City Takes First Step to Ban Chained Dogs
www.gainesvilletimes.com
May 16, 2007, GAINSVILLE, FLORIDA - Gainesville will soon outlaw chaining dogs and other domestic animals, despite strong opposition from the mayor pro-tem. The ban on what is also called tethering earned City Council's initial approval 4-1 Tuesday. A final vote is June 5. Restrictions begin that day unless council sets a new date.
Gainesville will be one of the first Georgia cities to prohibit the practice critics call cruel. Some counties, including Gwinnett, have adopted bans.
Humane Society of Hall County president Rick Aiken, who led the local push, said his organization often gets calls about chained dogs living in poor conditions. Little could be done before, Aiken said. Now, the city will have a law with teeth.
Penalties for violations are set by the Municipal Court judge.
But Myrtle Figueras said Tuesday the law will have "unintended consequences."
The mayor pro-tem, who alone opposed amending the animal control ordinance, said some dog owners who cannot afford pens or other care will either turn their dogs loose or turn them into the Humane Society, where they will eventually be killed.
Figueras said the only dog that bit her was unchained; supporters contend chained dogs are more aggressive. She also said she knows caring people who keep their pets on a tether.
"I believe responsibility should be encouraged," she said, "not forced."
Councilman George Wangemann countered that a ban is appropriate because the issue is responsibility. "This law will send a message that you have to be a responsible pet owner," Wangemann said.
He mentioned being bitten "on the rear end" trying to escape a dog on a chain. He also recalled seeing a dog that had wrapped its chain around a tree, leaving the animal unable to reach food or water.
Aiken said changes in pet ordinances always raise concerns about more animals being taken to the Humane Society. Finding homes for chained dogs that are not well socialized poses problems, he said.
"But in the big picture, these dogs do not have a life," he said.
A national Humane Society spokesman has said that more than 100 communities in 30 states have outlawed or limited chaining. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal advocacy group that opposes chaining, lists a handful of cities that prohibit the practice.
Humane Society leaders plan to apply for grants from foundations and charities to help low-income dog owners finance pens. Aiken also said the organization will work to help people tethering their dogs find other options.
Aiken said he plans to propose a Hall County-wide ban to county commissioners once the city change is set.
Groups such as the All American Dog Registry, which registers American pit bull terriers, maintain the anti-chaining movement misuses dog bite statistics and even includes activist leaders who want to outlaw penning.
