Council Cracking Down on Tied Dogs
www.DailyBreeze.com
By David Zahniser, Copley News Service
August 20, 2004, LOS ANGELES--A new law would include fines of up to $250 for animal
neglect and lack of proper shelter.
Dog owners who tie up their animals for long periods of time or deny them the proper
level of water and shade could soon face stiff financial penalties under a law being
crafted by the Los Angeles City Council.
The council voted Wednesday to draft an ordinance establishing rules for proper dog
care, from the "tethering" of an animal to a definition of adequate shelter.
If passed, the law would include financial penalties of up to $250.
"There are wicked people in this world who like to torture animals," Councilman Dennis Zine said. "What this is designed to do is give animal services the enforcement power
to deal with something like that."
Officials with the animal services department say they receive thousands of complaints
annually about dogs who have been tied up for long periods of time.
David Diliberto, the department's director of field operations, called for an outright
ban on the practice of tying up dogs in confined spaces -- unless the owner is carrying
out a temporary task, such as washing the dog or repairing a fence.
"We frequently find animals that have collars imbedded in their necks because they have
been chained," he said. "We find animals that have jumped their fence and hung
themselves."
Animals who are penned up in a confined space become extremely territorial and
dangerous, making them more likely to bite a person or animal, said Dianne Lawrence, a
Los Angeles resident who is pushing for the new law.
"Dogs that are tied up 24 hours a day are basically ignored," she said. "It's like
putting a 2-year-old in a room with no toys."
The council has already passed an ordinance regulating the treatment of guard dogs,
including a requirement that each animal be implanted with an identification chip. But
the city only has the power to issue notices to pet owners who fail to provide shade or
water to their dogs.
"We don't have any enforcement mechanism to deal with (the problem), even though our
animal control officers may feel something is truly inhumane," Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski said.
The measure already has the support of a handful of animal rights advocates. But some
activists have pressured the council to expand the law to include rabbits.
"They're multiplying at an incredible rate and no one's taking care of them," Zine
said.
