Tethering of Pets Restricted: Lauderdale Adopts Strict Guidelines
www.sun-sentinel.com
July 9 2006, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - Another 85-degree day of direct sunshine may be utopia for a tourist from Iowa who wants a tan.
But for the dogs whose lot in life is to roast in a backyard tethered by a heavy chain, it's another day of torture.
Fort Lauderdale has a new law that makes it illegal to chain up a dog or cat and leave it in a yard for hours on end.
That might not bring the practice to an immediate end, but friends of the new law say it should help.
City commissioners eagerly accepted the concept in February, when Caroline Crane, education director for the Broward County Humane Society, broached it in a "citizen presentation." Commissioners made good on their promise, giving the final vote to pass it in March.
The Humane Society says dogs "improperly or extensively confined or tethered" are more likely to attack people than other dogs. And Fort Lauderdale last year had about 25,000 dogs and 5,000 cats licensed.
According to the new law:
No dog 6 months old or younger can be tied, chained or tethered in any way outdoors, and no cat can be tethered outdoors at any age, under any circumstances.
Even older dogs cannot be tied up or chained outdoors between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., except for a 15-minute span of time.
Older dogs can be tethered in the evening or overnight, but only if a proper body harness is used, rather than a neck collar. The tether or overhead run must be at least 10 feet long and allow free movement.
Older dogs may not be tethered during extreme cold or hot weather, periods of poor air quality, or during a hurricane or tropical storm warning.
Any dog or cat that is confined outdoors on private property, even without a tether, must have food and water; a ventilated shelter that is large enough to stand, sit and turn around in; and at least 150 square feet per animal for exercise.
Any confined dog or cat must be checked at least once every 12 hours.
Confined pets also must have a fence or enclosure that prevents them from escaping. A previous version of the law required that one side of the fence be see-through, but that part was deleted.
The new law will be enforced by code enforcers or the Police Department, or both, according to the city attorney's office. The enforcement plan is still in the works. Penalties for violators also are still under review.
