Ratsicles
Posted : 8/25/2007 7:57:59 AM
What exactly are the stipulations of this ordianance? I would be all for a law that banned 24/7 chaining of dogs, but I am HUGELY against the banning of tethering altogether.
Not everyone who ties their dog outside is a monster who doesn't care about their pets. When we lived in our old house, I had 5-6 dogs and no fence. I used to tie-out to let them outside to potty. If I had taken them all out on leash instead, I would have had to take out 5 or 6 dogs indivdually, on a leash, let them walk around and sniff for 10 minutes while they did their business, and then drag them back inside. So assuming that is takes each dog 10 minutes to finish up, it would have taken me at least an hour, 3-4 times a day, just to let my dogs go to the bathroom. 4 hours a day spent just watching my dogs crap. That, IMO, is ridiculous.
Instead, I had two tie-outs, one at each end of the yard. I could let two dogs out at a time to do their business. They could take their time, stay out as long as they wanted, and when they were finally done they'd come and stand by the back door and I'd let them in, then send out the next pair of dogs. This way they got to sniff and play and dig or just lie in the sun or whatever else they wanted until they were ready to come in. It was less stressfull for me, and much more enjoyable for them than being dragged outside on a leash and stared at while they tried to do their business and then immediately drug back inside without getting to sniff so much as a flower. Not very fun, for anyone involved.
Also, since I didn't have a fence, I would have had no way to play with my dogs in the yard withou a tie-out. Yes, my dogs have good recall but we lived next to the busiest street in town and I wasn't taking any chances. My dogs wouldn't have been able to enjoy their springpole, wouldn't have been able to do flirtpole, wouldn't have been able to play fetch....without tie-outs.
My point is that there ARE valid uses for chaining a dog. As long as it is done safely and properly, it is perfectly fine and for some people, necessary. There is a difference between the person who uses tie-outs as I did, as temporary restraining devices so that my dogs could enjoy the outdoors, and someone who chains their dog in the yard 24/7 and forgets them. If a blanket law totally banning the use of tie-outs came along, I have absolutely no clue how I would have managed my dogs in that situation.
Laws that limit the amount of time a dog can stay tethered (especially unsupervised), and laws that determine what kind of tethers can be used, where they can be placed, etc, I am ALL for. But laws totally banning the tethering of dogs period are IMO misguided and shortsighted. Tethering, like many things, has it's place- the fact that some idiots use it as a way to keep a dog without interracting with it or making it a part of the family is not, IMO, grounds for banning tethering. Regulating how and when dogs can be tied up, sure- but banning it altogether, No.