A Senate committee gave unanimous approval last week to a bill that would outlaw lengthy tethering of man’s best friend, a cruelty that is common in backyards throughout the state. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to tie a dog by chain, rope or other attachment to a doghouse, tree, fence or any other stationery object for more than three hours during a 24-hour period. Use of a running line, pulley or trolley system is among the exceptions.
The reasons are clear, as listed in testimony by the Humane Society of the United States:
>> Researchers reported in a 1994 edition of the journal Pediatrics that chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to bite than unchained dogs and more than five times more likely to bite children.
>> The U.S. Department of Agriculture concluded in 1996 that “continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane.”
>> The American Veterinary Medical Association warned several years ago that people should “never tether or chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior.”
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