Interviews With Animal Control Staff RE: Chaining Bans
Interviews Conducted by Dianne Lawrence with Proper Care and Attention
of Los Angeles
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED TO ANIMAL REGULATION IN CITIES WHERE TETHERING IS ENFORCED:
1. How is the law enforced. (Do they check up on complaints & issue warnings.) How do they follow up?
2. Do they consider the law useful and successful in dealing with the issue. Why?
3. What noticeable benefits have happened since the law was passed?
4. What problems have they run into since the law was passed?
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CONTACT: Dennis Downing
POSITION: Supervisor
TOWN/STATE: Tucson, AZ
ORGANIZATION: Pima Animal Control Center
PHONE #: 520.743.7550
1. Once a complaint has been made they go check it out. If the owner is home they are cited a ticket (min $50 max$250) They then must appear in court. They are told they are
breaking the law and they must unleash their dog. If the owner is not home they will seize the dog.
2. Yes, very useful and successful. People of the town work together to stop tethering.
3. Fewer dogs are tethered.
4. Owners will turn the dog over instead of complying.
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CONTACT: Sheila Jones
POSITION: Supervisor
TOWN/STATE: Maumellle, Arkansas
ORGANIZATION: Maumelle Animal Services
PHONE #: 501.851.6219
1. They first leave a notice to correct. They have 10 days. When they come back and the dog is still tethered they give them a 48 hour warning notice. Then if they still haven’t complied they will receive a citation; first offense $50- max $250
2. Yes, It protects the dog from choking themselves and breaking off the chain and running loose. They could get hurt that way or possibly hurt others.
3. Stops people from having dogs tied up in the yard as a deterant to robbers.
4. No problems. Law has been in effect since 1991 so they do not have problems with dogs that have been tethered for a long time.
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CONTACT: Daisy Brown
POSITION: Administrator Support Supervisor
TOWN/STATE: Wilmington, NC
ORGANIZATION: New Hanover Animal Control
PHONE #: 910.341.4197
1. They first give a 60 day warning to comply. Then after 60 days if they haven’t they receive a $250 fine. No other follow up is done, there must be another complaint filed. Then they issue another ticket. The only time they take the dog is if the dog is in danger (tangled up in the chain)
2. Yes, people comply with the law.
3. Before the law they would get calls all the time about dogs being hung up on their chains. They would have to go and release the dog.
4. No problems except some do not comply and they keep issuing tickets. She
said that dogs that are caged or tethered without contact and love often
become problems. The law helps prevent this.
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CONTACT: Angela Durgasingh
POSITION: Licensing administrator
TOWN/STATE: Louisville, Kentucky
ORGANIZATION: Animal control
PHONE #: 502.361.1318
1. When they see the dog and the owner is not at home they take the dog and leave a notice. If the owner is home they tell them their dog can not be tied up and tell them they will be back in a week. If the situation is not fixed they take the dog and issue a citation in which they will have to go to court.
2 and 3. Yes, less dogs are being tied up. Once they talk to the owners and the owners see the picture the animal control has taken of their pet tied up looking sad and helpless. The owners are like “wow I never thought of it that way” and comply. Most owners grew up with their parents tying up their pet.
4. No problems. In fact in Nov of 2000 they changed their law from not being able to have your dog tied up for more than 8 hours to no more than an hour.
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CONTACT: Rose Wilson
POSITION: Superintendant
TOWN/STATE: Lawton, OK
ORGANIZATION: Animal welfare division of Lawton
PHONE #: 580.581.3219
1. If a complaint has come in via neighbor, police, or animal welfare, a citation will be issued. The pet owner must appear in court. The judge decides the fine $65-$500. There is no follow up, a list persay, but they do patrol.
2. Yes, people are more responsible for their pets.
3. The law has been in effect since 1991. Lawton is a transient community because of the military base. So enforcing the law is on going. They do have companies that will come and put up an enclosed area for their pet and then when they move they come take it down.They have seen a decrease in animal heatstroke deaths and dogs dying from strangling themselves.
4. People being upset over the law. They are used to chaining up their dogs.
She said it has been proven dogs that are aggressive and bite are dogs that
have been chained up most of their lives. (American Humane Society in
Inglewood, CO)
