Garner Council looking to join the pack in banning dog tethers

Posted July 27, 2010 at 11:18 am and filed under City, Headlines.

By Paul Tambasco
News Editor

Garner’s Town Council has asked a town committee to draft a new ordinance that would ban pet owners from leaving their dogs tied up without supervision.

The request is the first clear sign that Garner leaders intend to join other municipalities in the region in adopting new anti-tethering rules for dog owners.

The ban was requested this spring by some residents and members of Coalition to Unchain Dogs, a Triangle nonprofit group that builds free fenced pens for dog owners as an alternative to tying them up.

Tethering opponents believe a ban will curb a practice they say can cause health and behavioral problems. Left unattended, tethered dogs are likely to get tangled up on surrounding objects and potentially be injured, according to these groups.

Organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States deem the practice inhumane saying it causes dogs to become more anxious, depressed and aggressive; however, not everyone believes Garner needs the new rule.

Garner Police Department officials have said the town’s current animal cruelty rules adequately protect dogs by making it unlawful for people to subject any animals to conditions detrimental to their pets’ health or welfare.

Anti-tethering bans are a growing trend in the region. Orange and Durham counties as well as Raleigh, Clayton, Chapel Hill, Holly Springs and Knightdale have adopted some form of a ban.

GPD spokesman Chris Clayton said there have been few tethering calls reported to Garner’s animal control officer. Enforcing a new ordinance would unnecessarily increase the workload of the town’s lone animal control officer, Clayton said.

Recent publicity, rather than incidents, appears to be fueling discussion of changing Garner’s policy, Clayton said.

“It seems like this issue is coming to us as a result of what is happening in other municipalities in the area,” he said.

Garner’s current laws require tethers to be at least 15 feet or longer depending on the animal’s size.

Police say stipulation prevents the worst tethering cases; authorities can enforce other complaints that involve neglect or abuse of tethered animals through existing state and local laws.

But the ban’s supporters say unattended tethering needs to be scrapped entirely.

“Tethering itself is something that is detrimental to the health and welfare of these animals,” resident Donna Frieda said.

Unsupervised pets on tethers get wrapped around trees and other objects limiting their access to food, water or shelter, she said.

Frieda volunteered to assist the town’s animal control officer with administrative duties to help offset any increase in the enforcement activity associated with the ban.

Headed by Council members Gra Singleton and Kathy Behringer, the town’s Law and Finance Committee couldn’t decide on the matter when it first came up in April. They had asked the full board to weigh in and make a recommendation. On Tuesday, July 20 a majority said they would be in favor of starting the ban sometime next year.

Singleton referenced a similar proposal under discussion in Morrisville and said the ban would help Garner’s image as a pet-friendly place to potential newcomers.

“It sets a tone for future growth in town,” he said.

The Council has a number of options on how to construct the ban. Other places such as Durham and Chapel Hill have added requirements about minimum pen sizes. Raleigh and Orange County have time restrictions allowing unattended tethering up to three hours a day.

If the ban moves ahead, police have asked that the Council to ban unattended tethering altogether and that pens be at least 100 square feet for dogs weighing under 20 pounds and at least 200 square feet for larger dogs. Supervised tethering should still be allowed, Clayton suggested.

Whatever form the final law takes, it needs to be simple for citizens and for those who will enforce it, said Council member Buck Kennedy. He also backed the ban, though he says the issue is not an epidemic in Garner.

“If it is complicated, it delays and confuses both sides,” Kennedy said.

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1 Response for “Garner Council looking to join the pack in banning dog tethers”

  1. JR126 says:
    July 28, 2010 at 9:51 pm

    I’m a long time resident of Garner and have a tethered dog. He is well taken care of. He sleeps indoors at night and it outside most days that the weather permits. Responsible pet owners should be allowed to tether their animals. It should be our choice. I absolutely think it is cruel to have an animal locked in a house or kennel all day while the owner is away at work. Why is that not considered cruel? What if the citizens can’t afford a fence or the HOA will not allow it? What are they to do then? If there hasn’t been an increase in animal cruelty cases due to tethering I do not see why this is an issue.

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