Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011

Garner might revisit tether ordinance

The Town Council might delay implementation of an ordinance that would remove dogs from tethers.

Last September, Garner voted to require owners to keep outside dogs in pens or fenced-in yards instead of on tethers. The ordinance was to take effect March 1.

But residents opposed to the new law want the Town Council to allow exceptions or scrap the law, and last week, Councilman Gra Singleton said he would ask his fellow councilmen on Feb. 22 to delay implementation of the ordinance.

"I've been contacted by at least three residents," Singleton said. "I think it would be wise to change it so that we're not punishing people who are responsible and tie up their pets in good conditions."

Phil King, for instance, tethers his 6-year-old Labrador retriever, Mako, in his garage. A 15-foot flexible line allows the dog to wander in and out when the garage door is open. King said the line has never tangled around Mako's neck, and he thinks pens are often just as unsightly and restrictive as tethers.

King said he is a caring dog owner who should be exempt from the ordinance. "I walk [Mako] three or four times a day and bring him in the house when it's too cold or too hot outside," he said. "If [the ordinance] stays as written, I would have to pay to have a pen built or have my backyard fenced in. It would certainly be a hardship."

The ordinance would also put David Simmons in a bind. Simmons has a dog that stays outside in a partially-covered pen. But during bad weather or frigid temperatures, he tethers the dog to a rail in the garage and leaves the garage door open. Because of allergies that family members have, the dog can rarely venture inside.

In an e-mail to the Town Council, Simmons explained his situation and asked Garner leaders to ditch the tether ban. "I ask that you not pass this ban," Simmons wrote. "If you do, I will have no choice but to either get rid of the animal or leave him outside through the winter cold. Your ban will then be causing abuse, not preventing it. Either way, I'll be glad for you to explain to my kids the reason why."

Councilman Buck Kennedy sympathizes with folks like King and Simmons. Kennedy was the lone dissenting vote when the ordinance came before the council in September.

Kennedy said he's pleased the council might revisit the ordinance, and he hopes the council will take responsible dog owners into consideration.

"The ordinance, as written, would negatively affect some pet owners who were already handling their pets in an agreeable manner to any animal-rights advocate," Kennedy said, referring to the Raleigh chapter of the Coalition to Unchain Dogs, a nonprofit that led the push for an ordinance in Garner. "The folks that will abuse their pets, they won't change their practices regardless of any ordinance we pass."

Under the ordinance, dog owners would have 30 days to comply with the new rules. Afterward, the town could take their animal. The owner would then have five days to reclaim the dog after showing proof of suitable housing.