already has laws in place to protect both animals and citizens from abuse and danger; a chaining ordinance would simply be an extension of regulations already in place. If a pet owner claims his dog likes being outside, that’s true some of the time — but not for the animal’s entire life, tethered in a tiny radius by a chain. Finally, the idea that we just need to enforce the animal cruelty laws that we already have simply doesn’t address the issues created by chained dogs. While severely neglected chained dogs may be helped to some degree through basic animal-cruelty laws, those ordinances aren’t preventative in the same way that anti-chaining ones are.
If passed, punishment for violation of this ordinance would be anything from issuing a warning citation on the first offense up to charging the dog owner with a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of as much as $1,000 for repeated offenses.