# Another Town Adopts a Dog Tethering Law in Our State



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

The town that I am adjacent to has just adopted their anti-tethering law. I live in the county limits so I still have to walk by multiple dogs that are tied out to little dog houses, but I'm really hoping it has a ripple effect across the area. 

*New Dog Tethering Law Now in Effect in Cary
Fueled by citizen demand and adopted by the Cary Town Council at its most recent regular meeting, the Town of Cary’s first Dog Tethering Ordinance prohibits Cary residents from keeping dogs on chains or “tie outs” unless a responsible person is also supervising the dog. Owners who elect to keep their dogs outdoors are required to use a fence or kennel based on on the dog’s weight and should refer to the ordinance for specifications. Learn more about dog tethering and keeping pets in Cary by searching “Animal Control” at Home or call (919) 319-4517.

Outdoor enclosures should be no smaller than 100 square feet in area for each dog weighing less than 20 pounds. Each dog weighing 20 pounds or more should have an outdoor enclosure no smaller than 200 square feet in area. Examples of shelter that is not adequate include, but are not limited to the following:
a. Underneath houses, outdoor steps, decks or stoops, or underneath motor vehicles;
b. Inside metal barrels or cardboard boxes;
c. Shelters prone to flood;
d. Shelters surrounded by debris, obstructions or impediments that may endanger an animal;
e. Confinement of the animal in storage rooms, sheds or other buildings without windows and proper ventilation.*


----------



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

So if someone wants to tie their dog out in the yard for a few hours that's illegal? I sure hope that doesn't happen here.


----------



## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Ugh I hate this stuff.

Half of my agrees with it, the other half thinks "well there are some nice zip lines that dogs can be happy and safe on." 

It's the chains, the big chains that I have a problem with.

I don't think it's a black and white issue.


----------



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Another win for the Coalition to Unchain Dogs! The law targets an aspect of southern culture* which says it's ok to own a dog and leave it chained up outside for its entire life. No walks. No training. No playing. No socialization. No water. Little food. Just a chain and maybe a dog house or crawl space under a porch.

Under the new ordinance, if you're home and want to leave your dog chained up outside, no problem (there's a carve-out for responsible supervision). But if the dog is going to live outside, it must have reasonable shelter and space, or the dog can be removed from the owners.

I'm not entirely sure that the dog will go to a better place (NC has kill shelters), but at least it will discourage owners from mistreating their dogs. This law is definitely a good thing.

* This happens elsewhere, but in the US, it's highest in the southeast.


----------



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I guess we can disagree on this. I don't feel there is any way you can tie a dog outside, leave it alone by itself, and feel that it is safe for several hours with no one around. There are too many things that can happen - neighborhood kids come by and tease it, other dogs come by, the dog runs to the end of leash and breaks it getting free, the dog barks non-stop from boredom, chases a squirrel and gets hurt, winds rope around the tree until it is too short to move, etc etc. We live in the county and I've seen all of these things happen to the dogs that are routinely tied outside here. 

The first thing we did when we got our house was installed the fence for the dogs. It's been repaired twice after storm damage but it comes first because it is a priority for us. If you have dogs, you have a fence for them, period. If you rent and can't have a fence, then you stay outside with your dogs when you tie them out and bring them in with you when they are done playing.


----------



## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

a big step in the right direction!
our landlord told us we are not allowed to put up a fence, he says it will "decrease teh houses value" (dont see HOW but whatever)
so cesar has a zip line, i let him out by himself all the time BUT we have windows all around the front room and i dont leave the front room. it would take me half a second to get outside if anything happend. and i watch to make sure nothing does happen


----------



## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I don't even tie my dogs up, unless we are camping. They are tied sometimes to keep them from getting run over, or in trouble.

I wouldn't ever tie a dog up outside, I just can see where a properly set up zipline can be handy for dogs that are smarter than a fence.


----------



## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

chowder said:


> The first thing we did when we got our house was installed the fence for the dogs. It's been repaired twice after storm damage but it comes first because it is a priority for us. If you have dogs, you have a fence for them, period.


Yeah that's helpful unless you have a dog like one of mine who goes over the fence in seconds. The thousands I spent putting it up completely wasted in one jump. A chain doesn't neglect a dog anymore than a fence does, the owner is to blame, not the containment option.


----------



## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

AND i only use a zip line becuase cesar isnt reactive to nething, dogs walk past, kids ride bikes past, kids run past screaming,cats have ran past. nothing he watches them then goes back to what he was doing, if he was reactive i would NOt use a zipline but a chain.


----------



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

GoingPostal said:


> Yeah that's helpful unless you have a dog like one of mine who goes over the fence in seconds. The thousands I spent putting it up completely wasted in one jump. A chain doesn't neglect a dog anymore than a fence does, the owner is to blame, not the containment option.


True, which is why even though I have a fenced acre of yard, I still am out there with my dogs when they are outside. When I come in, they come in. Even on our last trip out at bedtime to do their business, we all march out together, and we all march back in together. 

There's not much point in leaving my dogs out by themselves anyway, they just huddle by the back door like pitiful little abused things anyway. :smile:


----------



## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

I have to chime in, I have used a chain before, and live in the south. I had no fence and when I did this I was home. But I changed my ways as I got older, I think it was education for me. I had to realize what I was doing. I never thought of running or walking my dog lol. When I let her loose she would always bring me back a rabbit or armadillo, one time I told her to drop before she came in the house, well the rabbit ran inside my home lol. 

That was 30 years ago...when I lived at home I had a fence. But back then I had a Mountain Lion for a pet, lol. Talk about chewing things up, lol that cub would eat every sheet in the house. And yes I fed raw meat to that cat, he would yell so loud when I was feeding him, lol. Didn't buy him, nothing like that I did a construction job for a vet, and he couldn't pay, so he paid with an animal, it was interesting. 

Now, I would never tie an animal out, I just walk them, and let them run while I walk. Much more enjoyable. If I had a farm I would still do the same.

Everyone does there best I think, and its up to us older peps to share our knowledge and it goes both ways.


----------



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Sorry but not everyone can afford a fence (my family) and a tie out will allow the dog much more freedom than many kennels. Tucker is always directly supervised when on his tie out because he's aggressive, but our previous dog Max would spend hours out there on nice days. He'd ask to go out, we'd tie him, and he'd go lay in the sun on the lawn for hours, when he wanted in he'd bark. What's wrong with that? Why should I have to sit out there and stare at him sleeping for three hours? If we tried to make him come inside he would refuse, he enjoyed being outside, laying in the sun and watching the world go by.

My aunt and uncle tie their dog out when they vacuum the house because the dog has a noise phobia, is that illegal too?

I completely agree that dogs living on tethers is wrong (I don't like a dog living outside tether or fence), and I agree that it shouldn't be done while the owners are not home as it can become dangerous (as can be home alone in a fenced yard). But a law that makes it illegal for your dog to be in his yard for a few hours while you are inside simply because it's a tether and not a fence? That I'm not okay with. All that's doing is making dogs like my Max spend less time enjoying themselves, they have to stay cooped up.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

My neighbors in Indiana kept their dog chained to a car axle. The law was that they couldn't do it 24 hours a day; they had to get him off of it at night. 

After many complaints from neighbors, the guy built a tiny pen but he tied the dog INSIDE the pen where no one could see, and the dog jumped over and hanged himself. Turns out he wasnt' even scooping out the poop from the pen, just throwing lime on top of it.

People who are cruel are going to find a way to be cruel. I think there is a big difference in leaving a dog on a chain under a car and having one on a zipline with free movement and supervision.

I like the law but wish it accommodated for more responsible tethering, like a zipline.


----------



## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

Sorry i didn't mean to say that no tethering out is good, when I did it, I didn't have a fence either. I guess I'm just agreeing with exllil . Some people just need to be more responsible.


----------



## skadoosh (Jun 11, 2012)

GoingPostal said:


> Yeah that's helpful unless you have a dog like one of mine who goes over the fence in seconds. The thousands I spent putting it up completely wasted in one jump. A chain doesn't neglect a dog anymore than a fence does, the owner is to blame, not the containment option.


^^^ couldn't have said it better.


----------

