Wednesday, Mar. 09, 2011

Garner delays tether ban

Dog owners in Garner don't have to untie their pooches just yet.

The Town Council last week postponed the effective date of an ordinance that bans tethering dogs within the town limits.

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.

After several residents argued that their tethering practices were necessary and ethical, the Town Council began looking for ways to accommodate those owners.

In a Feb. 28 work session, the council voted to push the effective date to May 1, hoping the extra time will allow town staff to rewrite the ordinance to exempt residents who tether their animals in good conditions.

It remains unclear how the town would rewrite the law to exempt some residents. And that's why some Garner leaders are skeptical that a logical compromise can be reached.

"In terms of tethering, it's not a gray issue; you either tether or you don't," Garner Police Chief Brandon Zuidema said last week. "When you start making exemptions, that makes it more difficult for the animal-control officer to enforce."

Under the current version of the law, 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.

A more-complicated law would likely require animal control to spend more time and money as it investigates tethered dogs on a case-by-case basis, Zuidema said.

Councilman Gra Singleton agreed, saying he couldn't guarantee responsible dog owners protection from the law. Singleton serves on Garner's Law and Finance Committee, which is slated to review the ordinance at a meeting later this month. As of last week, a date had not been set.

"I don't know if we'll be able to change anything," Singleton said. "I've seen at least three cases where residents tether their dog responsibly. How we will protect [the owners], I do not know. Maybe we'll just talk about it so much that we have to push the effective date back again."